Aerodromes Of Fighter Command: Then And Now

By Robin J Brooks

RAF Fighter Command was established in July 1936 to provide the airborne element in the defense of Britain against air attack. The aerodromes under the Command described in this book came under the control of several Groups: No. 9 in the west, No. 10 covering the south-west, No. 11 in the south-east, No. 12 on the eastern side of the country, and Nos. 13 and 14 protecting the extreme north. In this volume the activities of over 90 airfields are described and illustrated in our ‘then and now’ theme, both on the ground and from above. Many, having served their purpose, have returned to farmland leaving only odd vestiges to recall their former role as front-line fighter stations. Others have succumbed to the encroachment of housing or industry or even been totally expunged from the map through mining activities. On the other hand, a number have continued to be used as airfields, either for sport or business flying, and some continue as major airports with modern facilities. Sadly the post-war years have witnessed the slow decline of the RAF presence at so many of their former bases, two having closed during our research for this book. And some have found a new lease of life with the Army . . . or even the Ministry of Justice! All came into their own during the six years of war and the scars from that battle are still evident if one cares to look. Moldering buildings from the former era remain as poignant reminders of the airmen and women who once inhabited them . . . now standing almost as memorials to the thousands who never came through. This is their story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: May 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781399076814

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Although the RAF were only at Grove briefly in November 1942, we have deliberately included this shot to illustrate how sensitive the wartime censor was to releasing photographs showing airfields. The main purpose of this picture was to show the new Spitfire Mk XII with its Griffon engine, clipped wings and pointed rudder designed to improve low level fighting performance. On the reverse of the photograph the censor has instructed that the photo was not to be published before the morning papers on Thursday, April 20, 1944 and that ’if the two airfields [the second one is Harwell, taken over after the war by Britain’s Atomic Energy Authority] cannot be satisfactorily obliterated, the lower half of the picture must be cut’.

No. 9 GROUP

On December 18, 1940, No. 96 Squadron was formed from No. 422 Flight at Cranage specifically to try to counter the night raids on Merseyside and it was hoped that this was the best airfield to catch the Luftwaffe inbound for Manchester and Liverpool.

CRANAGE

Work commenced on land just to the north of Middlewich in Cheshire in August 1939 to create a relief landing ground, its intended function being as a base for an air navigation school. Located at a height of 150 feet above sea level, the grass landing area measured N-S 1,200 yards, NE-SW 900 yards, E-W 1,400 yards and SE-NW 1,000 yards, three of the runways being laid with tracking in 1940 to provide all-weather capability. A 50-foot concrete perimeter track gave access to eight Bellman hangars and the flying control was equipped with wireless telephony and a ‘Darky’ direction-finding aid.

The airfield played no part in the opening phases of the war or the Battle of Britain. The first flying unit to be based there was No. 2 School of Air Navigation on October 21, 1940 equipped with Ansons. Changing its name in 1942 to the Central Navigation School, the aircraft strength increased to 58 Ansons with a number of Wellingtons joining later for the same role.

Now returned to agriculture, the most striking feature of Cranage today is the M6 motorway which slices across the north-eastern corner.

The squadron line-up photo — a pre-requisite of most units. These are the pilots and staff of No. 96 Squadron in December 1940.

Although operating within Flying Training Command, Cranage was also a fighter base, No. 96 Squadron reforming there on December 16, 1940, re-numbered from No. 422 Flight. Flying Hurricanes, the unit operated in the night defence role mainly for the protection of the industrial and port areas of Liverpool.

Situated close to Cranage at Byley was a small Vickers-Armstrong shadow factory assembling Wellingtons that were then towed to the airfield for flight testing and subsequent delivery to squadrons.

No. 96 Squadron was joined by a detachment from Jurby of No. 307 (Lwow) Polish Squadron flying the Boulton Paul Defiant, which was also tasked with the protection of the Liverpool area. In March 1941, No. 96 Squadron converted to the same type before switching back to the Hurricane six months later. They left for Wrexham on October 21, 1941, the Defiants having left eight months earlier.

