[Moderator's Note: While this article is not a story, it is a link to
a 144 page work written by Phillip Rhodes.]
Subject: Interested in reading my aviation themed FREE eBook?
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:27:11 -0800
Message-ID: <1194269231.788680.112910@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 195.195.236.131
From: rafdm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Death of an Aerodrome is a 45,000 word (144 page) factual account
of my childhood experiences, growing up on RAF Driffield. My book
also highlights the plight of the UK's aviation heritage. The Death
of an Aerodrome is a FREE eBook (downloadable using the link below).
http://www.driffieldaerodrome.co.uk/ebook/ebook.pdf
I wrote The Death of an Aerodrome because I wanted to save an old
military airbase in England (once my home) from being demolished.
Please feel free to forward my FREE eBook to your family, friends and
colleagues.
....and please let me know what you think?
Best Wishes
Phillip Rhodes
FOOTNOTE
RAF Driffield is located in East York****re, and during the war was
home to Canadian and Australian aircrews. During the early 1960s, the
USAF was also based at Driffield. My hope is that one day gliding
will return to Driffield, while retaining the historical fabric of the
site, creating a conservation area. My book also details my interest
in aviation art and photography, not to mention aviation archaeology
and visiting airshows and air****ts. For this reason, I have posted
this message to so many groups.
[Follow ups redirected to: rec.aviation.misc,
soc.history.war.world-war-ii, uk.environment.conservation]
[Below is an excerpt from the work]
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the countryside, sighted from motorway and country
lane, the concrete legacy of Britain’s aviation heritage crumbles
into obscurity. Unlike the army barracks or navy dockyards that
are both prized and protected for their splendid Victorian
architecture, year by year, an ever increasing number of wartime
airfields disappear under new industrial estates or return to
agriculture. Of the 740 airfields in operation during the Second
World War, very few remain intact, yet are as im****tant to this
country’s national heritage and cultural identity as the aircraft that
once flew from them.
RAF Driffield
Opened in 1936, RAF Driffield in the East Riding of York****re
became a famous wartime airfield. During the later part of the
Second World War, Handley Page Halifax bomber aircraft of
No.466 Squadron (Royal Australian Air Force) took off from
Driffield’s 6,000ft runway to attack the heart of Nazi occupied
Europe. After the war, the aerodrome became home to a number
of training schools and night-fighter squadrons, until flying
ceased in 1959. RAF Driffield finally closed in 1977 and was
handed over to the Royal Corps of Trans****t, who renamed the
site “Alamein Barracks”.
Sadly, like many disused airfields, Driffield lost its control tower,
and by the early 1980s saw all three runways removed, while the
hangars were converted to store grain. In 1992, the camp
changed hands again and was renamed “RAF Staxton Wold –
Driffield Site”, until finally closing on June 28th 1996. The
actual airfield is now used by the Army Training Estate (ATE) as
a "Dry Training Area", while the hangars, once owned by the
Rural Payments Agency, finally closed during the summer of
2003 and were recently sold to a property development company.
In late 2006, the Ministry of Defence announced the camp itself
was surplus to requirements and was subsequently sold in early
2007.
Chapter 1 - The History of RAF Driffield
Like many aerodromes, RAF Driffield secured an honourable
place in history. In 1992, I was given the op****tunity to write
about RAF Driffield for the newly launched Driffield Post. The
article is updated and reproduced below:
Strong Foundations (RAF Driffield Motto)
Situated between Kelleythorpe and Eastburn on the A614 road,
there stands an aerodrome. In recent times, it was known as
Alamein Barracks and used as an Army driving school. But the
site was once a busy military airfield that operated for many years
– spanning the development of aviation technology, and the
history of the Royal Air Force.
The first aerodrome to occupy the site was made up of wooden
and brick buildings, similar to those found at Duxford or Hendon.
Known as Eastburn, No.21 Training Depot was the first unit to
occupy the site from July 15th 1918, joined later by Nos. 202 and
217 Squadrons from March 1919. However, by early 1920, these
units had disbanded, leaving a deserted airfield, which was
removed some years later.
