RAF Balderton
Encyclopedia
Nottinghamshire.
Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily as a troop carrier transport airfield. After the war, it was used for munitions storage before it was closed in 1957.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields.
Overview
Balderton airfield started life in the spring of 1941 with a grass surface over stiff clay. The Canadian-manned No. 408 Squadron. with their twin engined Handley Page HampdenHandley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
medium bombers arrived in December 1941. However, conditions were so spongy that the aircraft had to operate from another station until the field dried out in the early spring
The squadron stayed until the following October when preparations were put in hand to construct concrete runways, and upgrade the airfield to the Class A airfield
Class A airfield
Class A airfields were military installations originally built for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. Several were transferred to the U.S...
standard, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern.
Messrs W. & C. French Ltd being the major contractor, completed the work by March 1943. The main runway was 6,110 ft aligned 08/26, with secondary runways of 4200 ft at 13/21. and 4211 ft at 15/33. Hardstands were 21 pan-type with 31 loop-type added later along an enclosing perimeter track, of a width of 50 feet.
The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s of various sizes. The support station was where the group and ground station commanders and squadron headquarters and orderly rooms were located. Also on the ground station were where the mess facilities; chapel; hospital; mission briefing and debriefing; armory; life support; parachute rigging; supply warehouses; station and airfield security; motor pool and the other ground support functions necessary to support the air operations of the group. These facilities were all connected by a network of single path support roads.
The technical site, connected to the ground station and on the west side of the airfield originally consisted of a single blister hangar and two T-2s gave cover but in 1943 two additional T-2s were erected in connection with 32 Horsa gliders that were stored on the airfield. There were three hangars located around the perimeter track at dispersal loops, and one in the Technical Site. In addition, various organizational, component and field maintenance shops along with the crew chiefs and other personnel necessary to keep the aircraft airworthy and to quickly repair light and moderate battle damage. Aircraft severely damaged in combat were sent to repair depots for major structural repair. The Ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track on the south side surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens for storing the aerial bombs and the other munitions required by the combat aircraft.
Various domestic accommodation sites were constructed dispersed away from the airfield, but within a mile or so of the technical support site, also using clusters of Maycrete or Nissen huts. The Huts were either connected, set up end-to-end or built singly and made of prefabricated corrugated iron with a door and two small windows at the front and back. They provided accommodation for 2,413 personnel, including communal and a sick quarters.
Initial RAF Bomber Command
The airfield was assigned to No. 5 Group and received No. 408 Squadron and its Handley Page HampdenHandley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
from RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
in December 1941.
USAAF use
The airfield was officially taken over by Ninth Air Force on New Year's Day 1944. Balderton was used as a reception center for C-47 troop carrier groups arriving from the United States that were subsequently located at other UK airfields. Balderton was known as USAAF Station AAF-482 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 "BD".437th Troop Carrier Group
The first USAAF transport unit to arrive was the 437th Troop Carrier Group during January 1944 from Baer Army Airfield, IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The group's squadrons and fuselage codes were:
- 83d Troop Carrier Squadron (T2)
- 84th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z8)
- 85th Troop Carrier Squadron (90)
- 86th Troop Carrier Squadron (5K)
The 439th was a group of Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
's 53d Troop Carrier Wing
53d Troop Carrier Wing (World War II)
The 53d Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Troop Carrier Command, based at Camp Shanks, New York. It was inactivated on 12 August 1945....
, IX Troop Carrier Command
IX Troop Carrier Command
The IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...
.
