Military Airfields of Britain: Southern England E-Book

Ken Delve

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Entries cover every military airfield within the counties, from WW1 to the present day and comprise: Brief history of the airfield, construction and use including decoy sites; comprehensive list of flying units with dates and aircraft types; list of HQ units based at the airfield; details of memorials; maps and plans of almost every airfield; location details; selection of period photographs. The airfields of Southern England like Biggin Hill, Kenley and Hawkinge played host to the greatest part of the action of the Battle of Britain. Farnborough, birthplace of British aviation, lies in Hampshire and many regional airfields played host to vital anti-submarine patrols during WW1.

Leseprobe

THE MILITARY AIRFIELDS OF BRITAIN

Southern England

Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex

.

THE MILITARY AIRFIELDS OF BRITAIN

Southern England

Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex

KEN DELVE

Contents

Series Introduction

Airfield Recording

Introduction – Southern England

Operational Period Matrix

Notes on Using the Series

Airfields

World War One Airfields and Landing Grounds

Abbreviations

Series Introduction

This series of books examines Britain’s military airfields region by region, covering military aviation from World War One to the present day. There have been two main periods of airfield construction –World War One, when a large number of landing grounds and aerodromes were built for either defensive purposes or training, the majority of offensive operations taking place from airfields in France, and World War Two, when some parts of England housed hundreds of airfields, many of which were ‘taking the war to the enemy’ on a daily basis. The highpoint of airfields in terms of numbers came in the latter months of 1944, when Britain housed some 1,000 airfields and over 30,000 aircraft, plus a significant number of small or temporary landing strips.

This series is not a detailed history of every airfield but rather a ‘user-friendly’ reference, which, for each airfield, comprises an outline history along with maps, plans, photographs and data tables containing information such as location, units and memorials. Commercial publishing realities mean that even the entries for major airfields have had to be restricted in size and all airfields and landing strips that had no recorded military usage have been excluded.

Note on Sources

It is a well-established misunderstanding that military records are precise, comprehensive and accurate; sadly this is far from the truth and the problemsinherent in first locating and then checking documents are not for the faint-hearted researcher. In addressing the history of airfields in the UK, there searcher has a variety of primary sources to consult; for the RAF the most in-depth, at least potentially, is the F540 Operational Record Book (ORB), a series of records now classified in the AIR 28 series by the National Archives at Kew, London. There are, however, two problems with this document: firstly, only RAF Stations, i.e. independent locations with a station headquarters, were required to compile and submit this monthly record, and that parameter removed many of the wartime airfields and landing grounds; secondly, the quality of record is very variable. There searcher is invariably frustrated by the way in which such records were kept; the compiling officer was following Air Ministry guidelines, but these took no account of the desires and interests of future historians! An airfield could, for example, have gone from a grass surface to a concrete runway with no mention at all in its ORB, and when you consider more minor building works the chances of a mention are even slimmer. Movements in and out of units may or may not be recorded – even if mention is made there is no guarantee that the date given is accurate. This might sound strange, however it has to be remembered that these monthly ORBs were not compiled on a daily basis but were invariably put together in retrospect –at best days after the end of the recorded month but perhaps weeks later.

I spent much of my RAF career compiling ORBs at squadron and station level – as a secondary duty that had to be fitted around my primary aircrew task – and the problems of pulling together information in retrospect, especially from units or individuals that were either too busy or disinterested was a major struggle. The net result was a submission that would get past the signatory (squadron or station commander) and satisfy both the higher command that saw it and the final recipients at Air Ministry/MoD. Because such records were sent via higher commands there was also an element of politics in their content, as few commanders would submit a ‘warts and all’ record that might ruffle feathers further up the chain. However, even with these constraints and problems, the ORB remains the core historical document at all levels of the RAF organization. To put any appreciable level of detail into the overall research of an airfield requires reference to the ORBs of the based units, those for the flying units being particularly helpful –but with the same set of difficulties outlined above. Squadron ORBs are contained in the AIR 27 series. Other unit records, flying and ground, can also be consulted and, indeed, for some airfields, especially major training units, the unit record is essentially the station record.

The SD161 ‘location on units’ record is an excellent source for unit listings at a particular location for a given month. There is one major drawback, in that it is compiled from other inputs that may not, in them selves, be accurate or up to date; for example, the SD161 might list the presence of a particular squadron or other unit in its monthly entry for an airfield but, in fact, the move of that unit, whilst planned and authorized, might not have taken place or might have occurred at a slightly different time. It is a similar picture with the Secret Organizational Memoranda (SOM) files: these documents were the authorization for units to form, move, change command-allegiance, change name, disband, and so on, and as such they can prove very useful – as long as they are used with care. A planned and authorized action might subsequently be modified or cancelled and the researcher might not have picked up the amendment. An example of this, in respect to airfields, is the authorization under SOM 79/40 (dated30 January 1940) for ‘the requisitioning of land at Bysshe Court, Surrey as a RLG for Redhill, the site is21⁄2miles West of Lingfield’. Two months later, however, SOM 194/40 (dated 11 March) stated ‘Red hill is to use Penshurst as an RLG and the site at Bysshe Court is not required’.

For Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm units the official record system is the Ship’s Log, which applies to shore sites as well as floating vessels, and these documents can be even more frustrating, as they vary from diary format, often excellent and including photographs, to minimal factual statements that are of little use.

The USAAF units also submitted regular official reports and, as one airfield usually only housed a single Group, the records of that Group can provide some useful details, although they are primarily concerned with operations and not infrastructure.