During the early 1930s, Driffield was selected for one of the
RAF’s expansion scheme aerodromes, with construction work
beginning in 1935. This new airfield consisted of five large
aircraft hangars, curved round the grass runways that stretched
towards the north-west. Placed neatly behind these hangars were
the many buildings that made up the camp. Opened in July 1936,
RAF Driffield became home to a number of bomber squadrons.
By 1938, these had been replaced by Nos. 77 and 102 Squadrons,
and were eventually equipped with the twin-engined Armstrong
Whitworth Whitley bomber.
As peace talks between Nazi Germany and Great Britain
collapsed, Driffield prepared for war. Buildings were
camouflaged; anti-aircraft gun emplacements manned; and air
raid shelters built. Crews of both squadrons endured a series of
training courses and exercises, so that by the morning of Sunday,
September 3rd 1939, Driffield was ready for action, as the
declaration of war was broadcast by the BBC.
The morning of September 4th brought great activity to RAF
Driffield. Three aircraft from No.102 Squadron were to drop
leaflets during that second night of the war. The fuselages of
these bombers were crammed with large parcels of propaganda
leaflets, wrapped in brown paper. Access that was normally
difficult because of the retracted ventral gun turret, was now
extremely challenging through the narrow gaps, between the
parcels on either side of the turret. Flying at 15,000ft, the three
aircraft crossed the enemy coastline and maintaining strict radio
silence, flew down the Ruhr Valley and into France, releasing
their load of leaflets, which were dropped through the aircraft’s
flare chute. The following night of September 5th, No.77
Squadron was given its op****tunity to drop leaflets, when two
aircraft repeated the operation.
On March 15th/16th 1940, two aircraft of No.77 Squadron alone
dropped 6,000,000 leaflets during a raid over Warsaw; a mission
successfully accomplished, despite difficulties encountered with
navigation and atrocious weather conditions. This was followed
on March 19th by the first deliberate bombing on German soil,
when Whitley aircraft from both Driffield squadrons joined those
from RAF Dishforth, who together bombed the mine-laying
seaplane base at Hornum on the Island of Sylt. This heightened
bombing offensive would ultimately draw the attention of the
German Luftwaffe, now in striking distance following the
invasion of Denmark.
The most prominent event in the history of RAF Driffield was the
German air raid on Thursday, August 15th 1940. At
approximately midday, some 50 Junkers Ju88 bomber aircraft
attacked the aerodrome, killing 14 military and civilian personnel,
and destroying 12 Whitley aircraft. The 169 bombs dropped
caused extensive damage, with many buildings, including all five
hangars, being either damaged or destroyed.
Earlier that morning, a force of Heinkel He111 and Junkers Ju88
bombers, along with Messerschmitt Bf110 long-range fighters,
took off from bases in Denmark, and flew at low level across the
North Sea to attack RAF airfields in the North of England.
However, due to inaccurate navigation and strong resistance by
RAF fighters from both Leconfield and Church Fenton, many
German aircraft failed to reach inland, with some bombers
jettisoning their bombs over Bridlington. The only aircraft to
reach the intended target area was the force of Ju88 aircraft, that
bombed Driffield.
This was not the only air-raid on Driffield that “Battle of Britain”
summer, but it was the most fierce. Weeks later, the remaining
aircraft from both Whitley squadrons departed, leaving Driffield
to repair the damage, which became non-operational until early
1941. Probably the luckiest person to have endured the attack on
Driffield was an airframe fitter, then residing in the guardroom,
after he “borrowed” a Fairy Battle single-engined bomber.
Arriving that June, No.88 Squadron had previously fought in the
Battle for France, and after receiving heavy losses, the remaining
aircraft and their crews arrived at Driffield. It was one of these
aircraft that the untrained ground tradesman jumped into, taking
off for an unofficial ‘joy ride’ – landing a few hundred miles
away at another airfield – luckily without damage to either
himself or the valuable (though obsolete) aircraft. Not pleased
with his war effort, the Royal Air Force immediately arrested the
joy-rider and returned him to Driffield, placing him in the
guardroom, where he remained until the Luftwaffe obliged by
demoli****ng the building without injury to the prisoner, who
quietly walked away unharmed.
