History AAC Middle Wallop

1 history

1.1 use
1.2 usaaf use
1.3 raf/rnas use
1.4 army air corps use

history
early use

the base opened raf middle wallop, training school new pilots in 1940. intended bomber use, battle of britain being fought, no. 609 squadron raf, flying supermarine spitfire, , no. 238 squadron raf flying hurricane mk1 moved middle wallop part of 10 group raf fighter command. in september 1940 604 squadron raf specialist night fighter unit received bristol beaufighter, equipped 4 20-mm cannon under nose , improved mark iv ai radio-location equipment. 1 of few squadrons equipped, 604 squadron helped provide night time defence on uk during blitz late 1940 until mid-may 1941. in time 50 air victories had been claimed no. 604 squadron, 14 f/l john cunningham.

raf chilbolton designated relief landing airfield middle wallop, until became fledged fighter station in own right, battle of britain progressed.

usaaf use

middle wallop used united states army air forces ninth air force ix fighter command headquarters beginning in november 1943. along headquarters mission, airfield hosted 67th reconnaissance group being moved raf membury in december 1943 in close proximity ix fc headquarters. 67th group flew photographic versions of lockheed p-38 lightning (f-5) , north american p-51 mustang (f-6) fly artillery-adjustment, weather-reconnaissance, bomb-damage assessment, photographic-reconnaissance, , visual-reconnaissance missions obtain photographs aided invasion of continent.

after d-day, both 67th rg moved advanced landing ground @ le molay-littry (alg a-9) , ix fc headquarters moved les obeaux, france in late june 1944 ending usaaf presence @ middle wallop. during american use, airfield designated usaaf station 449, id code: mw.

raf/rnas use

middle wallop returned royal air force use july 1944 no. 418 squadron rcaf , de havilland mosquito nightfighters.

in january 1945, in exchange raf, middle wallop transferred royal navy use , became rnas middle wallop . hms flycatcher hq mobile naval air base organization moved in rnas ludham, reverted raf use. 5 units assembled @ middle wallop, 4 transferring australia, hong kong , singapore planned; last, monab x ( hms nabhurst ), remained in uk following end of war in pacific.

in 1946 royal air force occupied middle wallop again. no. 164 squadron raf spitfires came , renumbered no. 63 squadron raf. following year no. 227 ocu, army air observation post training unit, moved airfield. renamed air observation post school in 1950 , light aircraft school in 1952.

from mid-1953 1957, middle wallop home no. 288 squadron raf boulton paul balliols.

army air corps use

in 1954 development flight (cfs) helicopters formed there, led joint experimental helicopter unit in 1955. on 1 september 1957, when british army aviation became independent of raf, middle wallop transferred new army air corps, , school of army aviation established. changed name army aviation centre on 1 august 2009.