RAF Holmsley South
Royal Air Force Station Holmsley South USAAF Station AAF-455 |
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Located Near Holmsley, Hampshire, England | |
![]() Photo-Mosaic of Holmesley South airfield - December 1946 after all flying had ended with "X" on each runway end.
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RAF Holmsley South, shown within Hampshire
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Type | Military airfield |
Code | HM |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
Site history | |
Built | 1942 |
In use | 1942-1946 |
Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | RAF Coastal Command RAF Fighter Command Ninth Air Force |
Occupants | 394th Bombardment Group |
![](/w/images/thumb/7/74/394bg-hom-1.jpg/300px-394bg-hom-1.jpg)
![](/w/images/thumb/2/21/394bg-hom-2.jpg/300px-394bg-hom-2.jpg)
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
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.
Contents
Overview
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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".
394th Bombardment Group
The 394th Bomb Group moved to Holmsley from RAF Boreham between 24 and 28 July 1944. Operational squadrons of the group were:
- 584th Bomb Squadron (K5)
- 585th Bomb Squadron (4T)
- 586th Bomb Squadron (H9)
- 587th Bomb Squadron (5W)
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 websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- 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
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Holmsley South. |
- Articles using small message boxes
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- Airfields of the 9th Bombardment Division in the United Kingdom
- Royal Air Force stations in Hampshire
- Military units and formations established in 1942
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1946