With repairs to the airfield complete, Driffield saw a new role in
the early months of 1941, as fighters replaced bombers, when
No.13 Group Fighter Command took control of the airfield.
Equipped with Spitfires and Hurricanes, the three squadrons
based at Driffield patrolled the North Sea, but saw little or no
action and left that Easter. April 1941 saw the return of No.4
Group Bomber Command and the formation of two new
squadrons, both equipped with the Wellington twin-engined
bomber. No.104 Squadron and No.405 Squadron RCAF (the first
Royal Canadian Air Force bomber squadron formed) commenced
bombing operations against Germany.
May 9th 1941 saw the first operation by No.104 Squadron, when
six Wellington aircraft were despatched to bomb Bremen. One
aircraft failed to reach Germany and returned to Driffield with a
jammed rear gun turret. Flying at 16,000ft, four aircraft managed
to release their bombs over Bremen, but were unable to see the
results, due to the bright glowing haze of the already burning city.
One other aircraft failed to reach the target due to intercom
failure, but was able to bomb the secondary target of
Wilhelmshaven. Despite both targets being heavily defended, all
aircraft and crews returned safely. Other Wellington squadrons
based at Driffield during the war were No.158 Squadron, No.466
Squadron RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) and No.196
Squadron.
In 1943, RAF Driffield was tem****ary closed for the construction
of three concrete runways, the longest stretching 6,000ft, linked
by a perimeter track, along the length of which were situated the
aircraft dispersals and bomb dump. The airfield became
operational again in June 1944 with the return of No.466
Squadron RAAF, now equipped with the heavy four-engined
Handley Page Halifax bomber. This unit began operations
sup****ting the allied invasion of Europe by bombing targets in
the Normandy area.
August 12th 1944 saw the formation of No.462 Squadron, a
second Australian unit. During the months that followed, both
squadrons joined forces to hit targets across Europe. On
September 10th 1944, a small force of some 69 bombers,
including 30 from Driffield, targeted the German occupied
garrison and coastal defence battery at Le Havre. This was
immediately followed by a much larger force of some 930
aircraft, which dropped 47,000 tons of bombs. The following
day, the raid was repeated when 22 aircraft from Driffield,
combined with a total of 218 from Bomber Command, again
attacked the target. Ten hours later, the German garrison
surrendered to allied ground forces. In December 1944, No.462
Squadron moved to Norfolk, leaving No.466 Squadron to fight on
from Driffield. The Australians carried out their final raid of the
war on April 25th 1945, when a force of 18 aircraft bombed gun
emplacements on the island of Wangerange.
After the war, Driffield became home to a number of training
establishments. The first, No.10 Air Navigation School, flew
from 1946, equipped with Avro Anson, twin-engined aircraft,
which were employed to fly student navigators on short three
hour flights. The unit’s war-weary Wellington aircraft, endured
flights of up to six hours, flying sometimes at night, down to the
Channel Islands, along the English Channel and up the North Sea
to Scotland. Replaced in 1948 by No.204 Advanced Flying
School, this unit taught pilots how to fly the fast twin-engined de
Havilland Mosquito fighter/bomber, an aircraft built entirely out
of wood and affectionately known as the “Wooden Wonder”.
In 1949, the jet age reached York****re, when No.203 Advanced
Flying School formed at Driffield – replacing the Mosquitoes,
which departed with their parent unit. This new school would be
the first in the world responsible for teaching a new breed of pilot
how to fly fast jet aircraft. There were two sections within the
school: No.1 Squadron operated the Gloster Meteor – Britain’s
first operational jet fighter, while No.2 Squadron flew the de
Havilland Vampire. Before climbing into the cockpit, students
underwent four weeks of ground training, learning about jet
engines, airframes and the different flying techniques associated
with the new and much faster aircraft. This was followed by
actual flight training, when pilots were taught basic manoeuvres,
aerobatics, formation flying, instrument flying and navigation.