It would, of course, be impossible to refer to everyone of these sources when compiling a series of books such as the Crowood ‘Military Airfields in Britain’series and the author freely acknowledges his debt to other researchers who have ploughed this field and produced excellent reference works. A great many of these secondary sources (a term that is no insult to these authors) have been used during the compilation of the Crowood series and a selection of the major ones is given below:

Halley, James J, The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth (Air Britain)

Jefford, C G, RAF Squadrons(Airlife)

Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John; Halley, James J, RAF Flying Training and Support Units (Air Britain)

Lake, Alan, Flying Units of the RAF (Airlife)

Sturtivant, Ray; Page, Gordon, Royal Navy Aircraft, Serials and Units (Air Britain)

Airfield Review, Airfield Research Group magazine (see below)

Freeman, Roger, The Mighty Eighth (Arms and Armour Press) – the impressive series of books by Roger on the 8th Air Force

Plus the author’s own published works such as, The Source Book of the RAF (Airlife)

All good historians will confess that everything that appears in print contains errors; some of these are errors repeated from primary or secondary sources, some are typological (1942 and 1943 are a mere key-stroke apart) and some are simply omissions where the author has not been able to fill in the gap or has completely missed a document. All of these errors will be found in this series – I would welcome feed-back so that any future updates can be more accurate and complete.

Late 1930s map showing positions of airfields.

Location map 1944 that shows not only locations but also the approximate shape and size of each airfield; this series of maps highlights the density of airfields, in this example the group of Advanced Landing Grounds in Kent.

Photographs and Plans

Photographs and plans are an essential element of the research and presentation of airfield history and this series attempts to bring together one of the most comprehensive pictorial records yet published. For some airfields there is a plethora of plans, whilst for others the search for a period layout draws a blank. It is a great shame that virtually all of the civilian contractors involved in airfield construction did not maintain, or have subsequently disposed of, their records of this work. Official plans (Air Ministry Drawings) exist for various periods, particularly fine sets being available for late-1944 and the mid-1950s, but in both cases the surviving documents have, in typical military fashion, been amended to the latest issue; for example, airfields no longer in use in December 1944 have been removed from that volume. With the exception of the Air Ministry overall-layout drawings, most plans cover only the main infrastructure of the airfield itself – run-ways, peritrack, dispersal and hangars, ignoring the off-airfield sites, such as accommodation and technical. Most of the airfield plans used in this volume are Crown Copyright via Air Historical Branch unless otherwise stated. The majority of World War One airfield plans are courtesy of RAY.

Airfield plans are invaluable historical documents. The three shown here are:

1. Sketch map based on the AIR 1 series of plans for World War One landing grounds (via Ray Sturtivant, drawn by...) :

2. 1944-series plan of the ALG at Horne; not all airfields are provided with a drawn plan in the 1944 series, some use anoverlay on an aerial photograph. :

3. 1950s-series plan of Thorney Island; this is an excellent series of plans but sadly it is not complete as with subsequentamendments to the document those airfields removed from the RAF list were removed from the document – a classiccase of ‘if only’ someone had preserved a complete set!

Photographs are perhaps an even thornier issue and the quality and number of images varies hugely from airfield to airfield, with training bases being the most poorly represented. The RAF’s security-conscious attitude meant that cameras were a real no-noat airfields and, other than occasional official or presssessions and the odd illicit snap, there are massive gaps in the photo coverage. The situation at the USAAF bases was somewhat better, for both officialand unofficial photographs; what makes this even easier from the researcher’s point of view is the easeof access to this material at the National Archives building in Maryland.

Wartime air-to-ground images are hard to find and, although it seems likely that every airfield in the UK was photographed on numerous occasions during the war, unearthing these images is never easy. The Luftwaffe produced excellent target folders, including aerial photos, of many British airfields and this source of material is superb when you can find it.

A number of photographic surveys of the UK have been flown over the past sixty years; indeed, according to some sources, the 7th Photographic Group flew a vertical survey of much of Britain during the war and this material would prove invaluable should it be easy to access, which sadly is not the case. Post-1945, airfields have been popular targets for recon-naissance squadrons to practice both vertical and oblique pinpoint-photography and thousands of negatives would have been exposed – but not necessarily printed or preserved. Keele University is the present home for tens of thousands of air-to-ground photos from World War Two onwards and almost every airfield in Britain is likely to be amongst the collection– if you can locate the individual site. There are three main ‘national’ collections of aviation images in the UK; the Imperial War Museum and the RAFMuseum, both in London, and the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. For the researcher/author this is a somewhat mixed blessing as, whilst the material can usually be studied by prior arrangement, it is often prohibitively expensive to acquire copies for publication. The majority of illustrations used in this series are from private collections and plans/diagrams are from official sources.

Aerial photographs are a valuable complement to airfield plans but the tracking down period shots can be difficult; some airfields are well represented whilst others are blanks in the record. It is certain that every airfield was photographed from the air in World War Two, the problem is tracking down the material! The series show here comprises:

1. Aerial view of Bekesbourne, c.1918 from the 50 Squadron photo album

2. Wonderful shot of Thorney Island c.mid 1940s.

3. June 2003 shot of Biggin Hill; modern aerial shots always make a useful comparison, especially for disused airfields.

Airfield or Aerodrome?

For the sake of ease I have used the term airfield throughout this series, but have freely mixed it with aerodrome and other terms; the purist will rightly say that this is not technically correct and it is true that, at various times, the RAF (and other Services) had definitions they used for specific types of ‘air installation’.

The same problem of nomenclature occurs with individual elements of the airfield; for example, taxi-way or perimeter track, runway or landing strip? Different sources will provide different definition sand, indeed, the definitions change with the period in question. It is not the purpose of this series of books to get bogged down in the debate on terminology.

Pubs

For every airfield there is the question of drinking! All RAF aircrew and ground crew had their favourite pubs, and usually they went to different ones; likewise, different squadrons might adopt their own pub or pubs. Whilst regular drinking took place in themesses and the NAAFI, a trip down to the ‘local’ was an essential part of squadron life, with frequent reference to the ‘boys’ climbing into the Boss’s car and tearing off to the pub. You only have to read any autobiography from a wartime-RAF chap to find reference to these forays – often with humorous results. The Americans were even keener on making use of local pubs and every airfield will have had one or more favourite watering holes. Although reference is made to pubs in some of the entries in this series, we have not included complete lists, as this information is not available. I would like to have included details of wartime pubs in these records but that level of research relies on people with local knowledge and interest – if you know of any pubs that fit this description then let me know and I will update the file!

