Maupertus-sur-Mer Airfield is a former World War II military airfield, which is located near the city of Cherbourg-Octeville in the Manche department of Lower Normandy in northwestern France. The facility was built as a French military airfield in 1937 before World War II. Used by the Germans during the Occupation of France, it was seized by the United States Army on 27 June 1944 during the Normandy Campaign. Reconstructed by the IX Engineering Command, 850th Engineer Aviation Battalion, it was used as a combat airfield. After the war, it was returned to the French government, and today it is the civil Cherbourg – Maupertus Airport. History The airfield was built by the French Air Force in 1937 as an annex to the military airfield at Querqueville. It consisted of a 1,000m grass runway. In 1939, a concrete perimeter track was added, and on 9 May 1940, it was equipped with Bloch MB.155 fighter aircraft. During the 1940 Battle of France, the aircraft assigned did not engage in any combat, and it was seized by the occupying German Army in June. It was turned over to the Luftwaffe which assigned Junkers Ju 87 attack aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG-2) to the field. During the Dieppe Raid of August 1942, Ju 87s from Maupertus attacked the raiding Allied forces. In the fall of 1942, the Luftwaffe moved the aircraft to the east, and replaced them with six 88mm flak guns, used for anti-aircraft defense of the area. After the Allied landings in France during June 1944, the United States Army VII Corps reached the airfield on 21 June. The 4th Infantry Division, with the support of the 70th Tank Battalion captured the airfield on 27 June. The 4th's 22nd Regiment moved on the airport from the south and east at 1100 hours on D+20 (June 26), with the three battalions abreast and a troop of cavalry protecting each flank. Heavy fire from enemy antiaircraft guns held up all three battalions for several hours, but, with the aid of supporting fire from the 44th Field Artillery Battalion, the 1st Battalion took a series of positions south of the airport and captured Gonneville, the 2nd Battalion occupied the western edge of the field, and the 3rd Battalion captured Maupertus and the defenses along the northern side of the field. The enemy, however, continued to offer determined resistance and not until the following day was