RAF Woodchurch
Encyclopedia
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield in Kent
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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The airfield is located approximately 5 miles (8 km) west 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Opened in 1943, Woodchurch 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
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was used by the Royal Air Force 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
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
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Woodchurch 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
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. 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 Woodchurch was of similar specification to other ALGs in the district.
The creation of the two runways required the closing of minor country roads and the laying of approximately 4100 ft (1,249.7 m) of metal wire Sommerfeld Track for the east/west runway (11-29) and 5000 ft (1,524 m) for the main north/south (01-19). Construction started in January 1943 with a three month schedule.
While most of the metal for runways appears to have been down by March it was several more weeks before all the specified works had been carried out to construct an operational airfield. 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.
RAF Fighter Command use
A trial occupation began in late July 1943 with the arrival of Nos. 231 and 400 Squadrons with MustangsP-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
. These units used Woodchurch airfield for operational sorties until mid-October when, as with RAF fighter squadrons on other Kent ALGs, they withdrew to airfields with hardened runways or better drainage.
RAF No. 5003 Airfield Construction Squadron arrived at Woodchurch during the winter of 1943-44 with a mission to upgrade the airfield to receive a full USAAF fighter group by April. The perimeter track was extended and additional aircraft hardstands constructed. Runway intersections were reinforced, marshalling areas and some additional hardstands were built. Aircraft cover was provided by five Blister hangars.
USAAF use
While under USAAF control, Woodchurch was known as USAAF Station AAF-419 for security reasons, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's Station-ID was "WC".373rd Fighter Group
In the first week of April 1944, the 373d Fighter Group373d Fighter Group
The 373d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with First Air Force stationed at Mitchel Field , New York. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
arrived from Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Operational fighter squadrons and fuselage codes were:
- 410th Fighter Squadron (R3)
- 411th Fighter Squadron (U9)
- 412th Fighter Squadron (V5)
The 373d Fighter Group was part of the 303d Fighter Wing
303d Fighter Wing (World War II)
The 303d Fighter Wing was a United States Army Air Forces unit of World War II. It performed air support operations in Europe using Republic P-47 Thunderbolts until V-E Day and then occupation duty in Germany....
, 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...
.
By early May some 70 P-47s were present. At this time US engineers extended runway 11-29 by 900 ft (274.3 m) using Pierced Steel Planking to the east across a minor road between New Street Farm and Stubbs Cross. The road was only closed when aircraft were taking off or landing.
The group entered combat on 8 May with a fighter sweep over Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The usual mixture of escorts and fighter-homber work followed while the pilots of this organisation gained experience.
As with other Ninth Air Force P-47 units, once the invasion had taken place
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...
, support of the armies by ground-attack became their prime mission. There was some contact with enemy aircraft and on 7 June six were credited as destroyed in a dogfight over Normandy. All told, 373rd pilots shot down 30 enemy aircraft while operating from Woodchurch. Losses amounted to 15 P-47s missing in action.
Movement to France took place in late July and most of the personnel and aircraft had left for Tour-en-Bessin (ALG A-13) by the 31st.
Woodchurch did not miss out as a haven for disabled bombers. On June 29, a 458th Bomb Group Liberator landed without its nosewheel down, causing irreparable damage to the aircraft and urgent work for the runway repair crew, and another ailing B-24 put down safely on 19 July.
Legacy
After the 373d moved to the Continent, the group struck railroads, hangars, boxcars, warehouses, and other objectives to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the front at St Lo, where the Allies broke through on 25 July 1944. The group attacked such targets as troops, gun emplacements, and armored vehicles to aid ground troops in the Falaise-Argentan area in August 1944.
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, the group concentrated on the destruction of bridges, marshalling yards, and highways. Flew armed reconnaissance missions to support ground operations in the Rhine Valley in March 1945, hitting airfields, motor transports, and other objectives.
The 373d Fighter Group received a DUC for a mission, 20 March 1945, that greatly facilitated the crossing of the Rhine by Allied ground forces. Without losing any planes, the group repeatedly dived through barrages of antiaircraft fire to bomb vital airfields east of the river. It also attacked rail lines and highways leading to the Rhine, hitting rolling stock, motor transports, and other objectives.
The 373d Fighter Group continued tactical air operations until 4 May 1945, eventually being stationed at Furth Airfield (ALG R-10), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The group returned to Sioux Falls AAF South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
during July and August 1945, being inactivated on 7 November.
Civil use
After the Americans moved to France, the airfield was derequisitioned in September, the RAF works unit. No. 5024 ACS, appeared in the following weeks to remove the Sommerfeld Track, the Americans having already lifted the re-usable Pierced Steel Planking for use on the continent.The area was fully returned to agriculture by the following year. Today, there is no physical evidence of the airfield, as the land has been redeveloped into either agricultural fields or meadows. The only way which the location of RAF Woodchurch can be determined is by comparing the road network on aerial photos of the airfield when it was active to the road network today.