Now devoid of fighting squadrons but still remaining a training school, Cranage entered a phase of experimental flying with the formation in July 1942 of No. 1531 Beam Approach Training Flight. Flying Airspeed Oxfords, the unit was tasked with teaching aircrew the techniques of using an airfield blind approach aid. In addition to the RAF units, the arrival of No. 14 Liaison Squadron saw an American presence at Cranage. Flying the Stinson L-5 Sentinel, they were used in a communications, medical and training role.

The Vickers-Armstrong Shadow factory at nearby Byley is now used by local industry.

In May 1945, No. 190 Gliding School was based at Cranage, remaining for two years. Thereafter the airfield was used for storage and maintenance until it finally closed in 1958.

With no buildings left standing, there is no chance of a meaningful comparison — hence this shot of the crumbling Battle Headquarters. As part of the ground defence each aerodrome was usually protected by a number of pillboxes co-ordinated by a Battle Headquarters — in the main a standardised design topped by a cupola with a horizontal aperture giving all-round observation. The accommodation below ground consisted of an office, sleeping quarters and toilet.

HIGH ERCALL

Although primarily a maintenance base, High Ercall was also a night fighter airfield in No. 9 Group of Fighter Command. Located five and a half miles north-west of Wellington in Shropshire, and 220 feet above sea level, it was an expansion airfield constructed by G. Walker and Slater Ltd. As well as a grass landing area, it had three tarmac runways built to a bomber airfield configuration necessary to deal with the different types of aircraft that would land either for storage or maintenance.

Dimensions for the grass were N-S 1,200 yards, NE-SW 1,400 yards, E-W 1,550 yards and SE-NW 1,200 yards whilst the tarmac runway lengths were 11-20 1,580 yards, 05-23 1,377 yards and 35-17 1,250 yards. The hangar accommodation was vast with eight ‘L’ types, three ‘G’s, one ‘K’, two Bellman, four Extra Over Blister and eight Over Blisters together with 12 pens.

Although not a front-line aerodrome as such, nevertheless the Luftwaffe still had it listed as Target GB 10 347.

Unfortunately this Mosquito is not identified other than it is standing outside one of the hangars of No. 29 Maintenance Unit.

Parented by nearby Atcham, in addition to being a major maintenance unit it was deemed an operational satellite or relief landing ground. Fuel storage was large with 90,000 gallons of aviation spirit and 10,000 gallons of MT petrol, all necessary for an airfield that was to handle many movements.

High Ercall played no part in the Battle of Britain although many aircraft passed through and were stored at No. 29 Maintenance Unit. March 7, 1941, saw an enemy attack on the airfield causing damage to several buildings. The expansion of No. 29 MU during 1941 saw it classified as operating within No. 51 Wing with its headquarters at Broughton Hall in Flintshire. Due to the number of aircraft requiring storage facilities, it also became necessary to establish further satellite landing grounds at Teddesley Park (SLG48), Ollerton (SLG21) and Brinklow (SLG46).

With night attacks on the Midlands cities and towns increasing, No. 68 Squadron brought their Blenheims in from Catterick on April 23, 1941. Converting to the Beau-fighter a month later, they carried out many successful sorties from High Ercall before leaving for Coltishall on March 8, 1942. Six days earlier No. 255 Squadron had arrived from Coltishall to convert to the Beaufighter VIF before leaving for Honiley in June 1942.

Dozens of aircraft appear in this vertical taken in May 1946.

The contrast could not be greater with an airfield which was once a hive of industry with the servicing and repair of Fighter Command aircraft. Most of the subsidiary buildings have gone; only the hangars still stand.

Personnel of Fighter Command’s No. 257 Squadron at High Ercall in June 1942 when they were equipped with the Hawker Hurricane.

With No. 29 MU ever-expanding with over 700 aircraft to disperse, the unit took over a further satellite at Weston Park (SLG33) during June. With the arrival of the Spitfire VBs of No. 257 (Burma) Squadron on June 6, High Ercall once again became operational. The month also saw No. 1456 Flight, known as a Turbinlite Flight, carry out experiments in night-fighting. Equipped with the Douglas Havoc fitted with an enormous searchlight in the nose, they hoped this would illuminate an enemy aircraft enabling an accompanying fighter to shoot it down. However the scheme was not a success and, with aircraft such as the Beaufighter and later the Mosquito carrying airborne radar, the idea was abandoned by late 1942.