Renamed No.8 Flying Training School in June 1954, the unit
continued at Driffield before moving to Lincoln****re in July 1955.
That September, RAF Driffield reverted back to the role of a
fighter station, when No.13 Group Fighter Command again took
control of the airfield. During this period, Nos. 219 and 33
Squadrons, equipped with the de Havilland Venom night fighter,
occupied the base until June/July 1957, when both units were
disbanded. The following October saw the arrival of the Fighter
Weapons School from RAF Leconfield, a unit equipped with a
variety of jet aircraft, which itself departed in March 1958.
In 1957, the British Government announced that the RAF would
deploy 60 nuclear intermediate range ballistic missiles. From
August 1959, Driffield would be home to No.98 Squadron, which
was equipped with three Douglas Thor missiles, each with a range
of 1,750 miles and capable of reaching Moscow. With the length
of 60ft, these missiles were stored horizontally on the ground and
were erected only when ready for firing or during training
exercises. Although the missiles were British owned, the nuclear
warheads were still under American owner****p. In good
bureaucratic fa****on, the RAF Launch Officer was expected to
sign for the warhead after it had been launched, because
technically it was then under British control. Accordingly, the
United States Air Force maintained a sizable presence at
Driffield. Thankfully, the missiles at Driffield were never used
and the system was dismantled in 1963.
RAF Driffield then became a neglected airfield, infrequently
used, but still complete. During the late 1960s, Blackburn
Buccaneer naval aircraft were flight tested at Driffield, and in the
early 1970s, gliders of No.642 Volunteer Gliding School also
occupied the airfield, albeit briefly, while RAF Linton on Ouse
had its main runway resurfaced. Sadly, there were to be no more
happy landings, and in 1977, the airfield and camp were taken
over by the British Army. Known as Alamein Barracks, the
transfer of owner****p brought great changes. By the early 1980s,
the runways were removed and the hardcore used in the
construction of the Driffield bypass. The control tower and airraid
shelters disappeared, while the hangars that protected aircraft
for many years were converted to protect Government surplus
grain from the elements.
The army used Driffield as a driver training centre, until RAF
Leconfield (which was also taken over by the Army in 1977) was
enlarged to accommodate those who lived and trained at Driffield.
In 1992, the RAF regained owner****p of this historic aerodrome,
naming it: RAF Staxton Wold – Driffield Site. Once again, the
RAF ensign flew over Driffield, but not for long. In 1996, the
RAF itself transferred its own personnel and facilities to RAF
Staxton Wold, thus bringing an end to 60 years of service in the
defence of the realm. On June 28th 1996, the RAF ensign was
lowered for the last time, bringing to an end Driffield’s proud
association with those tasked with defending this country.
The following article was originally published in the Driffield
Times (on August 16th 2000) to mark the 60th anniversary of the
bombing of RAF Driffield.
August 15th 1940 - The Luftwaffe bombs RAF Driffield
While most went on their daily business, how many of you were
aware that yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the bombing
of RAF Driffield? For those too young to remember the 1940s,
the perception of war in rural England has been corrupted by
endless repeats of Dad‘s Army, in which no one was ever killed
or maimed. This romantic perception that “Driffield’s War” must
have been idyllic is not shared by those who remember August
15th 1940, when a warm summer's day was dramatically
interrupted by the reality of modern warfare.
Steward Cooney from Leeds wrote of that fateful day. He was
then a gunner with No.295 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, East
York****re Regiment. "Just before the raid, our Commanding
Officer, Major Passmore was in the airfield operations room
watching a plot of German aircraft as they passed a convoy off
the coast. He said they were coming for the airfield and advised
that the sirens be sounded and for RAF Driffield to take cover.
The RAF said, ‘Wait'. Nevertheless he ordered “his” gunners to
man their guns and our Battery HQ staff to take cover."
Mr Cooney added, “Rightly so, as things turned out. The first lot
of bombs dropped hit the BHQ and destroyed it! The RAF
sounded their sirens when the bombs were falling and a lot of
people were caught out in the open. A young WAAF, who had
just made a delivery to our site, was killed as she left her vehicle
to take shelter." A.G.W. M Hudson is remembered for being the
first WAAF to be killed in action during the Second World War.
