| Royal Air Force Station Bisterne USAAF Station 415
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| Located Near Ringwood, Hampshire, England | |
 Aerial Photo of Bisterne Airfield - 22 May 1944 |
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| Type | Military airfield |
| Coordinates | |
| Location code | BS ? |
| Built | 1944 |
| In use | 1944 |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Garrison | Ninth Air Force |
| Occupants | 371st Fighter Group |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945   RAF Bisterne, shown within Hampshire
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RAF Bisterne is a former World War II airfield in England. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The field is located 1 mile N of Bisterne near Ringwood in Hampshire. Ringwood is a Town in Hampshire, England, which is located on the River Avon, west of the New Forest and north of Bournemouth Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain
The airfield was opened in March 1944 and was used by the United States Army Air Force Ninth Air Force. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central is a Numbered Air Force in Air Combat Command (ACC It was also known as USAAF Station 415.
After D-Day the field was closed.
Contents |
Origins
Bisterne airfield was one of a group of World War II airfields established in the "New Forest" of Hampshire, first surveyed in 1942 and scheduled for construction in 1943. The site lay half a mile north of the village of Bisterne to the east of the main A338 Christchurch to Ringwood road in the Avon valley.
Work on the airfield began in the spring of 1943 and two hard earth runways were laid down. The taxiways were covered with wire mesh as were the aircraft dispersal points. Four Blister hangars were erected on the east side of the main strip and facilities for fuel and ammunition storage on the west.
It was not anticipated that the airfield would be used until 1944 by which time the regrowth of grass would help to consolidate the runways. However, to accommodate USAAF Ninth Air Force fighter groups, additional aircraft hardstands, marshalling areas and perimeter track extension were required, the work being completed in January 1944.
371st Fighter Group
Al the end of February 1944, US Army engineers started the erection of a large number of tents along woodland fringes and in fields adjacent to the landing ground and on 7 March the 371st Fighter Group arrived, having disembarked at Liverpool the previous day. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Equipped with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, the 347th FG arrived from Richmond AAF Virginia. Richmond International Airport is a public Airport located in Sandston, Virginia, an Unincorporated community The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Tactical squadrons of the group and squadron fuselage codes were:
- 404th Fighter Squadron (9Q)
- 405th Fighter Squadron (8N)
- 406th Fighter Squadron (4W)
The 371st was a group of Ninth Air Force's 70th Fighter Wing, IX Tactical Air Command.
After a hectic period of theatre indoctrination and training, the 371st made a fighter sweep over France. A variety of missions were flown during the rest of April and May, escorts, sweeps and fighter-bombing specified targets, all with little opposition from the enemy.
The more serious problem during this period was the deteriorating state of the Bisterne runways. and the number of blown tires and bent propellers increased as the condition of the metal track became progressively bulged and rutted under the weight of the eight-ton Thunderbolts. Conditions became so bad that on 21 April, the serviceable P-47s were flown to RAF Ibsley, three miles to the north which had hard-surfaced runways. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) RAF Ibsley is a former World War II -era RAF station and airfield in England. The air echelon was finally able to resume operations from Bisterne on May 14. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the
The 371st had their first combat with the Luftwaffe on 8 May near Le Havre resulting in two BF 109s being credited as shot down for the loss of one P-47. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Le Havre is a city in the northwest region of France situated on the right bank of the mouth of the Seine River as it outlets into the Bay of the Seine In another encounter on 20 June during an armed reconnaissance, four enemy aircraft were shot down without loss. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun.
The 371st moved from Bisterne between June 17 and June 29, using both its British base and its assigned Normandy Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Beuzeville France (ALG A-6), until 3 July, with the rear party leaving England on 29 June. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Advanced Landing Ground (ALG was the term given to the temporary Airfields constructed by the Allies in Normandy in the days following the D-Day landings Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland.
During its sojourn at Bisterne. the 371st lost 10 P-47s on operations and three in flying accidents.
On the continent, the 371st FG used the following ALGs providing tactical air support in support of U.S. First Army:
- A-6 Beuzeville, France 3 July 1944
- A-65 Perthes, France 18 September 1944
- Y-7 Dole/Tavaux, France 1 October 1944
- Y-1 Tantonville, France 20 December 1944
- Y-74 Frankfurt/Eschborn, Germany 7 April 1945
- R-10 Furth/Industriehafen, Germany 5 May 1945
The 371st flew its last mission in early May 1945 then moving to Horsching, Austria then Stuttgart Germany for occupation duty in August. The First United States Army was a field army of the United States Army. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The group returned to the US during October and November 1945, inactivating on 10 November at Camp Shanks, New York. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous
Post Invasion Military Use
In view of its troubled history, and the surplus of UK airfields following the transfer of many RAF and USAAF units to the Continent during the summer of 1944, Bisterne airfield was not used by another flying unit. The facility was de-requisitioned in the late summer of 1944.
Civil Use
With the facility released from military control, it was cleared of metal tracking, hardcore and hangars. However, it proved impossible to separate the runway tracking from soil and turf so the bulldozers simply pushed it up into a long ridgeline. This was one of the few traces that remained of the airfield in 1946 and traces can still be seen today
Today, the land that was once RAF Bisterne is unrecognizable as a former airfield and had returned to farm and pastureland. In 2004 a small memorial was dedicated on the outskirts of a Ringwood farm yard barn at the end of a dusty gravel track as a lasting memorial to the men and machines who flew from the wartime Bisterne airfield.
See also
References
- Freeman, Roger A. This List of RAF stations is a comprehensive list of all stations, Airbases airfields and administrative Headquarters of the Royal Air Force Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central is a Numbered Air Force in Air Combat Command (ACC (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the Battle ISBN 0900913800
- Freeman, Roger A. (1996) The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two. After the Battle ISBN 1854092723
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
- www.armyairforces.com 371st Fighter Group
External links
- Photographs of RAF Bisterne from the Geograph British Isles project
- Full listing of units at RAF Bisterne
- Wartime US pilot returns for flying visit to Blisterne Airfield
- Aerial photo of RAF Bisterne from Multimap.Com
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