List of Battle of Britain airfields

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:More footnotes Template:Template otherTemplate:Short description Template:Side box During the Battle of Britain, the defence of the UK's airspace was divided up within RAF Fighter Command into four Groups, each comprising several airfields and squadrons.

The groups involved, 10, 11, 12 and 13, saw very different levels of activity during the battle. No. 11 Group, responsible for the defence of London and the south-east saw the heaviest fighting, and pilots were often rotated among the groups to allow them to rest and recuperate after several weeks of fierce contact with the enemy. Each group was commanded by an Air Vice-Marshal, who served under the head of Fighter Command during the battle, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding.

Organisational structure

Key:

• HQ = Group headquarters
• SS = Sector station
• SA = Satellite aerodrome

10 Group

10 Group defended Wales and the West Country and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Quintin Brand.

Station name	BoB role	Grid reference	Station opened	Flying ceased	RAF station closed	Current use
RAF Box	HQ		1940	N/A	2000	Decommissioned, in use by Defence Equipment & Support
RAF Middle Wallop	SS		1940	-	1 September 1957	2 (Training) Regiment Army Air Corps and School of Army Aviation
RAF Filton	SS		1916	2012	1960s	Bristol Filton Airport
RAF Boscombe Down	SA		1939	-		MoD Boscombe Down
RAF Colerne	SA		1940	-		21st Signal Regiment, Bristol University Air Squadron, 3 AEF
RAF Exeter	SA		1937	-		Exeter International Airport, The Hunter Flying Club
RAF Pembrey	SA		1939	-	1957	Pembrey Airport, Pembrey Sands AWR Support, Pembrey Circuit
RAF Roborough	SA		1931	2011		Plymouth City Airport
RAF St Eval	SA		1939	1959	6 March 1959	RAF St Eval HIVE, MOD Ariel Field
RAF Warmwell	SA		1937	1945		Crossways village

• RAF Warmwell in 1943
  RAF Warmwell in 1943

11 Group

11 Group covered the southeast of England and the critical approaches to London and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park.

Station name	BoB role	Grid reference	Station ppened	Flying ceased	RAF station closed	Current use
RAF Uxbridge	HQ		1918Template:Efn	N/A	31 March 2010	Battle of Britain Bunker remains open. Hillingdon House, the HQ of 11 Fighter Group, to be refurbished as restaurant
RAF Biggin Hill	SS		1916Template:Efn	-	1992	London Biggin Hill Airport, Planned heritage site & conservation area
RAF Debden	SS		1937	1960	21 August 1974	33 Engineer Regt EOD, NATS Radar Station
RAF Hornchurch	SS		1915	1962	July 1962	Hornchurch Country Park, Housing Estate, Conservation Area
RAF Kenley	SS		1917		1959	Housing and conservation area
RAF Northolt	SS		1915	-	-	Current RAF Station, HQ Music Services, 63 Squadron, RAF Regt (QCS)
RAF North Weald	SS		1916	-	1964	North Weald Airfield
RAF Tangmere	SS		1917		16 October 1970	Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
RAF Croydon	SA		1939	30 September 1959	1946	Business park, museum
RAF Detling	SA					Light industry, agriculture
RAF Eastchurch	SA					HM Prison Swaleside
RAF Ford	SA					HM Prison Ford
RAF Gosport	SA					, Rowner Housing Estate
RAF Gravesend	SA					Riverview Housing Estate, Golf Course, Cascades Leisure Centre
RAF Hawkinge	SA					Kent BoB Museum, Housing
RAF Hendon	SA		1908	1957	1987	RAF Museum, Hendon Police College, Grahame Park Housing Estate
RNAS Lee-on-Solent	SA		1917	-	29 March 1996	HM Coastguard, Unlicensed Private Airfield, Maritime & Aviation Industry
RAF Lympne	SA		1916	1984	1 January 1946	Industrial Park
RAF Manston	SA		1916	-	31 March 1999	Kent International Airport, Defence Fire Training and Development Centre
RAF Martlesham Heath	SA		1917		1963	Major British Telecom site. Control Tower Museum – 14.00 to 16.45 each Sunday April until October, 3 Memorials at Barrack Square. see www.mhas.gov.uk or Facebook – Martlesham Heath Aviation Society and Control Tower Museum.
RAF Rochford	SA		1939	-	1946	Now London Southend Airport
RAF Stapleford Tawney	SA					Stapleford Aerodrome
RAF Thorney Island	SA		1938
RAF Westhampnett	SA					Goodwood Circuit
RAF West Malling	SA		1930		1969	Kings Hill a mixed development of (eventually) around 2,500 homes and 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of commercial space.

• Memorial to the No. 11 Group Operations Room, with the Royal Air Force Ensign, at RAF Uxbridge
  Memorial to the No. 11 Group Operations Room, with the Royal Air Force Ensign, at RAF Uxbridge
• Restored Operations Room at RAF Uxbridge
  Restored Operations Room at RAF Uxbridge
• Line up of 485 Squadron 'Subscription' Spitfire Mk. Vbs at RAF Kenley in 1941
  Line up of 485 Squadron 'Subscription' Spitfire Mk. Vbs at RAF Kenley in 1941
• BS456 UZ-Z of 306 (Polish) Torunski Squadron, RAF Northolt, November 1942
  BS456 UZ-Z of 306 (Polish) Torunski Squadron, RAF Northolt, November 1942

12 Group

12 Group defended the Midlands and East Anglia and was led by Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory.

Station name	BoB role	Grid reference	Station opened	Flying ceased	RAF station closed	Current use
RAF Watnall	HQ		1940	N/A		Housing / industrial / Nature ReserveTemplate:Efn
RAF Church Fenton	SS		1 April 1937	19 December 2013		Leeds East Airport
RAF Digby	SS
RAF Duxford	SS		1918	1961		Imperial War Museum Duxford
RAF Kirton in Lindsey	SS
RAF Wittering	SS		1916			Expeditionary Engineering and Logistics. Flying training with elements of 3 Flying Training School and 6 Flying Training School.
RAF Collyweston	SA		1916		1942	Merged with the neighbouring RAF Wittering when a 2-mile long grass runway was built linking the two airfields in 1942
RAF Coltishall	SA					HM Prison Bure, industrial use, solar farm
RAF Fowlmere	SA		1918			Fowlmere Airfield
RAF Leconfield	SA					Defence School of Transport (part of Defence College of Logistic, Policing, and Administration)
RAF Tern Hill	SA

13 Group

13 Group covered the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Richard Saul.

Station name	BoB role	Grid reference	Station ppened	Flying ceased	RAF station closed	Current use
RAF Newcastle	HQ					Housing Estate
RAF Acklington	SS		1938		1972	HMP Acklington
RAF Dyce	SS					Aberdeen Airport
RAF Turnhouse	SS		1916			Edinburgh Airport
RAF Usworth	SS		1916			Factory for Nissan cars
RAF Wick	SS		1939		1978	Wick Airport
RAF Catterick	SA		1914			Part of the Catterick Garrison complex.
RAF Drem	SA		1917		1946	Decommissioned
RAF Grangemouth	SA		1939		1945
RAF Kirkwall	SA
RAF Sumburgh	SA					Sumburgh Airport
RAF Castletown	SA		1940	1944	1945

See also

• List of Battle of Britain squadrons
• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• List of Royal Air Force stations
• Luftwaffe order of battle August 1940
• RAF Fighter Command order of battle 1940

External links

• Interactive map of operational airfields with squadrons and aircraft type displayed
• Article about the Battle of Britain from North Weald Airfield History