Messes and Headquarters

Pre-war RAF stations included excellent living accommodation; indeed, one of the great advantages of an expansion-period officers’ mess, for example, was that they all followed the same pattern and it was easy therefore to stagger from bar to accommodation wing without getting lost, no matter which airfield you were at! However, with the threat of air attack and with many airfields having little or no accommodation, the military adopted the course of ‘acquiring’a suitable local establishment, which in many cases meant a stately home or, at least, very large house. This type of building was taken over by HQ staff and also for use as officers’ messes, with the frequent addition of a hutted ‘village’ in the grounds. As with pubs, this information is not always readily to hand, other than for major HQ-units, and I would like to hear from local researchers who can add details of houses taken over in this way. Perhaps the best known in the UK is the Petwood Hotel at Woodhall Spa, Lincoln shire, which was used as a mess by the officers of 617 Squadron, and which hosts numerous RAF reunions and is a great place to spend a weekend.

Visiting Airfields

The majority of airfield sites are out of bounds, either because they are still active military installations or, more commonly, they are in private hands for agricultural or industrial use. While touring the country-side looking for airfields you will come across many variations on the ‘KEEP OUT’ sign, some couched inpleasant, but firm, tones and others somewhat morevehement in their opinion of any who would daretread from the public paths. It is worth noting that footpaths exist over many of these airfields and so reference to a good OS map (which is an essential part of any pack-up for the airfield tourer) will keep you on the straight and narrow. Sadly, the footpaths were not laid out with visiting airfield structures in mind and all too often all that is glimpsed is a building, often partly hidden by vegetation, often at some distance from the marked path. You can always try contacting the landowner to seek permission to enter the airfield site and this is certainly worth a try for a pre-planned visit – although finding contact details for land owners can be tricky. As with all outdoor activities you need to have the right clothing and equipment – stout, waterproof footwear (that is not allergic to mud) is an essential if you plan to walk the ground rather then observe from the side of the road. When it comes to photography, a long lens (up to 300mm)is always worth having, as you may not be able to get close to some structures.

A good military maxim is that ‘time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted’ and this equally applies to the research time you spend before taking to the field – study the maps and diagrams in this book, in conjunction with the OS Land ranger map ,and you will (hopefully) have a much more productive visit. These books are, of course, equally use full for the ‘armchair visitor’ and provide a wealth of information for those interested in a particular areaor type of airfield.

Memorials

I have always been a ‘people person’ when it comes to aviation history and, to that end, I find the question of memorials fascinating, as these are a means of pro-viding a visible link with, and recognition of, those who were involved with operations from the airfields. Any student of memorials will soon realize the variations that exist in this recognition – and it should be pointed out that the majority of airfields do not have a memorial. The regional variation is en ormous andin large part reflects the type of organization operating in a region; for example, the USAAF bases are generally well-represented with memorials, often comprising impressive stones complete with inscriptions, and in many cases twin white flag-poles from which to fly the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. This is in large part due to the strength of post-war Associations amongst the American Groups and the creation of Anglo-American friendship groups. Likewise, the RCAF units, especially those of No.6(RCAF) Group in Yorkshire, are well represented with memorials. Of the RAF operational commands only Bomber Command has an appreciable number of memorials at their former airfields, whilst for others, including Fighter Command, the situation is very variable, with some of the London/Kent Battle of Britain airfields having memorials – the one at Croydon is one of the finest in the UK – but with others having nothing. Taking the country as awhole, there have been two major ‘memorial building’ phases, the early 1980s and the early 1990s; however, over the last couple of years there has been another burst of activity, although not on the scale of the previous ones. It would be great if every airfield was provided with a memorial that recognized the role it and its personnel played in World War Two, and it is this conflict that memorials commemorate, but this laudable aim is unlikely ever to be achieved, although there are still groups and organizations working towards the creation of such memorials. When looking for memorials it is not always a case of looking in the obvious places, such as the airfield site ,as in many cases they are located in the nearby village, either on the village green or in the churchyard(or indeed the church itself). The entries in this airfield series give location details for memorials where appropriate and this will save many an hour of sometimes fruitless searching (been there!); however, I donot claim that I have listed them all or even that they are all where I say they are – so feel free to update our information!

Talking of churches, it is always worth a look in the local church and churchyard – which may not always be the one nearest to the airfield or the village with the same name as the airfield – for additional memorials, such as Books of Remembrance, and for grave stones. Many parish churchyards in the UK include Commonwealth War Grave Commission grave markers, although these do not always relate to the local airfield but might simply be the grave of alocal person who had died whilst in military service. Don’t, however, simply look for the CWGC markers, as many graveyards will contain other RAF (and even RFC) stones. Not all graves are in the War Graves plot and not all have the standard stone. I did not visit all local graveyards during this survey and sot his information has been omitted – but I would be delighted if researchers were able to piece together these details for their airfields.

Many airfields in this region do not have a memorial – some have very impressive memorials, one of the best being the figure and series of plaques (only part of which is shown here) at West Malling.

Non-Airfield Sites

Airfields are only part of the military aviation story and a variety of other locations played roles in the overall picture, from HQ units to training establishments and storage units. However, despite the importance of such sites, they have been omitted from this series except for passing reference where appropriate in an airfield entry. This has been done for reasons of space, as to include all the ‘other’ sites would have added a significant number of pages – and cost.

Airfield Recording

As part of the on-going research into military air-fields there is a vital role for local historians and enthusiasts – by becoming ‘local experts’ they can help fill in the detail. It is the detail, such as grave records, local pubs, present condition of the airfield and its associated structures, preserved material(museums and local collections) and photographs, that helps provide a more complete picture of the air-field and those who were once based there.

The example form provides a standard record-sheet and in conjunction with the Aviation History Centre we are encouraging individuals to become ‘local representatives’, in order that the detail can be added for every airfield in the UK. This is not, of course, a permit to go marching over fields claiming right of access! The normal procedures have to be followed, but a local representative can take the time to get to know the airfield and its surrounding area, talking to land owners for access and finding out such lost information as the pubs used by various units. This is a people task – asking questions and chasing up little bits of information with which to build the overall picture.

