Rennes – Saint-Jacques Airport

Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport Aéroport de Rennes – Saint-Jacques Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-27
IATA: RNS ICAO: LFRN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	CCI Rennes
Serves	Rennes, France
Elevation AMSL	124 ft / 37 m
Coordinates	48°04′19″N 001°43′56″W / 48.07194°N 1.73222°W / 48.07194; -1.73222
Website	rennes.aeroport.fr
Maps
Location of Brittany region within France
LFRN Location of Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,100 6,890 Paved 14/32 850 2,788 Paved 14L/32R 650 2,132 Unpaved
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 539,000 Passenger Change 14-15 7.5%
Source: French AIP

Passengers	539,000
Passenger Change 14-15	7.5%

Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport or Aéroport de Rennes–Saint-Jacques (IATA: RNS, ICAO: LFRN) is a minor international airport about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Rennes,Ille-et-Vilaine, in the region of Brittany, France.

Before the construction of this airport, Rennes had a small hippodrome which was used as a landing strip in Gayeulles, to the northeast of the city. In 1931 work started on a proper airport to service Rennes, and a plot of 380,000 square metres in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande to the southwest of the city was acquired and building began. On 28 July 1933, the new airport was officially opened by Pierre Cot.

Seized by the Germans in June 1940 during the Battle of France, Rennes airport was used as a Luftwaffe military airfield during the occupation. Known units assigned (all from Luftlotte 3, Fliegerkorps IV):

JG 53 and KG 27 took part in operations over England during the Battle of Britain (10 July–31 October 1940); KG 26 and KG 77 also engaged in night aerial attacks over England during 1942; JG 11 and SKG 10 were interceptor units primarily engaging Eighth Air Force heavy bomber (B-17; B-24) operations over Occupied Europe. In addition, numerous Luftwaffe Anti-Aircraft FLAK batteries were controlled from Rennes.

Rennes was attacked by Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on 9 January 1944 (Mission 180), and was overflown on several night leaflet drops during the spring of 1944. The airport was also attacked during the Allied invasion of Normandy during June 1944 on several occasions by B-26 Marauder medium bombers of IX Bomber Command, 323d Bombardment Group. The medium bombers would attack in coordinated raids, usually in the mid-to-late afternoon, with Eighth Air Force heavy bombers returning from attacking their targets in Germany. The attack was timed to have the maximum effect possible to keep the Luftwaffe interceptors pinned down on the ground and be unable to attack the heavy bombers. Also, the P-47 Thunderbolts of Ninth Air Force would be dispatched to perform fighter sweeps over Rennes after the Marauder raids, then meet up with the heavy bombers and provide fighter escort back to England. As the P-51 Mustang groups of Eighth Air Force began accompanying the heavy bombers all the way to their German targets by mid-1944, it was routine for them to also attack Rennes on their return to England with a fighter sweep and attack any target of opportunity to be found at the airfield.