RAF Kingsnorth (World War II)

For other stations named RAF Kingsnorth, see RAF Kingsnorth.

RAF Kingsnorth USAAF Station AAF-418
Kingsnorth, Kent in England
Kingsnorth airfield, 12 May 1944, photo oriented to the west (top), taken about three weeks before D-Day. The crossroads in the middle of the picture is Bliby Corner, with Sevington Lane running left-right and Chequertree Lane going top-bottom.
RAF Kingsnorth Shown within Kent
Coordinates	51°6′18″N 0°53′20″E
Type	Advanced landing ground
Code	IN[1]
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces 1944
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1943-44 * No. 83 Group RAF
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
Built by	RAF Airfield Construction Service
In use	July 1943 - January 1945 (1945)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	38 metres (125 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22  Sommerfeld Tracking 13/31  Sommerfeld Tracking

Royal Air Force Kingsnorth or more simply RAF Kingsnorth is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground in Kent, England. It was at Bliby Corner approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Ashford; about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London. It is not to be confused with RNAS Kingsnorth, later RAF Kingsnorth, which was an airship station in operation during and after the First World War.

Opened in 1943, Kingsnorth was one of a number of prototype temporary Advanced Landing Ground airfields built, with more to be built in France after D-Day, as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. Kingsnorth was used by British, Dominion and the United States Army Air Forces until it was closed in September 1944.

Today the airfield is agricultural land with few remains visible on the ground, although sections of the runways can clearly be made out on aerial and satellite photos.

History

The USAAF Ninth Air Force required several temporary Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) along the channel coast prior to the June 1944 invasion of Normandy to provide tactical air support for the ground forces landing in France.

RAF Fighter Command use

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 19 Squadron RAF	August–September 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	[2] Controlled by No. 122 Airfield[3]
No. 65 Squadron RAF	July–October 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	[4] Controlled by No. 122 Airfield[3]
No. 122 Squadron RAF	July–October 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	[5] Controlled by No. 122 Airfield[3]
No. 184 Squadron RAF	August 1943	Hawker Hurricane	IV	[6] Controlled by No. 122 Airfield[3]
No. 602 Squadron RAF	July–August 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VB	[7] Controlled by No. 122 Airfield[3]
No. 2809 Squadron RAF Regiment		N/A	N/A	Airfield Defence[8]
No. 122 Airfield RAF	July-October 1943	N/A	N/A	[8][3]

USAAF use

Republic P-47Ds of the 22d Fighter Squadron at Kingsnorth 1944.

Kingsnorth was known as USAAF Station AAF-418 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. Its USAAF Station Code was "KN".

36th Fighter Group

The availability date of 1 April 1944 was achieved and between the 4th and 6th of that month approximately 1,500 men of the 36th Fighter Group arrived at Kingsnorth airfield from Scribner Army Airfield, Nebraska flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Operational fighter squadrons and fuselage codes were:

• 22d Fighter Squadron (3T)
• 23d Fighter Squadron (7U)
• 53d Fighter Squadron (6V)

The 36th Fighter Group was part of the 303d Fighter Wing, XIX Tactical Air Command.

Movement to the Continent commenced during the first week of July when the 53rd Fighter Squadron transferred to its Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Brucheville, France (ALG A-16) as a forward base. The other two squadrons continued to operate from Kingsnorth until early August, the main body of the group preparing to move on the 2nd. Within a few days all personnel were gone and the airfield was deserted.

Current use

With the facility released from military control, the former airfield was returned rapidly to agricultural use and within a very short period there was little to indicate that RAF Kingsnorth had existed. Today the only evidence of the airfield's existence is a slight outline of the southeast end of runway 13, visible in aerial photographs.

Directions

Kingsnorth Airfield is on the east side of the A2070 just south of Ashford, about 1 mile south of Bad Munsterfeld road just after the loop heading southwards. The main airfield was in the field northwest of Bliby Corner crossroads, although the runways can be traced to south of Chequertree Lane.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 121.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 30.
3. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 58.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 66.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 98.
8. "Kingsnorth (Airfield)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 15 June 2020.

Bibliography

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

• 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. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• 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. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
• British Automobile Association (AA), (1978), Complete Atlas of Britain, ISBN 0-86145-005-1