The Aviation History Centre has agreed to provide basic information as a starting point for anyone wishing to become a local representative and they have also pointed out that you do not actually need to be local – it may be that you have a particular interest in an operational Group, squadron or local area and would like to pursue that interest. Individuals are also not restricted to taking on a single airfield but what is required is a responsible attitude when dealing with the landowners, an interest in finding out accurate information and a desire to share that information.

Airfield Research Group

It is worth considering joining the Airfield Research Group: this organization consists of individuals with an interest in research into and, to some extent, preservation of airfields in the UK. They publish an excellent magazine (free to members) and the quality of research is superb. For further details contact: Hon. Secretary, Raymond Towler, 33A Earls Street, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2AB.

Introduction – Southern England

The counties in the southern part of England will for-ever be associated with two events in British aviation history: the Battle of Britain in 1940 and D-Day in1944; in general terms this simplistic overview is accurate and, without doubt, these were the most significant periods for military aviation in the area covered by this volume of the Crowood series. However, the overall picture is a little more complex and interesting, and the following overview of airfield development in these counties provides a brief synopsis of ninety years of military aviation in southern England.

World War One

By the outbreak of war in August 1914, this region was home to a variety of landplane and sea plane bases, with roles ranging from aircraft manufacture to training and Home Defence. The latter role was primarily the task of the Admiralty until 1916 and with London a target for the German airships it was vital that an aeroplane defence-network be established. A number of airfields were tasked with this difficult duty and, with inadequate aircraft, pilots struggled into the night sky – and met with little success. The Royal Flying Corps took over the task in late-1916 but met with little more success, especially when the German Air Service switched from airships, which had become vulnerable and whose losses had risen, to large bomber-aircraft by day and night. Whilst Home Defence was the most public role of aeroplanes during this period, there was far more effort being expended on the training of pilots and a significant number of airfields in this region housed training-units for the RFC, RNAS and, in the latter part of the war, the United States Air Service (USAS).Coastal patrols and anti-submarine work were carried out by aircraft and airships from a number of coastal stations, such as Dover and Capel, whilst other air-fields, such as Calshot, played a significant role in development and trials work. By early 1918 the region’s aircraft factories were producing large numbers of aircraft and the training schools were turning out the necessary pilots and providing specialist training; however, with the signing of the Armistice Agreement in November this all came to a rapid end and, by mid-1919, military aviation throughout the region was in a major decline. Units disbanded and airfields closed; the build-up of American strength, for which a number of airfields were under construction, had ended and it was not long before most air-fields had been dismantled and the sites disposed of.

There were a number of airship stations in this region and anti-submarine/coastal patrols were an important role; SS-type airship over Capel. (Peter Green)

Throwley was one of a number of landing grounds that performed the Home Defence function.

Between the Wars

A number of military airfields did, of course, survive, all now in the hands of the RAF, but in most cases it was not until the mid-1920s that the home establishment of squadrons had settled down to permanent locations. Some airfields were used for private or commercial flying, often with only limited success, and it was not until the early 1930s that significant new airfield development took place. Whilst the1930s expansion period in RAF strength didn’t completely pass this area by, it did have far less effect here than in other parts of the UK, as one of the major thrusts of the expansion plans was a re-orientation to face the new ‘most likely’ air opponent, Germany. With France once more an ally, it seemed the near Continent was seen more as a potential forward-deployment area than a threat zone and, as such, little attention was paid to airfield development, other than a number of improvements in facilities at existing airfields. Fighter Command was formed on 14July 1936, under the command of Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, as part of a general re-organization of the RAF, and headquartered at Bentley Priory, Middle sex. At this time, Fighter Command had three operational groups – No.11 Group (HQ Uxbridge)covering the south of England and the south Midlands, No.12 Group (HQ Hucknall) covering the north Midlands, north-west England and north Wales, and No.13 Group (HQ Newcastle-upon-Tyne) covering north-east England, Scotland, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. In addition to its airfields, the Command was developing a network of radar stations and an associated reporting and control system. Much of this effort was focused on the Southern Counties.

58 Squadron at Worthy Down; this Wessex Bombing Area airfield was one of the main inter-war RAF stations in the region.

World War Two

With the outbreak of war in September 1939 the main concern was not so much the immediate defence of Britain but rather the positioning of squadrons in France to support the British troops deployed as part of the Expeditionary Force. The air elements comprised the Advanced Air Striking Force of light bombers from No.1 Group and the Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force; it was the latter that drew Hurricane squadrons from air-fields in the Southern Counties, as No.11 Group was tasked with providing the bulk of the fighters. Once again this is something of an over-simplification, as the air component was drawn from a number of sources, but the essence of the statement is correct and was soon to become the thrust of the ‘no more aircraft to send’ stance adopted by Fighter Command’s AOC, Hugh Dowding.

In addition to the units deployed to France, the home-based squadrons of Fighter Command flew alarge number of missions over France and the adjacent waters. For example, one of the myths of World War Two is the ‘lack of RAF fighters over the Dunkirk beaches during the evacuation’. In fact the RAF, and Fighter Command in particular, went to considerable effort to provide both fighter cover and offensive sorties. It was during this period that the Spitfire squadrons first became heavily engaged, enabling the RAF pilots to absorb tactical lessons relating to their formations and the effectiveness of their gunnery.

The German occupation of Norway, the Low Countries and France gave Fighter Command an increased frontage to defend, as the Luftwaffe now had additional bases over a wider geographic area. Consequently, the Command’s existing organization had to be modified to provide additional cover for the north-east and south-west of England. The need for additional airfields and a command organization –not to mention aircraft and pilots – put a severe strain on the already limited resources.

When the Fleet Air Arm reformed it took over a number of airfields in this region; this 1939 shot shows a Black burn Shark at Ford in 1930. (Ray Sturtivant)

Battle of Britain

The dates for the Battle of Britain are usually accepted as 10 July to 31 October 1940 and duringthese fifteen weeks the course of the war took a major turn, with the Germans postponing their plans to invade the British Isles. As the Battle intensified, a few hundred RAF fighters operating from twenty or so airfields in south-east England were pitted against an air armada that had previously been unbeaten. The morale of the Luftwaffe, boosted by easy victories over Poland and France, was high, some might even say verging on arrogance – certainly most of the German pilots believed that the RAF would soon be destroyed.

