RAF Winkton

RAF Winkton
USAAF Station AAF-414
Located Near Bransgore, Dorset, United Kingdom

Winkton Airfield just over a year after it was closed January 1947. The outlines of the runway matting still evident on the land, with it being returned to agricultural use.
 
Map showing the location of RAF Winkton within Dorset.
Coordinates 50°46′37″N 001°46′2″W / 50.77694°N 1.76722°W / 50.77694; -1.76722Coordinates: 50°46′37″N 001°46′2″W / 50.77694°N 1.76722°W / 50.77694; -1.76722
Type Military airfield
Code WT
Site information
Controlled by United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built 1943
In use 1943-1945
Battles/wars European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison Ninth Air Force
Occupants 404th Fighter Group

RAF 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 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.

History

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. Its Station-ID was "WT", Radio-Callsign "Drainsink"

404th Fighter Group

RAF Winkton saw the arrival of the USAAF 404th Fighter Group 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. On 6 July the 404th moved across the Channel to its Advanced Landing Ground at Chippelle (ALG A-5), France.

Current 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 Tiger Moth biplane there.

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Citations

    Bibliography

    Media related to RAF Winkton at Wikimedia Commons

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