Royal Air Force Headcorn or more commonly known as RAF Headcorn is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground located 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Headcorn, Kent, England.
| RAF Headcorn USAAF Station AAF-412 Egerton   | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headcorn, Kent in England | |||||||||
 Headcorn ALG airfield, 11 May 1944 | |||||||||
  RAF Headcorn Shown within Kent | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°10′58″N 000°41′16″E / 51.18278°N 0.68778°E | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force 1943 United States Army Air Forces 1943-44 | ||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Fighter Command | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1943 | ||||||||
| Built by | RAF Airfield Construction Service | ||||||||
| In use | July 1943 – September 1944 | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Opened in 1943, Headcorn was a prototype for the temporary Advanced Landing Ground airfields to be built in France after D-Day, when the need for advanced landing fields became urgent as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces. It was closed in September 1944 and has now reverted to farmland.
Units
editTwo Canadian squadrons, 403 Squadron RCAF and 421 Squadron RCAF, were based at Headcorn from August to November 1943 with Supermarine Spitfire IXB's.[1][2]
The following units were also here at some point:[3]
- No. 17 (Fighter) Wing RAF (August - October 1943)[4]
- No. 127 Airfield RAF (August - October 1943)[5]
- 362nd Fighter Group
- 377th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
- 378th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
- 379th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
- No. 405 Repair & Salvage Unit (August - September 1943)[6]
- No. 2809 Squadron RAF Regiment
- 'B' Section of No. 3207 Servicing Commando (August - September 1943)[7]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 89.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
- ^ "Headcorn (Egerton)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 287.
- ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
- ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 222.
- ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 233.
Bibliography
edit- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.