On 16 July Hitler issued Directive No.16, Operation Sealion, the invasion of England, which came with the proviso that ‘the British Air Force must be eliminated to such an extent that it will bein capable of putting up any sustained opposition to the invading troops’. In most histories of the Battle the radar stations – Chain Home as they were called– are usually assessed as being one of the key factors in Fighter Command’s success. It was the combination of warning systems, including the Observer Corps and ground intelligence, as well as radar, analysed by Filter Rooms and then acted upon by sector controllers, that made the system successful and reasonably robust against attack.

At this opening stage of the Battle, the tactical advantage lay very much with the Germans, as the Luftwaffe could choose the time, place and size of any attack. It was able, on paper, to mass over whelming force at any one point, whilst maintaining a threat to other areas that would prevent any attempt by the RAF to concentrate its forces. The German bomber force was capable of reaching over the entire UK land-area and surrounding waters; a massive geographic area for the defenders to cover. It was, of course, realized by both sides that the decisive conflict would have to take place in south-east England, but the ability to stretch and weaken the British fighter-force was a significant tactical card to play. The fact that the Luftwaffe failed to take full advantage of this was one of the main factors in the failure of the German air campaign.

On the afternoon of 8 July the British radar stations reported a build-up of enemy aircraft over France. Five squadrons were scrambled to intercept the Dornier Do17s and their escort of MesserschmittBf109s and Bf110s that had attacked a convoy near Dover. The dogfight eventually involved over 100aircraft, the first major air battle over British territory. Convoy attacks of this type, varying in intensity and sometimes limited to small numbers of unescorted raiders using cloud cover, was the pattern of the Battle for the first few weeks. Most activity centred on shipping off Dover. Fighter Command was continuing to evolve its organization and No.10Group had been formed on 31 May 1940, becoming effective on 13 July.

During July the average number of defensive sorties was 500–600 a day, the highest rate occurring on 28 July when 794 sorties were flown, during which the RAF claimed ten aircraft for the loss of five of their own. Day-fighter strength grew during July, enabling the Command to field forty-nine Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons by early August – the number of Spitfire units remained at eighteen but an additional four Hurricane units were now in the line. There was great variation in the RAF’s daily sortie-rates for August, from as few as 288 to a high of 974.The latter took place on 15 August, as part of the Luftwaffe’s concerted attacks on the RAF’s airfields under the so-called Adler Tag(Eagle Day). This new strategy to destroy Fighter Command’s combat potential consisted of a series of attacks on radar installations and fighter airfields and was launched on 12 August. The first raids were on Hawkinge, Manston and Lympne, the latter being hit twice with the result that, by the end of the second attack, the airfield was pockmarked with craters and there was barely a clear space on which to land. Hawkinge was hit at around 17.00, with Ju88s destroying two hangars, workshops and other buildings, as well as leaving the airfield surface badly damaged. Over night the craters were filled, the unexploded bombs dealt with and the airfield was declared operational again within twenty-four hours. It was a similar story at Manston, with 65 Squadron’s Spitfires taking off as the bombs fell. This pattern of airfield attacks continued to the end of the first week of September but, with a few notable exceptions, there appears to have been little in the way of overall co-ordination of the strategy.

Kenley under attack 18 August 1940.

One of the greatest ‘debates’ at the time, and one that still rages, was that of Fighter Command’s Diary for 15 September 1940, recording a communiqué from the Prime Minister addressed to Fighter Command via the Secretary of State for Air:

...yesterday eclipses all previous records of the Fighter Command. Aided by squadrons of their Czech and Polish comrades, using only a small proportion of their total strength, and under cloud conditions of some difficulty, they cut to rags and tatters three separate waves of murderous assault upon the civil population of their native land, inflicting a certain loss of125 bombers and fifty-three fighters upon the enemy, to say nothing of probable and dam-aged, while themselves sustaining only a loss of twelve pilots and twenty-five machines. These results exceed all expectations and give just and sober confidence in the approaching struggle.

This is the day that is now celebrated as Battle of Britain Day.

The last of the massed daylight raids took place on30 September and was given a very rough handling by a Fighter Command that was now much stronger than it had been at any point in the Battle. From then until the end of the accepted Battle period (31October) the main Luftwaffe effort comprised small formations or lone aircraft (the latter often fighter-bombers) – undertaking as many as 1,000 sorties a day. Whilst the damage they inflicted was small, they represented a major problem for the defending fighters and the Command had to resort to standing patrols. The end date for the Battle is somewhat arbitrary, as these types of raid continued well into 1941.

As the daylight campaign began to wind down in late-summer, the night campaign – the Blitz – was starting in earnest; to counter this, the RAF increased its night-fighter operations and a number of stations received squadrons, or detachments, of aircraft for this purpose. ‘The Few’, as Churchill described them, had won a stunning victory. The air-fields of southern England and the aircraft that flew from them had replaced the wooden walls of the Royal Navy as Britain’s main line of defence.

Pilots of 257 Squadron at Gravesend in August 1943.

Preparation for D-Day

Whilst defending the skies over Britain remained the primary task for Fighter Command throughout the war, it was not long before thoughts turned to ways of taking the war to the enemy. The first acknowledged offensive mission was flown on 20 December 1940,when two Spitfires of 66 Squadron attacked Le Touquet airfield; the following day the first intruder mission was flown, Blenheims of 29 Squadron operating over enemy airfields. Under the codename Circus, the first of the escort missions was flown on10 January 1941, with Bomber Command Blenheimsto the airfield at Guines.

These Circus operations, during which a bomber force would attack targets in France, aimed to ‘raise and engage that portion of the Luftwaffe fighter-strength based on the Western Front’ (Fighter Command operational memo). This was the logical follow-on to the previous concept of fighter sweeps, which had proved to be a waste of effort because the Luftwaffe had refused to take the bait.