During the war, RAF Driffield boasted a number of defences
against air attack. Buildings were camouflaged and air-raid
shelters erected in large numbers. The aerodrome was protected
by a number of .303 Lewis light machine gun posts and two 3in
anti-aircraft gun sites, one situated on the north side, the other on
the south side of the airfield. Mr Cooney, who was in the
Command Post manning the height finder said: "We also had a
RDF (Radio Detection Finder) set, an early form of radar,
consisting of a transmitter and receiver.
"Geoffrey Turner, the transmitter operator, as soon as the alarm
sounded, dashed to put the transmitter on the air and made sure it
was working, then went for his steel helmet. He was returning
when a stack of bombs fell and exploded. Shrapnel practically
severed his hand from the wrist and badly cut his thigh.
"In spite of his injuries, he returned to the transmitter trailer and
carried out his duties. Before collapsing, he sent a message
through to the command post saying he was hurt. The raid over, I
was called to give first-aid and was shocked by the extent of his
injuries and frankly could do little for him except try and stop the
bleeding.
”I have never seen such bravery and calmness, as he instructed us
as to the best way to get him out of the trailer and into the waiting
ambulance. Unfortunately, he died that evening."
The anti-aircraft fire directed against the bombers resulted in one
being brought down. Altogether, six Ju88s were shot down,
representing about 10% of the force sent over. A Blenheim from
No.219 Squadron, based at RAF Catterick in North York****re,
was hit by return fire from enemy aircraft engaged off
Scarborough, but managed to crash-land at Driffield. One of her
crew, Sgt 0 E Dupee was wounded in the right arm.
As Driffield's personnel left their shelters, the sight that greeted
them must have been unbelievable. In every direction burning
wreckage sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the air.
Following the attack, the German High Command wasted no
time in turning RAF Driffield's misfortune into propaganda.
Written by Hans E. Seidat, a German war correspondent who flew
with the Luftwaffe that day, the following re****t was published
two days later:
For three days we have been reading and hearing about the great
air battles over England. Air****ts, harbours and armaments
factories are being destroyed by our squadrons. Our fighters are
having unbelievable success in downing enemy planes. We
wonder how long it can go on. We are eager to get into action,
and almost fear that the victory will be over before we get to do
anything.
But when we least expect it, the orders come. After a short talk
with the crew, fully-loaded trucks take us to the planes. All
around, the yellow swim vests and colourful scarves of the eager
crew are evident. Soon, plane after plane takes off toward
England. Our target is Driffield Airfield on the east coast of
central England, one of the most im****tant bases of the enemy air
force. Our mission is to destroy it.
The sky is blue as we fly over land ready for harvesting. Further
formations join us at the coast. Soon we are over the water.
There are planes as far as the eye can see. We have been waiting
for this day! We sing the England Song and others. We near the
English coast, and can be attacked at any moment by enemy
fighters. We watch the skies. There they are! Fighters to the left!
Keep calm! I am behind a machine gun, and keep a careful eye
on the enemy. Now they attack. Our planes manoeuvre to make
the attack difficult. We start shooting. Now there is a second
fighter. It goes around us in a wide curve. Before he dares
attack us, I fire a burst across his nose. The warning is enough.
Tommy does not seem to feel comfortable in the midst of all our
planes, He is being fired at from all sides. Our comrades are
defending themselves. Five of the enemy are shot down within a
few minutes. An intense defence is not enough to stop our attack
on the air base.
A tongue of land extends into the sea. We are over England.
Several clouds kindly give us cover. A few minutes more and we
are over Driffield Airfield. What an attack! We dive through an
opening in the clouds directly above the base. We dive toward
the ground. We can see the details clearly. We see airplanes,
buildings, and there, that is the large hangar. That is our target.
We release our bombs, which plunge rapidly to the ground. They
seem to be magnetically attracted to the target. Now I cannot see
them any more. l watch the ground; there have to be explosions
soon. Will they hit the target? Four huge clouds rise into the air.
