06/06/2026
Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-10 at Plumetot – A Key Base in the Battle of Normandy
During the Allied campaign in Normandy following the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, temporary Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) played a crucial role in providing close air support to ground forces.
One such airfield was B-10 Plumetot, located approximately 10 km north of Caen and just beyond Sword Beach in the British sector.
Following the successful Allied landings, the Royal Engineers’ 25th Airfield Construction Group began work on the site in mid-June 1944.
The airfield became operational around late June 1944, featuring two runways approximately 1,200 metres long — one of pierced steel planking (PSP) and one of compacted earth — designed for rapid construction and use under combat conditions.
Key Units at B-10 Plumetot
• RAF 123 Wing (1–19 July 1944): Equipped with Hawker Typhoons of 198 and 609 Squadrons, the wing conducted ground-attack missions against German armour, transport, and positions during the intense fighting for Caen.
• 131 (Polish) Wing (August–September 1944): Comprising three Polish fighter squadrons flying Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX and Mk XIb aircraft:
• No. 302 (City of Poznań) Squadron
• No. 308 (City of Kraków) Squadron
• No. 317 (City of Wilno) Squadron
These Polish squadrons, part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, flew up to five sorties per day from B-10. Their missions included air superiority patrols over the beachhead, fighter sweeps, and low-level strafing attacks on German troops, vehicles, and supply lines.
This marked a symbolic return of the Polish Air Force to continental Europe after years of fighting in exile.
Other units, such as elements of 35 Recce Wing and 135 Wing, also operated from the airfield at various times, using aircraft including Mustangs, Spitfires, and Austers for reconnaissance and observation.
B-10 Plumetot was one of several temporary airfields that enabled Allied air power to operate directly from Normandy soil, reducing response times and providing vital support as the bridgehead expanded.
In 2019, a striking Polish Air Force Memorial was unveiled in Plumetot village on 9 June — three days after the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Designed by Polish architect Alexander Smaga it commemorates the pilots & personnel who operated from B-10.
The monument, co-financed by the Polish Institute of National Remembrance and supported by international efforts, serves as a permanent tribute to the Polish airmen’s contribution to the liberation of France and Europe. A flypast by PHF Pilot Dave Harvey in Spitfire BM597 was carried out at the opening ceremony. 
We remember the courage of all Allied airmen, Engineers and crews who built & operated these forward bases under challenging conditions.
Their efforts were instrumental in the eventual Allied victory in Normandy.
You can leave a dedication and donation on the Duxford To Deblin JustGiving page which is fundraising to fly Hawker Hurricane G-HURI to Poland in August.
📷 (Photo 1) Hawker Typhoons in Normandy June 1944
📷 (Photo 2) Supermarine Spitfire at Plumetot
📷 (Photo 4) Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP963 'TP-T', of No. 198 Squadron RAF, parked by the perimeter track at B-10
Plumetot, Normandy, as a bomb-disposal squad explodes German mines in the background. (Royal Air Force,
2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945 © IWM (CL 473)
📷 (Photo 3) Polish crews chatting at Plumetot. The coils behind them are SMT, which was used for taxitracks and dispersals
