RAF Bognor

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force flying base in West Sussex, England}}

{{Infobox military installation

| name = RAF Bognor

| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg

| ensign_size = 90px

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| location = Bognor, West Sussex

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| country = England

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| type = RAF advanced landing ground

| coordinates = {{Coord|50|47|15|N|000|42|30|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}

| pushpin_map = West Sussex#UK

| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within West Sussex

| pushpin_label = RAF Bognor

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| ownership = Air Ministry

| operator = Royal Air Force

| controlledby = RAF Second Tactical Air Force
* No. 83 Group RAF
* No. 84 Group RAF

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| code =OG{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=54}}

| built = {{Start date|1943}}

| used = June 1943-January {{End date|1945}}{{cite web | title=Bognor (Landplane) | website=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK | url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/bognor-landplane/ | access-date=2 October 2020}}

| builder = Royal Canadian Engineers

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| battles = European theatre of World War II

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| elevation = {{Convert|7|m|0}}{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=54}}

| r1-number = 05/23

| r1-length = {{Convert|1280|m|0}}

| r1-surface = Sommerfeld tracking

| r2-number = 07/25

| r2-length = {{Convert|1463|m|0}}

| r2-surface = Sommerfeld tracking

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Royal Air Force Bognor or more simply RAF Bognor (also known as Bognor Advanced Landing Ground (A.L.G.)) is a former Royal Air Force advanced landing ground {{Convert|2|mi}} north of Bognor, West Sussex, England.{{Cite Q|Q105271144|first=Ken|last=Delve|pages=44-45}}

History

Survey work on the site was undertaken in "mid-1942", with construction beginning in early 1943, completed by the Royal Canadian Engineers.{{cite web | author= chichesterpost.co.uk | title=Changing Times - Farmland became bustling wartime airfield | website=Bognor Regis Post | date=31 May 2019 | url=https://www.bognorregispost.co.uk/2019/05/changing-times-farmland-became-bustling-wartime-airfield/ | access-date=3 October 2020}} Bognor was one of 82 planned Operation Hadrian sites planned with only 26 being built. The original budget for the site was £20,500.{{cite web | title=Advanced Landing Ground, Chalcraft Lane - Sylvia Endacott | website=Sussex Views Magazine | date=12 April 2020 | url=https://www.sussexviews.co.uk/articles/2020/4/12/advanced-landing-ground-chalcraft-lane-sylvia-endacott | access-date=3 October 2020}} The airfield became operational on 1 June 1943 with two intersecting Sommerfield track runways. The site was under the control of RAF Tangmere located four miles further north.

The site was originally a training site for aircrews to practise operating with few facilities, however, in Autumn 1943, extra over blister hangars were installed. These provided shelter for most aircraft that were stationed at Bognor, little accommodation was provided for the aircrews who lived in tented camps. The site was used as a forward staging base for a number of fighter and ground attack units for the D-Day assault, however, these soon moved to back to Tangmere and were replaced by 83 Group and 1310 Flight. 1310 flew Ansons from Bognor in an air ambulance and medical supply capacity to the advancing forces on the French coastline.{{cite web | last=Cipirska | first=Isabella | title=Watch a Chinook helicopter land in Bognor for 75th anniversary event | website=Bognor Regis Observer | date=20 May 2019 | url=https://www.bognor.co.uk/news/people/watch-chinook-helicopter-land-bognor-75th-anniversary-event-852208 | access-date=3 October 2020}}

83 Group left the site in late September 1944 and need for the airfield ceased to exist. Runway removal works were carried out during the Autumn of 1944 and by early 1945, the site had been returned to its original owners. Parts of the site have now been built over by the expanding Bognor Regis or returned to farmland with few noticeable remnants of the airfield remaining.

Units

class="wikitable sortable" ! Squadron !! Dates !! Aircraft
No. 19 Squadron RAF	6 Jun 1943 – 2 Jul 1943	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 66 Squadron RAF	31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 122 Squadron RAF	1 Jun 1943 – 1 Jul 1943	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 331 Squadron RAF	31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 332 Squadron RAF	31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 602 Squadron RAF	1 Jun 1943 – 1 Jul 1943	Supermarine Spitfire{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988\|p=00}}
No. 1310 Flight RAF	25 Jun 1944 – 21 Jul 1944	Avro Anson
No. 83 (Composite) Group Support Unit	25 Jun 1944 – 25 Sep 1944	Supermarine Spitfire, Mustang IV, Typhoon

Additional units:

References

=Citations=

=Bibliography=

{{cite book |last1=Falconer|first1=J|title=RAF Airfields of World War 2 |year=2012 |publisher= Ian Allan Publishing|location= UK|isbn=978-1-85780-349-5}}
{{cite book |last1=Jefford |first1= C.G. |title= RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 |year=1988 |publisher= Airlife |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 1-85310-053-6 }}

Category:Royal Air Force stations in West Sussex

Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom