Battle of Britain Airfields 60 years on
As many of you know 2000 was the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain when the RAF prevented the Luftwaffe gaining air superiority over Britain and thus preventing an invasion. The airfields that were used in this Battle have changed over the ensuing years. Some are still used for flying whereas others have closed and have been built over. This page is a tribute to the airfields and the people who worked on them during the Second World War.
Biggin Hill
A particular favourite of mine as it is the nearest one to where I live. During the Battle of Britain, Biggin Hill like many others was extensively bombed. The triple and single bay Belfast hangars were destroyed as well as the other two gable ended hangars. Biggin Hill was subsequently rebuilt and a third runway constructed which today is used as the main runway on this civilian airport.
Kenley
Just to the West of Biggin Hill, Kenley was also extensively bombed but it survives today remarkably well intact with the runways and perimeter track still used by Gliders. However all the original hangars have been pulled down as has a lot of the original living quarters site. However the Officers Mess is still there and is now used by a communications firm. See my CFS2/FS2002 scenery of Kenley here.
Hawkinge
Hawkinge was known amongst fighter pilots as Hellfire Corner because it was usually on the flight path for enemy bomber formations crossing to England from the Pas de Calais part of Northern France. It had two triple bay Belfast Hangars and a double bay Belfast along the North Western side of the site. During the Battle of Britain squadrons often flew down to Hawkinge from their home bases (usually Biggin Hill and Kenley squadrons) around dawn. Hawkinge closed in 1961 and today the majority of the site is earmarked for housing development, however there is a thriving museum on the Hangar side of the site in the old armoury. This is the Kent Battle of Britain museum and it has many artefacts from the Battle as well as uniforms and many full size replica planes used in the film Battle of Britain.
Manston
Manston in the North East corner of Kent had only one long and very wide runway for use as an emergency landing airfield for bomber aircraft that were in distress. However during the Battle of Britain Manston was a fighter station. It had a distinct layout from the air with its main runway going from East to West and the dispersal pens for fighter aircraft coming off the runway and the living site to the North. Manston was used later in the war as a jet fighter base with the new Gloucester Meteor on V1 flying bomb interceptions. During peacetime it was used by the USAF and the RAF. In 1999 the RAF left Manston and now it is Kent International Airport and it is often in the headlines when aid flights fly out from there, air cargo transportation being a major part of its modern day function. The main runway still exists but only half of it is used and remarkably many of the wartime dispersals still exist. There is actually two museums present at Manston, the more famous of the two being the Hurricane and Spitfire Memorial building which houses a Hurricane and Spitfire the other having a small collection of aircraft that include a Gloucester Meteor and a few helicopters.
Gravesend
During the Battle of Britain Gravesend was a satellite airfield to Biggin Hill however many squadrons still operated from it and surprisingly it was never bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Battle. It was used for a variety of tasks during the war such as Air Sea Rescue base, and as a base for pre DDay strikes. The airfield was placed under Care and Maintenance after 1945 and finally closed in 1956. The land was sold and it is now a housing development. The only reminder of the sites former use is a memorial plaque inside a local leisure center. Thanks to Byron Aldous for providing the more detailed image of Gravesend below:
Detling
Detling was used by two squadrons of Avro Anson reconnaissance and transport aircraft during the Battle of Britain. It was surprising that these slow and lightly armed aircraft were able to shoot down enemy fighter planes but they did, and they also played an important part in early reconnaissance missions over occupied France. Detling with its one grass runway would eventually be used by fighter aircraft but its war effectively ended in December 1944. It was closed by the RAF in 1956 and Kent County Council brought part of the landing site for use as the Kent County show ground. There is now a VOR beacon where the runway once was but there is one Bellman hangar, the Operations Block and the Pickett Hamilton retractable gun turrets still there for all to see.
West Malling
Although still under construction during the Battle of Britain, West Malling was host to 141 squadron and their Defiants who were famously shot down en masse on the 19th July an episode known as the "Slaughter of the Innocents." West Malling was extensively bombed by the Luftwaffe even though it wasn't finished so consequently was only used by Lysanders flying reconnaissance missions for the later part of 1940. It was used extensively for fighter bomber sweeps over France for the rest of the war and afterwards became a major night fighter base until it was closed in 1962. It was used for a few years by gliders and then closed for good after residents opposed its expansion. Today a large part of the site is a golf course while the rest is mostly housing or light industry.
Croydon
Croydon was the worlds first international airport and was used extensively by early passenger planes throughout the 1920' and 30's. It then was requisitioned by the RAF as a satellite airfield to Kenley it was accidentally bombed in August 1940 when a formation of German bomber missed Kenley in the evening sunshine and attacked Croydon instead. After the war Croydon reverted to its original role as a passenger airport but the opening of Heathrow and Gatwick and the advent of the jet airliner spelled the end for the grass runway Croydon Airport and it closed in the 1950's. Today building are beginning to encroach on the old runway area and the most obvious reminder of the areas former use is the famous control tower which is now a hotel and has a de Havilland Heron airliner mounted on poles outside. I believe that remote control aircraft flying still occasionally takes place on the old runway area.
Last revised: April 09, 2004.