RAF Ashford

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 RAF Ashford RAF Ashford (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates	51°07′31″N 000°48′58″E
Type	RAF 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 Ninth Air Force
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
Built by	RAF Airfield Construction Service Royal Canadian Engineers
In use	March 1943 - September 1944 (1944)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	40 metres (131 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 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.

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
No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF	October 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX
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:

• No. 129 Airfield RAF (August - October 1943)
• 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:

• 512th Fighter Squadron (L3) (yellow)
• 513th Fighter Squadron (4P) (red)
• 514th Fighter Squadron (O7) (blue)

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.

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.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

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

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