Circus operations remained a key element of the Command’s work during 1942, but it is worth noting a special operation that took place in August that year. On 19 August a raid on Dieppe was supported by the largest array of RAF squadrons yet employed on a single operation, some sixty-eight squadrons being airborne; many of these operated from airfields in this region, some deploying for just the few days of the operation. Typical of the new Fighter Command formations charged with this work was No.127 Wing, which formed at Kenley on 11 July 1943, with an initial strength of two Canadian squadrons equipped with Spitfire IXs.

A massive airfield-construction programme was instituted in 1941–42 to cater for the thousands of American aircraft destined for the European theatre; however, the bulk of this activity took place to the north and west of the area under consideration in this book. A number of new airfields were constructed in the west of the area as part of this plan and the main USAAF presence was that of the Troop Carrier Groups of IXth Air Force. However, there is one aspect of the airfield programme that is particularly relevant to the D-Day campaign and the southern counties of England: the construction of a series of Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs). In the autumn of 1942, work started on a series of ALGs – temporary airfields that would accommodate British and American tactical squadrons for a limited time in the pre-invasion period. With the massive weight of airpower being assembled for the invasion, the question of where to base units became increasingly acute and, whilst the construction programme for permanent airfields was accelerated, an even more acute need was for airfields for use by short-range tactical air-craft, so a network of ALGs was constructed in southern England, primarily in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. A large number of possible sites were surveyed during early 1942 and, once a selection had been made, plans were drawn up for the construction of twenty-three ALGs for use by the RAF’s 2nd TAF. Initial work involved the clearing of woodland and the draining of marshland, after which an RAF Airfield Construction Service (ACS) team of three officers and 200 airmen would be given an average of three months to complete the construction of the site. In general terms each airfield was constructed to the same pattern, although local conditions did require some variation, with two metal-track run-ways, two-and-a-half miles of perimeter track, plus an additional MT track. A typical ALG construction involved:

Levelling of site: 10,000 tons of earth to be shifted

Laying of runways: two runways, each 1,600 50 yards, metal track

Aircraft standings: 80 in metal track

Perimeter track and MT road: 2.5 miles perimeter plus 2.5 miles MT road in metaltrack or hardcore with tarspray cover

Hangars: eight blister type

Petrol installation: sufficient for 18,000 gallons

Medium bombers operated from airfields such as Dunsfold as part of the Tactical Air Force; 98 Squadron Mitchells taxyout.

Other than the blister hangars, and these were not always provided or at least not to the ‘standard’ scale, very few other buildings would be provided, so tentsor requisitioned buildings would be the norm. Each airfield was to be capable of supporting up to fifty day-operational aircraft, i.e. a Wing of three squadrons. Most of the work was carried out by the RAF’s Airfield Construction Service, although Royal Engineers, American Engineer Aviation Battalion sand civilian contractors all contributed. Target date for completion was March 1943 and eleven of the sites were allocated for USAAF use, the remainder being for the RAF. For a variety of reasons the programme was soon behind schedule and the first air-field to open was Chailey, three miles east of Burgess Hill, in April 1943 but, like many of these airfields, there was no initial attempt to move in operational units. Most of the new airfields had been completed by the end of 1943 and many had been used by squadrons on evaluation exercises, testing the ability of the squadrons (Wing) to operate from a ‘mobile’ location and checking that the airfield itself had not major faults. Virtually all the ALGs received further work in the winter of 1943–44, with hangars, usually blister types, taxi-tracks and hardstands being built. By spring 1944 they began to receive their operational units, usually an Airfield (a mobile grouping of usually three squadrons), the nomenclature being changed to Wing in May 1944. After a few weeks of hectic activity the squadrons left and the sound of aircraft engines was replaced by that of agriculture as the land was de-requisitioned, buildings and tracking removed, and the land handed back to its original purpose. Most had been abandoned by September 1944 and were promptly de-requisitioned.

Second Blitz

With the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 it seemed that the war had entered its final phase and whilst this was, of course, true, it did not mean that the end was going to come quickly or easily. At 04.18 on 13 June 1944, the peace at Swanscombe, near Gravesend, Kent, was shattered by a fierce explosion. The first of Hitler’s new ‘terror’ weapons had landed on English soil. Within an hour, three more of these V-1 flying bombs had come to earth – one crashing into a railway bridge at Grove Road, Bethnal Green, in London, causing six deaths and a substantial amount of damage

The revised Diver plan of February 1944 called for eight day-fighter squadrons, plus a number of night fighter units, but for a lower total of anti-aircraft guns. In the 24-hour period from 22.30 on 15 June to 16 June 1944, British records show 151 reported launches, with 144 V-1s crossing the English coast. Of those, seventy-three reached the London area. The defences notched up only a modest score, seven falling to the fighters, fourteen to the guns and one shared, whilst a further eleven were shot down by the guns of the Inner Artillery Zone. The Hawker Tempests of No.150 Wing at New church had been at readiness for defensive patrol since dawn on 15 June.

The first phase of the flying-bomb campaign ended on 1 September 1944, with the Allied capture of those V-1 launching sites within range of London. Although the campaign never resumed with the same intensity, from 4 September 1944 to 14 January 1945 the city was subjected to attack by V-1s launched from Heinkel He 111 carrier-aircraft over the North Sea. Defensive patrols remained in force, but there was even less warning of attack, so the ideal solution was to destroy the parent aircraft before they launched their weapons.

Meteor night-fighters of 85 Squadron at West Malling; the airfield was one of a number of Fighter Command bases in the immediate post-war period.

In the overall campaign the Germans launched some 9,252 flying bombs, of which just under 5,900 crossed the English coast and 2,563 of those reached the London area. The defences claimed 4,262 destroyed – a very respectable 72.3 per cent of those that crossed into England. The threat posed by the V-1 was enormous and it was a weapon the like of which no-one had seen before. That the defences were able to react so quickly and so effectively is a tribute to all concerned.

With the end of the Second Blitz there was almost no significant activity and Fighter Command’s role over southern England was one of chasing unknown radar-plots, almost all of which turned out to be Allied aircraft. It would be true to say that for this area, which had twice been the main focus of air activity, the war pretty much petered out. There was a final burst of activity at many of the airfields when squadrons returned from Europe, although in most cases this was simply to disband.

