RAF Winkton
Encyclopedia
RAF Station Winkton is a former World War II airfield in Dorset
, England. The airfield is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Christchurch
; about 89 miles (143.2 km) southwest of London
Opened in 1944, Winkton was a prototype for the type of temporary Advanced Landing Ground
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 British, Dominion and 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.
required several temporary advanced landing grounds in the Avon Valley
or south west Hampshire prior to the Normandy invasion
to provide tactical air support for the ground forces landing in France.
Winkton 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 Winkton was of similar specification to other ALGs in the district.
The airfield was built by the RAF 5005 Airfield Construction Squadron during the winter of 1943/44 It was a temporary facility using wire mesh Sommerfeld Tracking, later being replaced with steel Marsden Matting
for runways. The airfield was built to a standard layout or design with two runways at near right angles, aligned as close a possible to north-south and east-west axes. In Winkton's case the North-South Runway was longer (1600 yards, 1456 m) while the other was only 1400 yards(1274m) long. There were five hangars aligned along the southern side of the east/west runway.
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.
on 4 April 1944, the group arriving from Myrtle Beach AAF
, South Carolina
. The 404th had the following operational squadrons:
The 404th was a group of Ninth Air Force
's 84th Fighter Wing
, IX Tactical Air Command
. It flew the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The group began operations by bombing and strafing targets in France. The squadrons provided top cover for landings in Normandy
on 6 and 7 June 1944. On 6 July the 404th moved across the Channel to its Advanced Landing Ground
at Chippelle (ALG A-5), France.
On the continent, the 404th operated in close support of ground troops until the end of the war, supporting the Allied breakthrough at Saint-Lô
in July 1944, the drive through Holland in September 1944, Allied operations during the Battle of the Bulge
(December 1944-January 1945), and the establishment of the Remagen bridgehead
and the subsequent crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.
The group also flew interdictory and escort missions, strafing and bombing such targets as troop concentrations, railroads, highways, bridges, ammunition and fuel dumps, armored vehicles, docks, and tunnels, and covering the operations of B-17s, B-24s, and B-26
s that bombed factories, airdromes, marshalling yards, and other targets.
The 404th Fighter Group received a French Croix de guerre with Palm
for assisting the US First Army at Saint-Lô
on 29, 30, and 31 July 1944 when the group, although suffering severe losses from flak, continuously provided cover for four armored divisions.
The group was also cited by the Belgian government for operations contributing to the liberation of its people.
After V-E Day
, the group aided in disarming the German Air Force
and in dismantling the enemy's aircraft industry. It returned to the United States in August and was inactivated on 9 November 1945 at Drew AAF Florida
.
Air National Guard
on 24 May 1946. During the Cold War
buildup of the early 1950s, it was activated to federal service and deployed to Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base France in May 1952 flying the Republic F-84G "Thunderjet"
. On 10 July 1952, the 137th was redesignated the 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
. In 1959, the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing was redeployed to RAF Lakenheath
in Suffolk
where for over 50 years it has served as USAFE's premier fighter wing, currently flying the F-15C/D Eagle
and F-15E Strike Eagle
.
In 2009, there exists a private grass runway owned by Mr.I.C.Reid, who hangars his Moth biplane there.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England. The airfield is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Christchurch
Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
; about 89 miles (143.2 km) southwest of London
Opened in 1944, Winkton 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 British, Dominion and 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.
Overview
Ninth Air ForceNinth 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....
required several temporary advanced landing grounds in the Avon Valley
Avon (county)
Avon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England.The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. It was formed from parts of the historic counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, together with the City of Bristol...
or south west Hampshire prior to the Normandy 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...
to provide tactical air support for the ground forces landing in France.
Winkton 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 Winkton was of similar specification to other ALGs in the district.
