RAF Bolt Head has now been uploaded.
The next airfield in the WW2 series will be RAF Hawkinge as it was in 1944.
RAF Hawkinge was the nearest Royal Air Force station to enemy-occupied France, with the Luftwaffe fighters, based in the Pas-de-Calais, being a mere 6 minutes flying time away.
Following the evacuation from Dunkirk, the first of several major Luftwaffe raids occurred on 12 August 1940 and caused a huge amount of damage to airfield buildings and the grass landing area. Among later attacks in fairly quick succession, one on 7 September directly hit the base headquarters as well as killing six people in the nearby village.
This did not deter the use of the airfield and aircraft from Hawkinge continued to make significant contributions to the war. Many fighter squadrons provided aerial support in the run up to the D-Day landings and afterwards. The main runway was also extended so that Hawkinge could act as an emergency landing ground for returning damaged RAF and USAAF bombers. Another prominent wartime duty was air-sea rescue with various types such as Westland Lysanders, Supermarine Walruses and Sea Otters using the airfield for a considerable period.
Tom Grant
Brisbane
Australia
July 2024