Cold War and Beyond

With the immediate post-war disposals and disbandment phase over, the RAF and Fleet Air Arm established their presence at a number of permanent airfields, whilst others were taken over for civil use under the auspices of the Ministry of Civil Aviation or by aircraft manufacturers. In regard to the latter, sites such as Brooklands, the Vickers-Armstrong factory and Dunsfold, home of British Aerospace and the Harrier, are well known but others such as Chilbolton, used by Supermarine and Folland as a flight-test centre, are less familiar. Of the civil airfields the most successful was Gatwick, although the early post-war years were a struggle. The 1950s were a final heyday for military aviation, with great Fleet Air Arm stations such as Ford and Lee-on-Solent, and RAF fighter wings at the likes of Tangmere. The birth of the Army Air Corps brought airfields such as Middle Wallop to prominence, whilst the new-fangled helicopters came to dominate at places such as Odiham. By the early 1960s the next phase of decline had set in, a decline that has been pretty constant ever since – until the point has been reached at which there are now very few active military airfields in this region. Indeed, the only significant RAF airfield still operational – and that with helicopters – is Odiham in Hampshire and the only other operational military station, again helicopters, is the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop. However, a significant number of the airfields in this region are still extant, many as commercial or private airfields (ranging from international airports such as Gatwick to busy private airfields such as Shoreham) and some as traces of old runways and buildings. Many have all but vanished, especially the series of temporary Advanced Landing Grounds. There are a number of very good aviation museums, such as Manston and Tangmere, but in general the wonderful aviation history of counties such as Kent and Hampshire has all but been forgotten.

Operational Period Matrix

World War I

World War II

Post19501

All Hallows (Kent)

X

—

—

Andover (Hants)

X

X

X

Appledram (Sussex)

—

X

—

Ashford (Great Chart) (Kent)

—

X

—

Beaulieu (Hants)

X

X

—

Bekesbourne (Kent)

X

X

—

Bembridge (IoW)

X

—

—

Biggin Hill (Kent)

X

X

X

Bisterne (Hants)

—

X

—

Blackbushe (Hants) see Hartford Bridge

Bognor (Sussex)

—

X

—

Brenzett (Ivychurch) (Kent)

—

X

—

Brooklands (Surrey)

X

X

X

Calshot (Hants)

X

X

X

Capel (Kent)

X

—

—

Chailey (Sussex)

—

X

—

Chattis Hill (Hants)

X

X

—

Chilbolton (Hants)

—

X

X

Christchurch (Hants)

—

X

X

Coolham (Sussex)

—

X

—

Cowdray Park (Sussex)

—

X

—

Croydon (Waddon) (Surrey)

X

X

—

Deanland (Sussex)

—

X

—

Detling (Kent)

X

X

X

Dover (Kent)

X

—

—

Dunsfold (Surrey)

—

X

X

Dymchurch

X

—

—

Eastbourne (Sussex)

X

—

—

Eastchurch (Kent)

X

X

—

Eastleigh (Hants)

X

X

X

Fairoaks (Surrey)

—

X

X

Farnborough (Hants)

X

X

X

Ford (Sussex)

X

X

X

Foreland (IoW)

X

—

—

Friston (Sussex)

—

X

—

Frost Hill Farm (Hants)

—

X

—

Funtingdon (Sussex)

—

X

—

Gatwick (Surrey)

—

X

X

Goring By Sea (Sussex)

X

—

—

Gosport (Hants)

X

X

X

Grain (Kent)

X

—

—

Gravesend (Chalk) (Kent)

—

X

—

Hamble (Hants)

X

X

X

Hammerwood (Sussex)

—

X

—

Hartford Bridge (Hants)

—

X

X

Hawkinge (Kent)

X

X

X

Headcorn (Kent)

—

X

—

High Halden (Kent)

—

X

—

Holmsley South (Hants)

—

X

—

Horne (Surrey)

—

X

—

Hurn2 (Hampshire)

—

X

X

Hythe (Kent) see Dymchurch

Ibsley (Hants)

—

X

—

Kenley (Surrey)

X

X

X

Kingsnorth – WWI (Kent)

X

—

—

Kingsnorth (Kent)

—

X

—

Larks Barrow (Hants)

—

X

—

Lasham (Hants)

—

X

X

Lashenden (Kent)

—

X

X

Lee-on-Solent (Hants)

X

X

X

Leysdown (Kent)

X

—

—

Lydd (Kent)

—

X

X

Lymington (Hants)

—

X

—

Lympne (Kent)

X

X

—

Manston (Kent)

X

X

X

Marwell Hall (Hants)

—

X

—

Merston (Sussex)

—

X

—

Middle Wallop (Hants)

—

X

X

Needs Oar Point (Hants)

—

X

—

Newchurch (Kent)

—

X

—

Newhaven (Sussex)

X

—

—

New Romney (Honeychild) (Kent)

X

X

—

Odiham (Hants)

—

X

X

Penshurst (Kent)

X

X

—

Polegate (Sussex)

X

—

—

Pulborough (Sussex)

X

—

—

Portsmouth (Hants)

—

X

—

Ramsgate (Kent)

—

X

—

Redhill (Surrey)

—

X

X

Rochester (Kent)

X

X

X

Rustington (Sussex)

X

—

—

Selsey (Sussex)

—

X

—

Sheerness (Kent)

X

—

—

Shoreham (Sussex)

X

X

X

Slindon (Sussex) (see Polegate)

Soberton (Hants)

—

X

—

Somerton (IoW)

X

X

—

Southbourne (Sussex)

Staplehurst (Kent)

—

X

—

Stoney Cross (Hants)

—

X

—

Swingfield (Kent)

—

X

—

Tangmere (Sussex)

X

X

X

Telscombe Cliffs (Sussex)

X

—

—

Thorney Island (Hants)

—

X

X

Throwley (Kent)

X

—

—

Tipnor (Hants)

X

—

—

Walmer (Kent)

X

—

—

Westgate (Kent)

X

—

—

Westhampnett (Goodwood) (Sussex)

—

X

X

Westenhangar (Kent)

—

X

—

West Malling (Kent)

—

X

X

Winkton (Hants)

—

X

—

Wisley (Surrey)

—

X

X

Woodchurch (Kent)

—

X

—

Worthy Down (Hants)

X3

X

—

Wye (Kent)

X

—

—

Notes:

(1) Post-1950 has been chosen because many airfields were not abandoned until 1946–47 and most sites not actually disposed of until the early 1950s. This refers to airfields operational during the Cold War period of the 1950s to 1970s.