The airfield was built by the RAF 5005 Airfield Construction Squadron during the winter of 1943/44 It was a temporary facility using wire mesh Sommerfeld Tracking, later being replaced with steel Marsden Matting
Marsden Matting
Marsden Matting is standardized, perforated steel matting material originally developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the rapid construction of temporary runways and landing strips...
for runways. The airfield was built to a standard layout or design with two runways at near right angles, aligned as close a possible to north-south and east-west axes. In Winkton's case the North-South Runway was longer (1600 yards, 1456 m) while the other was only 1400 yards(1274m) long. There were five hangars aligned along the southern side of the east/west runway.
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
While under USAAF control, Winkton was known as USAAF Station AAF-414 for security reasons, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's Station-ID was "WT".404th Fighter Group
RAF Winkton saw the arrival of the USAAF 404th Fighter Group404th Fighter Group
The 404th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with III Fighter Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 9 November 1945....
on 4 April 1944, the group arriving from Myrtle Beach AAF
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force facility, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was established in 1940 as a World War II training base and was also used for coastal patrols during the war...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The 404th had the following operational squadrons:
- 506th Fighter Squadron (4K)
- 507th Fighter Squadron (Y8)
- 508th Fighter Squadron508th Fighter SquadronThe 508th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 404th Fighter Group, IX Fighter Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida...
(7J)
The 404th was a group of 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....
's 84th Fighter Wing
84th Fighter Wing (World War II)
The 84th Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Tactical Air Command, based at Brunswick, Germany...
, IX Tactical Air Command
IX Tactical Air Command
The IX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Camp Shanks, New York...
. It flew the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The group began operations by bombing and strafing targets in France. The squadrons provided top cover for landings in 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...
on 6 and 7 June 1944. On 6 July the 404th moved across the Channel to its 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...
at Chippelle (ALG A-5), France.
On the continent, the 404th operated in close support of ground troops until the end of the war, supporting 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...
in July 1944, the drive through Holland in September 1944, Allied operations during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
(December 1944-January 1945), and the establishment of the Remagen bridgehead
Operation Lumberjack
Operation Lumberjack was a military operation conducted in the last stages of the war in Europe during World War II. It was launched by the First United States Army in March 1945 to capture strategic cities in Germany such as Cologne, and to give the Allies a foothold along the Rhine River.With the...
and the subsequent crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.
The group also flew interdictory and escort missions, strafing and bombing such targets as troop concentrations, railroads, highways, bridges, ammunition and fuel dumps, armored vehicles, docks, and tunnels, and covering the operations of B-17s, B-24s, and B-26
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s that bombed factories, airdromes, marshalling yards, and other targets.
Citations
The 404th Fighter Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for three armed reconnaissance missions flown on 10 September 1944 when, despite bad weather and antiaircraft fire, the group attacked enemy factories, rolling stock, and communications centers to aid the advance of ground forces.The 404th Fighter Group received a 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 the US First Army 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...
on 29, 30, and 31 July 1944 when the group, although suffering severe losses from flak, continuously provided cover for four armored divisions.
The group was also cited by the Belgian government for operations contributing to the liberation of its people.
After V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, the group aided in disarming 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....
and in dismantling the enemy's aircraft industry. It returned to the United States in August and was inactivated on 9 November 1945 at Drew AAF Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Legacy
The 404th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 137th Fighter Group and allocated to the OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
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...
on 24 May 1946. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
buildup of the early 1950s, it was activated to federal service and deployed to Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base France in May 1952 flying the Republic F-84G "Thunderjet"
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
. On 10 July 1952, the 137th was redesignated the 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
. In 1959, the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing was redeployed to RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
where for over 50 years it has served as USAFE's premier fighter wing, currently flying the F-15C/D Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
and F-15E Strike Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
.
Civil use
With the Americans moving to France, Winkton airfield was returned to agricultural use in the fall of 1944. In January 1945, the airfield was officially closed. Today, the land is unrecognizable as a former airfield. It can only be located by comparing the road network on aerial photographs taken when the airfield was active to the current network.In 2009, there exists a private grass runway owned by Mr.I.C.Reid, who hangars his Moth biplane there.