RAF Brenzett
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Royal Air Force Brenzett or more simply RAF Brenzett was a
Advanced Landing Ground close to the village of Brenzett near Romney Marsh in Kent during the Second World War. It was used as an airfield in 1944 for the Mustang Wing which comprised three squadrons including two Polish squadrons in exile and operated patrols against V-1 flying bombs
.
History
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The site was chosen for an
Sommerfeld Tracking runways. The locals referred to the airfield as Ivychurch after the nearest village. The airfield eventually had five blister hangars
for the aircraft but most of the personnel were housed in a tented camp.
The first unit to use the airfield was
RAF Kingsnorth five miles (8 km) to the north. The airfield was not used to support the D-Day landings but in July 1944 No. 133 Wing RAF, with Polish-flown North American Mustangs, three squadrons strong, was based there, mainly on anti-flying bomb patrols.[2]
The United States Army Air Corps designated the airfield Station Number 438. The main American unit was Battery C, 635 AAA (Anti-aircraft Artillery), Automatic Weapons Bn, IX Air Defence Command.[3]
The Mustang wing left in October 1944 and the airfield was no longer needed, and closed on 13 December 1944, returning to agricultural use. In 1972 the Brenzett Aeronautical Museum, a military and aviation museum, was opened near the site in buildings formerly occupied by the Women's Land Army.
Units and aircraft
| Unit | Dates | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 122 Squadron RAF | 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire IX | Detachments from RAF Kingsnorth[4] |
| No. 129 Squadron RAF | 1944 | North American Mustang III | [5] Part of No. 133 Wing RAF[6] |
| No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron | 1944 | North American Mustang III | [7] Part of No. 133 Wing RAF |
| No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron | 1944 | North American Mustang III | [8] Part of No. 133 Wing RAF |
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 58.
- ^ Brenzett Aeronautical Museum Trust
- ^ USAAF bases in the United Kingdom Archived 10 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 58.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 59.
- ^ "Brenzett". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 85.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 86.
Bibliography
- Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
Further reading
- Moor, Anthony John. Mustang Wing : RAF Brenzett Advanced Landing Ground, Romney Marsh, Kent, 1942-44. St Leonards-on-Sea : HPC, 1999
- Delve, Ken. The Military Airfields of Britain. Southern England. Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex. Crowood Press. 2005 ISBN 1-86126-729-0
External links
Media related to RAF Brenzett at Wikimedia Commons
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