RAF Headcorn

51°10′58″N 000°41′16″E / 51.18278°N 0.68778°E / 51.18278; 0.68778Site informationOwnerAir MinistryOperatorRoyal Air Force 1943
United States Army Air Forces 1943-44Controlled byRAF Fighter CommandSite historyBuilt1943 (1943)Built byRAF Airfield Construction ServiceIn useJuly 1943 – September 1944Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War IIAirfield information

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
09/27	Sommerfeld Tracking
18/36	Sommerfeld Tracking

Royal Air Force Headcorn or more commonly known as RAF Headcorn is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground located 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Headcorn, Kent, England.

Opened in 1943, Headcorn was a prototype for the temporary Advanced Landing Ground airfields to be built in France after D-Day, when the need for advanced landing fields became urgent as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces. It was closed in September 1944 and has now reverted to farmland.

Units

Two Canadian squadrons, 403 Squadron RCAF and 421 Squadron RCAF, were based at Headcorn from August to November 1943 with Supermarine Spitfire IXB's.^[1]^[2]

The following units were also here at some point:^[3]

No. 17 (Fighter) Wing RAF (August - October 1943)^[4]
No. 127 Airfield RAF (August - October 1943)^[5]
362nd Fighter Group
- 377th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
- 378th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
- 379th Fighter Squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
No. 405 Repair & Salvage Unit (August - September 1943)^[6]
No. 2809 Squadron RAF Regiment
'B' Section of No. 3207 Servicing Commando (August - September 1943)^[7]

References

Citations

^ Jefford 1988, p. 89.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
^ "Headcorn (Egerton)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 287.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 222.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 233.

Bibliography

Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Headcorn.

Headcorn

Locations in the
parish of Headcorn

Headcorn Aerodrome

Buildings

Military

RAF Headcorn
RAF Lashenden

People

Sandy Bruce-Lockhart
John Willes

Royal Air Force

Ministry of Defence

formations
and units

units	Commands Groups Wings Squadrons Flights Conversion units Operational Training units Schools / Training units Ferry units Glider units Misc units
stations	Active Former Satellite Landing Grounds
Regiment	Wings Squadrons Flights