RAF Holmsley South

RAF Holmsley South is a former World War II airfield in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Christchurch, Dorset; about 90 miles (140 km) southwest of London

Royal Air Force Station Holmsley South
USAAF Station AAF-455
Located Near Holmsley, Hampshire, England
Photo-Mosaic of Holmesley South airfield - December 1946 after all flying had ended with "X" on each runway end.
RAF Holmsley South
RAF Holmsley South, shown within Hampshire
Coordinates50°47′18″N 001°41′58″W
TypeMilitary airfield
CodeHM
Site information
Controlled byRoyal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built1942
In use1942-1946
Battles/warsEuropean Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
GarrisonRAF Coastal Command
RAF Fighter Command
Ninth Air Force
Occupants394th Bombardment Group
Loading 500lb bombs on to Martin B-26B-55-MA Marauder Serial 42-96213 of the 586th Bombardment Squadron. The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on 22 March 1945.
Bomb loading on to Martin B-26G-1-MA Marauder Serial 43-34194 of the 584th Bombardment Squadron at Holmsley.

Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber and later as a transport airfield. After the war it was closed in late 1946. Christchurch Council from December 1946 to 1961 used the old accommodation sites including WAAF Nissen Huts as temporary accommodation for families waiting for a council house.

Today the remains of the airfield are part of a Forestry Commission project near the New Forest.

USAAF use

Holmsley South was known as USAAF Station AAF-455 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "HM".

The 394th Bomb Group moved to Holmsley from RAF Boreham between 24 and 28 July 1944. Operational squadrons of the group were:

The group remained in the theater to serve with United States Air Forces in Europe as part of the army of occupation at Kitzingen, Germany. It was transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the United States on 15 February 1946 and was inactivated on 31 March 1946.

Civil use

With the facility released from military control in 1946, Holmsley South has since stood derelict and, while a few odd parts of the runways and a few dispersal points remain, the vast majority of the concreted areas have been removed along with the buildings around the airfield leaving a large open area. Some other areas have been planted with conifers by the Forestry Commission. Several public camping sites and a caravan park have been created on the former hardstanding groupings along the northeast side of the main perimeter track, as well as both sides of the former 07 runway on the southwest of the airfield.

See also

References

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

    • 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
    • Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
    • USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
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