The first aircraft arrived on 21 January and the group hardly had time to settle in when, on 5/6 February 5 it was moved south to RAF Ramsbury
RAF Ramsbury
RAF Station Ramsbury is a former World War II airfield in Wiltshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Marlborough; about west of London. Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
439th Troop Carrier Group
On 21 February, the 91st and 92d Troop Carrier Squadrons for the 439th Troop Carrier Group439th Airlift Wing
The 439th Airlift Wing is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the Air Mobility Command Twenty-Second Air Force, and is based at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts....
also arrived from Baer Army Airfield. Two other squadrons, the 93d and 94th TCS arrived on 6 March. The group's squadrons and fuselage codes were:
- 91st Troop Carrier Squadron (L4)
- 92d Troop Carrier Squadron (J8)
- 93d Troop Carrier Squadron93d Fighter SquadronThe 93d Fighter Squadron is part of the 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-History:...
(3B) - 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8)
The 439th was a group of Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
's 50th Troop Carrier Wing, IX Troop Carrier Command
IX Troop Carrier Command
The IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...
.
Intensive training with paratroops of the 82nd Airborne Division was conducted until the 439th was moved to RAF Upottery
RAF Upottery
RAF Station Upottery is a former World War II airfield in East Devon, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Honiton; about southwest of London...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
on 26 April, although all elements did not move until May.
Operation Market-Garden
Balderton was retained by IX Troop Carrier CommandIX Troop Carrier Command
The IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...
throughout the summer of 1944, and it was about to be released to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
when, in September, it was required as an advance base for Operation "Market".
Ground units moved in during the first week and the air echelon of the 439th TCG, which had been in the process of moving to France, returned to Balderton to airlift the ground forces into Holland.
On 17 September the 439th despatched two flights of aircraft. The first, with 30 C-47s carrying paratroops of the 82nd Airborne Division to Groesbeek
Groesbeek
Groesbeek is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.-Description:Groesbeek is named after a small stream called the Groesbeek, which in its original form doesn't exist anymore...
near Nijmegen, successfully completed their mission. The 50 C-47s of the second flight towed CG-4A Waco gliders, losing one but no C-47s were lost.
The next day, 50 C-47s again towed gliders to Groesbeck
Groesbeck
Groesbeck, as a person, may refer to:* Alex Groesbeck , an American politician* William S. GroesbeckGroesbeck, as a place, may refer to:* Groesbeck, Ohio, an unincorporated census-designated place in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States...
. On D-plus 2, 25 C-47s took port in an unsuccessful re-supply mission. On D-plus 3, 15 C-47s of the group carried out a re-supply drop to the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
from RAF Greenham Common
RAF Greenham Common
RAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of Thatcham; about west of London....
.
Subsequent RAF use
Balderton was returned to No. 5 Group. RAF Bomber Command, at the end of September and the re-formed No. 227 Squadron with Avro LancasterAvro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s flew its first mission from the airfield on 11 October 1944. The squadron (code 9J-) was reassigned in April 1945.
Having no operational usefulness to the RAF, from June 1945, bombs were stored on the runways. Like many wartime airfields, it languished unused with a little demolition until gradually disposed of in the 1950s. A notice in the Times for 20 May 1957 lists the airfield as one of those no longer needed by the RAF. Balderton was then sold by the MOD.
Civil use
With the facility released from military control, Balderton was returned to agriculture, the runway concrete disappearing as hardcore under the A1 road improvements of the 1960s. At that time, the developed Al was routed west of the original road, over the eastern perimeter track of the airfield, before coming back to the east to bypass Balderton village and Newark.Gypsum open-pit mining has also taken its toll where quarrying has completely obliterated the airfield, with single track roads all that remain of the runway and perimeter track, and the occasional concrete runway end or pile of rubble. However much still remains of the support station, including the MT sheds and the Sergeants' Mess still complete with its brick fireplace.
Directions
From BaldertonBalderton
Balderton is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish, which then included Fernwood had a population of 10,298 as of 2001....
, proceed southeast along Staple Lane about 1/4 mile. The airfield is in some fields and excavated land to your left. Crossing the A1 at the B6326, the abandoned Fuel Tank will be on your right, just on the east side of the A1, proceeding down the road is part of the old airfield station, which appears to be on private land.
See also
- List of RAF stations
- 82nd Airborne Division