(2) Hurn (Dorset) is included because it was in Hampshire prior to the county-boundary changes.

(3) Worthy Down is listed as ‘WWI’ because of the airfield’s significant inter-war use.

Notes on Using the Series

Unit Tables

There was much debate on how to present the unit tables, with some preferring a numerical list and others a chronological list. The ‘solution’ that has been adopted is as follows: unit tables are presented in four chronological divisions – Pre-1919 (World War One), 1919–1939 (Inter-War), 1939–45 (World War Two) and Post-1945. This is not always ideal but it does show major utilization of a given airfield by period. Where a unit is appropriate to more than one period it appears in each, although where the overlap is a matter of months the periods might overlap with the entry; e.g. the following entry for Biggin Hill:

32 Sqn

Sep 1932–Jan 1940

Bulldog, Gauntlet, Hurricane

In this case the Squadron subsequently re-appeared at Biggin Hill and has a second entry in the 1939–1945 period.

During World War Two, and particularly at fighter and maritime bases, units moved around frequently and often were at an airfield for a matter of days or with brief periods of absence elsewhere. It would be impractical to list all these changes and so for some entries the following symbol appears alongside the entry ‘+’; this signifies ‘not a continuous period’, for example, 79 Squadron’s entry for Biggin Hill:

79 Sqn

Mar 1940–10 May 1940; 21 May 1940– 8 Sep 1940+

The Squadron spent time at Digby, Hawkinge, Sealand and Acklington during the period 21 May 1940–8 Sep 1940 and these dates are bracketed by its appearance at Biggin Hill.

Within these broad division squadrons are listed in numerical order and other units, listed after the squadrons, are in chronological order, as there is less likelihood that readers will scan these looking for a particular unit. All RAF units are listed first, followed by Fleet Air Arm and then USAAF/USAF.

Only the major types on establishment with a unit are listed and the reader will often see reference to ‘various’: this means that the unit had such a diverse fleet that it has not been practicable to list every type. This is particularly true of training units during World War One, although a glance at the records of a World War Two Spitfire squadron might well reveal a Tiger Moth, Magister or even Hurricane on strength as a ‘hack’ aircraft.

The region’s ALGs saw a short but intense period of activity in summer 1944; pilots of 257 Squadron at Needs Oar Point.

.

ANDOVER

County: Hampshire

UTM/Grid: OS map 185–SU328458

Lat/Long: N51°12.30 W001°31.30

Nearest Town: Andover 21⁄2 miles to east

Aerial photo of Andover August 1918. (Aldon Ferguson).

HISTORY

Located close to an extensive area of military ranges (Salisbury Plain) the airfield at Andover has, over the years, been home to a variety of operational and training units as one of the RAF’s main bomber airfields. The original 400-acre site just west of the town was acquired in early 1917 for a major airfield and, as such, work commenced on a series of seven General Service Belfast-truss hangars that for many years dominated the airfield. Andover opened in August 1917, although, like many airfields of this period, it was far from complete when it opened and tented accommodation, along with temporary Bessonneau hangars, was the order of the day whilst construction work continued. The first two units, 104 and 106 Squadron, arrived in September for work-up, being joined by 105 Squadron a few days later. All three used a variety of types but the main aircraft were RE8s and DH9s. By early January 1918 two more squadrons had arrived and Andover was a very busy airfield, although this was fairly short-lived, as the bomber squadrons began to depart in March, some to active service in France and others to UK bases. By mid-May they had all gone, but in their place came two established bomber-units, 207 and 215 Squadron, both of which had returned from France to Netheravon in April to re-equip with Handley Page 0/400s and now moved to Andover for final work up; both departed back to the Front in early summer. However, by that time the airfield was home to a major training unit, No.2 School of (Aerial) Navigation and Bomb Dropping having formed here during June 1918 with a fleet of various de Havilland bombers plus a few HP 0/400s and assorted other types.

Aerial view of the Andover airfield display 23 June 1929. (Aldon Ferguson)

The end of the war brought a run-down of training, but the school continued to operate on a reduced basis into 1919, becoming the School of Air Pilotage in September that year. However, on 1 April 1920 it was reduced to cadre status and was finally disbanded two years later. This was not the end of the airfield, for although, temporarily, there was no flying unit in residence it had been the HQ of No.7 Group since April 1920, this command organization being responsible for Army Co-operation squadrons, and during April 1922 the RAF Staff College had moved in. Flying returned the following year with the arrival, or rather the re-forming, of 11 Squadron and over the next few years a number of squadrons made use of Andover, the situation settling down by spring 1924 with two units, 12 and 13 Squadrons, in residence, although the latter was replaced a few years later by 101 Squadron. The airfield’s command unit had changed from No.7 Group to Wessex Bombing Area and, as the RAF gradually re-organized and reequipped during the early 1930s, the Air Pilotage School (Air Navigation School from January 1935) was reformed at Andover. Further changes of flying and command units took place over the next few years as this re-organization continued and at the outbreak of World War Two the airfield was in the hands of Fighter Command and was being used for No.22 Group’s Army Co-operation role. The Blenheims departed for France as part of the Air Component of the Expeditionary Force and Andover returned to a training role when No.2 School of Army Co-operation formed in October 1939. The Staff College had also departed but, since July 1938, Andover had been home to the HQ of Maintenance Command and this connection, which included the formation and initial basing of a number of Groups within the Command was to be an important and invariably unrecognized role of the station for many years.

P-38s of the 402nd FS of the 370th FG.

Austers were operated by a number of squadrons at Andover in the latter war years; this is not an Andoverbased aircraft as it belonged to 657 Squadron.

Amongst the Army Co-operation types based at Andover during the 1920s was the AW Atlas, as used by 13 Squadron.