1939 To 1945
During the Second World War, RAF Andover was the headquarters of RAF Maintenance Command. It was also used by several operational flying training units and as an operational fighter station by the United States Army Air Forces.
It was one of four airfields in Hampshire to be given a decoy site in 1940, to deceive enemy aircraft into attacking a spurious target. Andover's decoy site was at Hurstbourne Tarrant, and was a type 'K' decoy site with fake aircraft and buildings. From September 1940, fake machine gun posts were added to Hurstbourne Tarrant.
RAF Andover was attacked twice by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. At 1700 hours on 13 August 1940, approximately 12 high explosive bombs were dropped by Junkers Ju 88s of III Staffel, Lehrgeschwader 1, of Luftflotte 3, from Châteaudun in France. The Station Headquarters and officer's quarters were extensively damaged. One aircraft on the station was also damaged. Casualties were two killed. The following day, on 14 August 1940, RAF Andover was attacked again, about 15 high explosive bombs being dropped which destroyed a transmitting set in the centre of a group of radio masts, and killing a civilian radio operator.
Corporal Josephine Robins, a Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) telephone operator at RAF Andover was awarded the Military Medal for her courage during these raids. She was in a dug-out which received a direct hit, killing two men and injuring others. Despite dust and fumes filling the shelter, Cpl Robins calmly gave first aid to those injured and superintended their evacuation to safety. This was one of only six such awards to members of the WAAF in the entire Second World War.
It was thought at the time that these air raids were attempts to attack the important 11 Group Fighter Command Sector Station nearby at RAF Middle Wallop, but German records make it clear that RAF Andover was the intended target, as the Luftwaffe thought wrongly that it was an operational bomber station. In 1941 RAF Andover was attacked twice, causing heavy damage to one hangar, which had to be demolished.
In June 1941 No. 2 School of Army Co-operation at Andover was re-designated as No 6 Operational Training Unit (OTU). It was equipped with Bristol Blenheims and operated within No 17 Group, Coastal Command. Its task was to re-train Westland Lysander pilots onto Bristol Blenheim Mk. Vs used in the ground attack role, serving primarily in the used primarily in the Middle East and Far East. No 6 OTU was absorbed into No 42 OTU on 18 July 1941, moving to RAF Ashbourne in October 1942.
From February through July 1944, Andover was used by fighter squadrons (the 401st, 402nd, and 485th squadrons of the 370th Fighter Group) of the Ninth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces, flying Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft. Flying from RAF Andover, the 370th dive-bombed radar installations and flak towers, and escorted bombers that attacked bridges and marshalling yards in France as the Allies prepared for the invasion of the Continent. The 370th also provided cover for Allied forces that crossed the English Channel on D-Day and flew armed reconnaissance missions over the Cotentin Peninsula until the end of the month. The 370th Fighter Group moved to their Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Cardonville, France (ALG A-3) on 20 July.
The USAAF lost a total of 31 P-38s from Andover before the move to France. (See weblink below to USAAF photos documenting RAF Andover's use as a fighter station, taken in 1944 by Cyril Bernard "Cy" Coenen of the 402nd Fighter Squadron).
Three Canadian Army Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force, No. 664 Squadron RCAF, No. 665 Squadron RCAF, and No. 666 Squadron RCAF were formed at RAF Andover between 9 December 1944 and 5 March 1945. The Canadian squadrons were equipped with Auster Mark IV and V aircraft. The pilots and observers in the squadrons were officers recruited from the Royal Canadian Artillery and O.R.s from the Royal Canadian Artillery and Royal Canadian Air Force. The pilots were trained to fly de Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft at No. 22 Elementary Flying Training School (Cambridge); thereafter, successful candidates were further trained at No. 43 Operational Training Unit, the AOP School based at RAF Andover dedicated to training British and Commonwealth AOP flight-crews. Lieutenant-Colonel Terry Willett, Royal Artillery, commanded No. 43 OTU at RAF Andover. British Army AOP training at RAF Andover, with Auster Mark V aircraft, continued until at least 1949. One of the three squadrons was re-established after the war as 665 Squadron, Army Air Corps, based in Northern Ireland.
RAF Andover has a unique place in British history, as the first British military unit to be equipped with helicopters, the Helicopter Training School, was formed in January 1945 at RAF Andover under the command of Squadron Leader B.H. Arkell. This was also the first European helicopter flying-training school, however the first European military unit formed solely with helicopters was the Luftwaffe's Transportstaffel 40 in 1944. The Helicopter Training School was equipped with nine Sikorsky R-4B Hoverfly I helicopters, and trained 100 British Army pilots for Air Observation Post duties, as well as pilots for the first RAF squadron to be equipped with helicopters, 529 Squadron, which carried our radar calibration duties. Radar calibration duties were later carried out by the Hawker Siddeley Andover and Air Observation Post duties are today carried out by the Army Air Corps.
Read more about this topic: RAF Andover, Airfield History