RAF Ashford

RAF Ashford
USAAF Station AAF-417
RAF Ashford; USAAF Station AAF-417
Ashford, Kent in England
	Ashford Airfield, taken on 11 May 1944, during the tenure of the 406th Fighter Group, 3 weeks before D-Day.
	RAF Ashford Shown within Kent
Coordinates	51°07′31″N 000°48′58″E / 51.12528°N 0.81611°E / 51.12528; 0.81611
Type	Advanced Landing Ground
Code	ZF
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Canadian Air Force; Royal Air Force; United States Army Air Forces 1944-
Controlled by	RAF Second Tactical Air Force; * No. 83 Group RAF
Site history
Built	1943
Built by	RAF Airfield Construction Service; Royal Canadian Engineers
In use	March 1943 - September 1944
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	40 metres (131 ft) AMSL
Runways
04/22	Sommerfeld tracking
14/32	Sommerfeld tracking

Royal Air Force Ashford or more simply RAF Ashford is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground in Kent, England. The landing ground is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Ashford just south of the A28 near the junction with Old Surrenden Manor Road; about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London.

Opened in 1943, Ashford was one of several prototypes for the temporary Advanced Landing Ground airfields built in France after D-Day, required 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 few recognisable remains.

History

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF	October 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	^[2]
No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF	October 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	^[3]
No. 414 Squadron RCAF	August–October 1943	North American Mustang	I	Part of the Canadian Reconnaissance Wing
No. 430 Squadron RCAF	August–October 1943	North American Mustang	I	Part of the Canadian Reconnaissance Wing

The following units were also here at some point:^[4]

No. 129 Airfield RAF (August - October 1943)^[5]
No. 3205 Servicing Commando
No. 3206 Servicing Commando
No. 3207 Servicing Commando
No. 3209 Servicing Commando

United States Army Air Forces use

Republic P-47D-27-RE Thunderbolt Serial 42-26922 of the 512th Fighter Squadron. Note the C-47 in background.

Ashford was known as USAAF Station AAF-417 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. Its USAAF Station Code was "AF".

406th Fighter Group

Republic P-47D-27-RE Thunderbolt Serial 42-6887 of the 512th Fighter Squadron

On 5 April the airmen of the 406th Fighter Group arrived, having crossed the Atlantic by troopship. The group arrived from Congaree Army Airfield South Carolina. Operational fighter squadrons and fuselage codes were:

The 406th Fighter Group was part of the 303d Fighter Wing, XIX Tactical Air Command.

The 406th Fighter Group conducted its first operation on 9 May and was chiefly involved in fighter-bomber work. On 18 when the 513th started to use ALG A-13 at Tour-en-Bessin. The last remnants of the 406th departed RAF Ashford on 31 July.

Bombing

512th and 514th Fighter Squadron P-47s prepare to take off on runway 15–33. Note aircraft painted in D-Day invasion markings

The airfield was bombed during a night-time raid on 22 May 1944, at 12:35 am. A 1,000-pound (450 kg) high-explosive bomb was dropped in the tented area which accommodated the reserve flight pilots and other staff. These were RAF Volunteer Reservists of 5003 Airfield Construction Squadron, based at RAF Great Chart, some 1.2 km northeast of the airfield. There were 30 casualties, 14 being fatal.^[6]

Current use

With the facility released from military control, Ashford was rapidly returned to agricultural use. There is little to indicate that an airfield ever existed at this location.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Citations

^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 37.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 56.
^ "Ashford (Great Chart)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 54.
^ "SHORT ARTICLES - based on archive information (Turvey Airmen)". mackz.net. Retrieved 9 April 2008.

Bibliography

The Military Airfields of Britain, pp 30–31, Ken Delve, 2005, Crowood, ISBN 1-86126-729-0
Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now, 1994. After the Battle ISBN 0-900913-80-0
Freeman, Roger A. (1996) The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two. After the Battle ISBN 1-85409-272-3
Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
British Automobile Association (AA), (1978), Complete Atlas of Britain, ISBN 0-86145-005-1

[FOOTNOTEFalconer201237-1] Falconer 2012, p. 37.

[Jefford1988p45-2] Jefford 1988, p. 45.

[Jefford1988p56-3] Jefford 1988, p. 56.

[ABCT-4] "Ashford (Great Chart)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 8 April 2022.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley199754-5] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 54.

[6] "SHORT ARTICLES - based on archive information (Turvey Airmen)". mackz.net. Retrieved 9 April 2008.