RAF High Halden
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Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. The airfield is located approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) west-southwest of Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
; about 50 miles (80.5 km) southeast of London
Opened in 1944, Ashford was a prototype for the type of temporary Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
type airfield which would be built in France after D-Day, when the need advanced landing fields would become urgent as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. It was used by the United States Army Air Forces. It was closed in September 1944.
Today the airfield is a mixture of agricultural fields with no recognizable remains.
Origins
The USAAF Ninth Air Force required several temporary Advanced Landing GroundAdvanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
(ALG) along the channel coast prior to the June 1944 Normandy invasion
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
to provide tactical air support for the ground forces landing in France.
High Halden was a prototype for the type of temporary airfield which would be built in France after D-Day, when the need advanced landing fields would become urgent as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. It was originally planned to support light bombers and thereby would need a bomb store near the site. However, in a review of airfield building plans, this original requirement was dropped so High Halden was of similar specification to other ALGs in the district.
The airfield was constructed by an RAF construction unit in the summer of 1943, the main runway of 4,440 ft being aligned 04/22 and the secondary of 3,840 ft at 11/29. These strips. and a partial perimeter track, were all surfaced with steel wire Sommerfeld Tracking.
The airfield was initially held in reserve but, when allocated for use by a Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
fighter group, No. 5003 ACS moved in to carry out additional work. Marshalling areas of square mesh metal were laid at the runway ends and runway intersections were replaced with the same material. The perimeter track was extended and additional aircraft hardstands were fashioned Pierced Steel Planks, raising the total number of hardstands to 72.
There were also two refueling pads which doubled as aircraft standings and two Blister hangars, all on the south side of the landing ground. A large steel-frame, canvas-covered hangar was erected which was used as an armoury and workshop. Tents were used for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
USAAF use
High Halden was known as USAAF Station AAF-411 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "HH".358th Fighter Group
An advance party of the 358th Fighter Group358th Fighter Group
The 358th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Second Air Force stationed at La Junta Army Air Field , Colorado. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
moved into High Halden airfield in on 13 April 1944 from RAF Raydon
RAF Raydon
RAF Raydon is a former United States Army Air Force station in England. It is located just to the northeast of the village of Raydon, about 6 miles from Ipswich on the B1070 in Suffolk.-Origins:...
. Operational squadrons of the 358th were:
- 365th Fighter Squadron (CH)
- 366th Fighter Squadron (IA)
- 367th Fighter Squadron (CP)
The group was assigned to the XIX Tactical Air Command
XIX Tactical Air Command
The XIX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The unit's last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force based at Biggs Field, Texas...
, 100th Fighter Wing.
After the comparative domestic comfort of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
bomber base at RAF Raydon
RAF Raydon
RAF Raydon is a former United States Army Air Force station in England. It is located just to the northeast of the village of Raydon, about 6 miles from Ipswich on the B1070 in Suffolk.-Origins:...
, High Halden's tents were not well received. Three requisitioned houses afforded shelter for a lucky few and the house at Gate's Farm served as the group headquarters. American engineers extended the main runway with Pierced Steel Planking to approximately 5,400 ft by taking it across the minor road that skirted the south side of the landing ground. In addition, there was much innovation during the 358th FG's stay, with extensions to hardstands, and numerous wooden shelters for ground crews made from the crates in which P-47 drop-tanks were received.
From High Halden the group dive-bombed marshalling yards and airfields to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. Continued attacks on enemy communications and flew escort missions during May. Escorted troop carriers over the Cotentin Peninsula
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula, also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy, forming part of the north-western coast of France. It juts out north-westwards into the English Channel, towards Great Britain...
on 6 and 7 June, and attacked bridges, rail lines and trains, vehicles, and troop concentrations during the remainder of the month.
The intensity of the group's operations increased with the D-Day invasion
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. ground-attack missions predominating. Compared with many Ninth Air Force fighter groups, the 358th had relatively light losses during this period. There was little contact with enemy fighters and only four were claimed as shot down while flying from High Halden.
A few days after the group arrived at the airfield, there was an unexpected visitor in the form of a battle-damaged 303rd Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress from RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
which 'bellied in' on 24 April. In June, High Halden found itself in the V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
corridor, and there were more lethal arrivals when, on the 18th and again on the 23rd June, a V-1 exploded on the base. There is no record of the damage sustained.
The 358th began movement to the ALG at Cretteville France (ALG A-14) on 29 June, however the group continued to operate from High Halden until 16 July with the remainder of the ground support personnel leaving on the 18th.
Legacy
After moving to the Continent in July the group took part in operations that resulted in the Allied breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
. Continued to fly escort, interdictory, and close-support missions during the allied drive across France and into Germany, earning four citations before the end of the war.
The 358th Fighter Group received its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for operations from 24 December 1944 to 2 January 1945 when the group not only supported Seventh Army by attacking rail lines and rolling stock, vehicles, buildings, and artillery, but also destroyed numerous fighter planes during a major assault by the German Air Force
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
against Allied airfields.
The group received a second DUC for 19–20 March 1945, a period in which the 358th destroyed and damaged large numbers of motor transports and thus hampered the evacuation of German forces that were withdrawing from the area west of the Rhine.
A third DUC was received for performance between 8 and 25 April 1945 when the group attacked enemy airfields in the region of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
, engaged the enemy in aerial combat, and supported advancing ground forces by attacking such targets as motor transports, tanks, locomotives, guns, and buildings.
The 358th received a fourth citation, the French Croix de guerre with Palm
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, for assisting in the liberation of France.
The group returned to La Junta AAF, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
during July and was inactivated on 7 November 1945. In 1945, the group was redesignated as the 122d Fighter Group and allocated to the Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
122d Fighter Wing
122d Fighter Wing
The 122d Fighter Wing is an Indiana Air National Guard fighter unit, part of the United States Air Force. It is located at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station in Fort Wayne, Indiana.-Overview:...
still stands on duty today.
Post Invasion use
On 9 August there was some excitement when the locals reported an airplane without propellers on the landing ground. This was a Gloster MeteorGloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
flown in by the CO of No. 616 Squadron who was checking the suitability of the runway for use as a forward base in combating V-1s, the early Meteors having very limited endurance. A few days later, four Meteors arrived and on 14 August flew their first patrol and were up again next day, hut thereafter the detachment apparently withdrew.
US engineers were now busy removing the PSP for use elsewhere and High Halden was de-requisitioned on 15 September, although it was not until January 1945 that an RAF works unit began clearing the site.
Probably the last military aircraft to make use of High Holden was a battle-damaged B-17 Flying Fortress that made an emergency landing on 19 March 1945. By this time, much of High Halden airfield had been removed by construction engineers and only the main runway remained intact. The aircraft was repaired and flown out at a later date.
Civil use
With the facility released from military control the airfield area was returned to the farmers, which put it back into agricultural use.Today, the area is unrecognizable as an airfield. High Halden's precise location can only be determined by matching the secondary roads in the area with those visible on aerial photography taken during the airfields active use. Close examination of recent aerial photography shows some evidence of scarring on the landscape that still exists, which align with the NE/SW runway. In the local area, a few outward traces remain of the airfield, consisting of some metal PSP that was used for fencing.
A memorial to those who served at the airfield has been erected close to the northern end of the 04/22 runway on Bethersden Road.