Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English County of West Sussex.

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RAF Westhampnett USAAF Station AAF-352
Westhampnett, West Sussex in England
Aerial photograph of RAF Westhampnet, the technical site is to the right, 19 April 1946
RAF Westhampnett Shown within West Sussex
Coordinates	50°51′40″N 000°45′33″W
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	WQ
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces 1942
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1938-42 & 1942-45
Site history
Built	1938 (1938) & 1940
In use	1938-1946 (1946)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	33 metres (108 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 06/24 855 metres (2,805 ft) Grass 10/28 613 metres (2,011 ft) Grass 14/32 1,300 metres (4,265 ft) Grass
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[2]

It was built as an emergency landing airfield for fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to RAF Tangmere. Built on land belonging to the Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.

History

Royal Air Force use

Squadrons

• No. 41 Squadron RAF.,[3] from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb
• No. 43 Squadron RAF.[4]
• No. 65 Squadron RAF.[5]
• No. 91 Squadron RAF.[6]
• No. 118 Squadron RAF.[7]
• No. 124 Squadron RAF.[8]
• No. 129 Squadron RAF.[9]
• No. 130 Squadron RAF.[9]
• No. 131 Squadron RAF.[9]
• No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating Hawker Hurricane.[10]
• No. 167 Squadron RAF.[11]
• No. 174 Squadron RAF.[12]
• No. 175 Squadron RAF.[12]
• No. 184 Squadron RAF.[13]
• No. 245 Squadron RAF.[14]
• No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron.[15]
• No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.[16]
• No. 340 Squadron RAF.[17]
• No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron.[18]
• No. 402 Squadron RCAF.[19]
• No. 416 Squadron RCAF.[20]
• No. 441 Squadron RCAF.[21]
• No. 442 Squadron RCAF.[21]
• No. 443 Squadron RCAF.[21]
• No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF.[22]
• No. 501 Squadron RAF.[23]
• No. 602 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire.[24]
• No. 610 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire.[25]
• No. 614 Squadron RAF.[25]
• No. 616 Squadron RAF.[25]
• 787 Naval Air Squadron.[26]

Units

• No. 83 Group Support Unit (1944-45)[26]
• No. 121 Airfield RAF[26]
• No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield RAF[26]
• No. 402 Air Stores Park[26]
• No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight[26]
• Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett (1941)[27]

United States Army Air Forces

• 31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.[28]

Current use

Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and Chichester/Goodwood Airport.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• Goodwood Circuit

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Falconer, J (1998). RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2175-9.
• Hillier, Mark (2015). A Fighter Command Station at War: A Photographic Record of RAF Westhampnett from the Battle of Britain to D-Day and Beyond. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-47384-468-1.
• Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
• Maurer, M. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Westhampnett.

• Royal Air Force - Battle of Britain 11 Group page
• Gallery of images of RAF Westhampnett^{[permanent dead link]}
• The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Westhampnett

На других языках

[de] RAF Westhampnett