RAF Bolt Head was a 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...

 grass airfield 1 mile south west of Salcombe

Salcombe

Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, built mostly on the steep west side of the estuary and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

 on the south 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...

 coast, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 from 1941 to 1945. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 it was used as a satellite for RAF Exeter.

The Ground Control Interceptor Station, (GCI)

Ground-controlled interception

Ground-controlled interception an air defense tactic whereby one or more radar stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic was pioneered during World War II by the Royal Air Force with the Luftwaffe to follow closely...

 RAF Hope Cove. was established nearby

Hope Cove

Hope Cove is a small seaside village within the civil parish of South Huish in South Hams District, Devon, England. It is located some 5 miles west of Salcombe and 5 miles south-west of Kingsbridge. It has two beaches, and is sheltered by the headland of Bolt Tail.Historically, the village falls...

 in 1941 to direct fighter operations in the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

.

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...	1940-1941	Westland Lysander Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...	III	Detachments from RAF Weston Zoyland RAF Weston Zoyland thumb|C-47s of the 306th Troop Carrier SquadronRAF Station Weston Zoyland is a former World War II airfield in Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Bridgwater; about west-southwest of London...
No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No...	29 April-16 May 1944 & 24 May-19 June 1944	Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...	XII	Attended APC Fairwood Common, 17-23 May 1944
No. 234 Squadron RAF No. 234 Squadron RAF No. 234 Squadron RAF had a long career within the RAF, being operational on flying boats in World War I and on fighter aircraft in World War II. After the war it remained a fighter unit till 1957. In its last incarnation the squadron was in turn Operational Training Unit , Tactical Weapon Unit and...	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	VI
No. 257 Squadron RAF No. 257 Squadron RAF -In World War I:No. 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 318 and 319 Flights. It flew both seaplanes and flying boats on anti-submarine patrols from Dundee until the end of the First World War and disbanded there on 30 June 1919....	1942	Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...	IA and IB	Detachments from RAF Exeter
No. 263 Squadron RAF No. 263 Squadron RAF No 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...	1943	Westland Whirlwind Westland Whirlwind Westland Whirlwind may mean:* Westland Whirlwind , a fixed wing Second World War fighter aircraft* Westland Whirlwind , a post-war helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-55...	I	Detachments from RAF Warmwell RAF Warmwell RAF Warmwell was a Royal Air Force station near Warmwell in Dorset, England from 1937 to 1946, located about 5 miles east-southeast of Dorchester; 100 miles southwest of London....
	1944	Hawker Typhoon	IB
No. 266 Squadron RAF No. 266 Squadron RAF -World War I:The squadron was formed from No's 437 and 438 Flights at Mudros, Greece on 27 September 1918 to carry out anti-submarine patrols in that area, flying Short 184s and 320s along with Felixtowe F.3s. In February 1919 it was transferred to the Caucasus on HMS Engadine. It operated from...	1944	Hawker Typhoon	IB
No. 275 Squadron RAF No. 275 Squadron RAF No. 275 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron that served between 1941 and 1959.-History:No. 275 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Valley on 15 October 1941 for air-sea rescue duties in the Irish sea, the first aircraft being Lysanders Mk.IIIa's...	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	VC	Later moved to RAF Exeter with detachments back to Bolt Head
No. 276 Squadron RAF No. 276 Squadron RAF No. 276 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an air-sea rescue unit in World War II.-Formation in World War II:The squadron formed at RAF Harrowbeer, Devon on 21 October 1941 equipped with the Lysander and Walrus...	1944	Various		Detachment from RAF Portreath
No. 310 Squadron RAF No. 310 Squadron RAF No. 310 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War .It was first formed on 10 July 1940 at RAF Duxford, equipped with Hawker Hurricane I fighters and was the first RAF squadron to be raised crewed by foreign nationals, in this case...	1942	Supermarine Spitfire	VB and VC	Detachments from RAF Exeter
No. 421 Squadron RAF	1942	Supermarine Spitfire	VB	Detachments from RAF Exeter
No. 610 Squadron RAF No. 610 Squadron RAF No. 610 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was as a Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force, its pilots were initially part timers who would spend their weekends and spare time flying and practicing combat maneuvers. The squadron was named the "County of Chester" and adopted the motto "Alifero tollitur...	1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VC
No. 611 Squadron RAF No. 611 Squadron RAF No. 611 Squadron was a British Auxiliary Air Force later Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron first formed in 1936 and lastly disbanded in 1957.-Early years:...	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	IX

During World War II, 17 personnel operating from RAF Bolt Head were killed in action or died on active service.

External links

• RAF Bolt Head on Devon Airfields