The formation of No. 222 MU Aircraft Packing Depot at High Ercall coincided with the arrival of the American 309th Fighter Squadron, a unit within the 31st Fighter Group. Flying the Spitfire V instead of the intended P-39 which proved unsuitable for operations in Europe, they stayed for several weeks before moving to the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa.

They re-equipped with Hawker Typhoon’s the following month. This is DN542 which was hit by flak and crash-landed at Lympne in August 1943.

From swords to ploughshares — the flying field 70 years on … view taken looking towards The Wrekin.

On July 16, 1942 the airfield hosted Royal visitors as No. 1456 Flight was experimenting with a new method of countering night raiders using a ‘Turbinlite’ searchlight fitted to Douglas Bostons (the RAF called them Havocs). The flight was co-operating with the Hurricanes of No. 257 Squadron but in the end the idea was judged a failure and it was abandoned in January 1943.

No. 60 OTU formed at the station on May 17, 1942, with 24 Mosquitos, two Ansons and an Oxford, their duties being to train Mosquito aircrews. No. 257 Squadron, having converted to Typhoons, took part in the Dieppe operation in August before moving to Exeter on September 21. They were replaced by the Hurricanes IIB of No. 247 (China/British) Squadron. The Lockheed Lightnings of the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, of the US Eighth Air Force, arrived on August 21, for training and refitting before leaving in September.

In February 1943 the Spitfires of No. 41 Squadron arrived to carry out offensive patrols over the Irish Sea but they left in April. They were the last fighter squadron to be based at High Ercall but No. 29 MU continued to occupy the base until it closed in 1962.

The outline of the aerodrome still shows up midst the Shropshire countryside.

HONILEY

Construction of Honiley by John Laing and Sons Ltd took place during 1939-40 although the aerodrome was first known as RAF Ramsey. Situated 426 feet above sea level, off the A4177 road seven miles southwest of Coventry, it was initially intended to be used as a training base for Bomber Command but, as a result of the heavy night raids upon the Midlands over the winter of 1940-41, the Air Ministry changed its role to that of a fighter station. Honiley then became a sector station in No. 9 Group with satellite airfields at Baginton and Defford.

As with most aerodromes intended for heavy bomber use, Honiley had been provided with three hard runways in the familiar triangular configuration. Conforming to the standard lengths, the main measured 2,350 yards. Hangarage comprised three Bellmans and 12 Blisters. Unusually, the operations room was situated some distance away from the main airfield to ensure its safety.

The completion of the airfield allowed the Hurricanes of No. 605 (County of Warwick) Auxiliary Squadron to arrive on September 4, 1941 for a brief stay before embarking on HMS Argus for Malta. A similar procedure followed when No. 135 Squadron’s Hurricanes arrived before being posted overseas on November 10.

Situated some 15 miles to the south-east of Birmingham city centre, this aerodrome was first called Ramsey until its name was changed in August 1941 to Honiley. It is interesting to compare this October 1940 reconnaissance photo by Luftflotte Kommando 2 with the late-war Air Ministry schematic.

Meanwhile the Hurricanes of No. 257 (Burma) Squadron had arrived on November 7 for night patrols, a stay that was to last six months. Whilst at Honiley they converted to various marks of Hurricanes before getting the Spitfire VB that they took to High Ercall on June 6, 1942. Another night fighter unit was No. 1456 Turbinlite Flight that had formed at High Ercall and occasionally used Honiley to fly in co-operation with the Hurricanes of No. 257. Later to become No. 535 Squadron, like the other Turbinlite units, they had very little success with all such squadrons disbanding in January 1943.

A detachment of No. 285 Squadron, an Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Flight of No. 9 Group, had arrived from Wrexham during December 1941 bringing with them a selection of aircraft comprising Blenheims, Hudsons, Lysanders, Oxfords, Defiants and Martinets. With the entire squadron arriving on October 29, 1942 they departed to Woodvale on August 23, 1943, a detachment remaining at the airfield until September.

The Beaufighters of No. 255 Squadron arrived on June 6, 1942 for a working up period prior to moving to Maison Blanche in North Africa. A brief visit by No. 32 Squadron on September 10 saw Hurricanes return to Honiley before the Beaufighters of No. 96 Squadron flew in on October 20, 1942. Taking the title of Honiley’s longest-serving squadron, they carried out night intruder operations sending detachments to Tang-mere and Ford until August 1943 when they moved to Church Fenton.