Yes! Direct hits! Nothing is left of the hangar. Powerful clouds
of smoke billow up.
We were the fourth plane to attack. Plane after plane follows us,
bomb after bomb brings destruction down below. They hit the
rows of two-engined planes, the hangars and barracks, and tear
huge holes in the runways. Thick smoke is everywhere. To the
right down below, l see a heavy flak battery. But their fuses are
set too low. I've long since exchanged the machine gun for a
camera, to capture the complete destruction of the airfield. As we
leave, we see the munitions depot go up in flames. Far out to sea
we can still see smoke and flames over the Driffield Airfield. We
have completed our mission.
There once was an airfield at Driffield...
Another extract from a German airman's account of the attack
on Driffield airfield is given below. Oberleutnant Rudolf Kratz
was flying a Junkers Ju 88 of Stab/KG 30 stationed at Aalborg in
occupied Denmark and it is taken from the book ’The Luftwaffe
in the Battle of Britain' by Armand van lshoven:
The coast - the initial point. No time left for thinking - there lay
England, the lion's den. But the eagles were going to attack the
lion in his lair and wound him grievously.
”Fighters to starboard... "
Three specks overflew us, disappeared to the rear, and after a
diving turn, hung behind us.
”Your turn now".
The words disappeared in the rattle of our machine guns. In
short bursts, the volleys flew towards the first fighter. He turned
away and the second one took his place. This one's fire is
ineffective as well and both passed below and were shot at by our
ventral gunner. Like hornets they swooshed through our
formation, the roundels on their fuselage looking like eyes.
"Five fighters to ****t above." re****ted the wireless operator
calmly.
"Dammit," the pilot said, but did not get agitated.
We kept on flying towards our target. Staring before us, we tried
to locate the airfield amidst the ragged Clouds.
"There, the field, below us.”......
The target - at last - the fighters were beginning to be a real
nuisance. The time had come now. I did not give a single
Pfennig for the life of those below - drop the HEs, away with the
blessing! The aircrew went into a dive, speed rapidly building
up, and the wind roared and howled around us. The hangars
grew and grew. They were still standing. The AA guns were
firing away at us, but they were too late.
A jolt - the bombs were free, the steel bodies out whistling down.
Below, all hell was let loose. Like an inferno, steel hit steel, and
stones. Bomb upon bomb exploded, destroying and tearing apart
what they hit. Hangar walls and roofs crumpled like tin sheets,
pieces flying through the air. Aircraft were shattered by a hail of
splinters. Barracks tumbled down; enormous smoke and dust
clouds rose like mushrooms. Here and there, explosions and
flames shot up. The airfield and the hangars were already badly
hit, but bombs kept falling from the bombers that followed us;
kept raining down in a horrible shower. Fire from exploding
ammunition burst upwards like torches. The English AA artillery
had been eliminated, their firing positions turned into craters.
The sun shone into our cabin. The enemy fighters had been got
rid of. Below us lay the wide sea. How beautiful the earth can
be. Hands loosened their grip on the machine guns. What
happened just a few minutes ago lay behind us and we relaxed.
The engines were running evenly, we were flying home. The
airfield didn’t exist any more; that was the result...
The air raid was not the only tragedy bestowed on RAF Driffield
that day.
Earlier that morning, Whitley P5044 crashed at Eastleigh after
colliding with a barrage balloon while returning from Ambes in
France. The crew were pilots F/O W. A. Stenhouse and P/O R.
B. McGregor, observer Sgt C. L. G. Hood, and wireless
operators/air gunners Sgt J. Burrow and Sgt H. Davies. All died
in the crash; a tragic accident later overshadowed by the raid on
Driffield.
Sixty years on, and much that survived the onslaught of the
German air force awaits redevelopment, and a fate far more
destructive than the one experienced on that fateful day in 1940.
It is likely that the site will be demolished, and hundreds of
overpriced luxury houses built. For many (myself included,) this is
seen as nothing more than a disgraceful act of vandalism.
....
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