Unfortunately the name of this airman appears to have been lost to history, but this Hurricane IIA (Z2979) was on the strength of No. 135 Squadron when pictured at Honiley in October 1941.

By 1941, all stations were supposed to have been improved to the ‘ideal’ dimensions of one main runway of 2,000 yards and two subsidiaries 1,400 yards long. At minimum, the runways were to be 1,600 yards and 1,100 yards respectively with another 100 yards of cleared area at either end for overshoots. All were 50 yards wide, those at Honiley now being used as a 1.8 mile multi-surface motor test track by ProDrive which claims to give the ‘ultimate driving experience’ in Warwickshire.

The nine-month tenure of Honiley by No. 96 Squadron from October 1942 to August 1943 was the longest by any of the units stationed there, even though their night intruder ops were largely uneventful during that period.

Day fighters returned on April 20 when No. 91 (Nigeria) Squadron arrived to exchange their Spitfire VBs for the Mk XII before moving to Wittering on May 9. Two further Spitfire squadrons arrived for short stays, namely Nos. 130 (Punjab) and 234 before Honiley became devoid of operational aircraft. The reason was that with No. 9 Group assuming control of all Fighter Command Operational Training Units, the airfield was to become home to No. 63 OTU devoted to the task of training night fighter crews in airborne interception techniques. For this a selection of aircraft were used including Beaufighters, Beauforts and Blenheims, most having arrived by mid-August. Staying for seven months, the unit moved to Cranfield on March 21, 1944.

A brief visit by the Mosquitos of No. 219 Squadron saw the airfield return to active operations but with a change in policy at the Air Ministry, Honiley became an airfield within the Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB). A detachment of Typhoons from No. 3 Tactical Exercise Unit arrived for a brief stay before a further switch in July 1944 saw Honiley transfer from the ADGB to No. 26 (Signals) Group of Bomber Command. Testing new radio equipment, it was renamed the Signals Flying Unit and re mained until August 1946.

With the cessation of hostilities the airfield continued to be used for flying, becoming home to auxiliary squadrons and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. In 1957 it was reduced to care and maintenance before finally closing on March 1, 1958.

A WAAF corporal checks a delivery of 20mm Hispano cannon shells before armourers load the ammunition into one of the squadron’s Bristol Beaufighter NF Mark VI.

No. 457 Squadron arrived at Jurby on the Isle of Man on August 7, 1941 when they were operating Spitfire Mk Is. It then moved to RAF Andreas on October 3 where the only photographs of them were taken.

JURBY

During 1937, secret negotiations took place between the Air Ministry and the Manx government regarding the building of an airfield on the Isle of Man. Details were released in the Press in April 1938 about the land to be compulsory purchased which comprised an area of 305 acres at Jurby near the main Ballaugh-Jurby-Lhen road. It was also proposed to site a gunnery and bombing range close to the airfield, something that did not bode well with the local populace but, with legal arrangements settled, work began immediately.

A contract was issued to Land Cultivators Ltd of York to lay the grass surface for the landing ground, the dimensions of which were N-S 1,333 yards, NE-SW 1,100 yards, E-W 1,500 yards and SE-NW 1,000 yards with building construction going to Gerrard and Sons Ltd of Swanton, Manchester. On the technical site three Bellman hangars and a large former Admiralty seaplane shed were put up between the camp and the aerodrome together with a number of Blister hangars. A fourth Bellman hangar was added in 1940.

Its first six Spitfire Mk VBs flew into Andreas on December 11, this particular machine, R7348, arriving on the following day along with three others. It was written-off following a crash-landing at Heston on February 3, 1944 while on the strength of No. 315 (Polish) Squadron.

A Hampden (or possibly a Hereford) of No. 5 Air Observers School at Jurby in January 1942. Ivor Ramsden, who kindly took the comparison for us, adds that the hangar on the left is a Bellman while the one on the right is an ex-Admiralty seaplane shed adapted by the RAF as an F-type Aeroplane Shed. Ivor explains that he should be standing about 50 yards further back but the view from there would be obstructed by a high bank of spoil which has recently been placed