RAF Kingsnorth (World War II)

RAF Kingsnorth
USAAF Station AAF-418
Kingsnorth, Kent in England
Kingsnorth airfield, 12 May 1944, photo oriented to the west (top), taken about three weeks before D-Day. The crossroads in the middle of the picture is Bliby Corner, with Sevington Lane running left-right and Chequertree Lane going top-bottom.
RAF Kingsnorth is located in Kent
RAF Kingsnorth
RAF Kingsnorth
Shown within Kent
Coordinates51°6′18″N 0°53′20″E / 51.10500°N 0.88889°E / 51.10500; 0.88889
TypeAdvanced landing ground
CodeIN[1]
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces 1944
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command 1943-44
* No. 83 Group RAF
Site history
Built1943 (1943)
Built byRAF Airfield Construction Service
In useJuly 1943 - January 1945 (1945)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation38 metres (125 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
04/22  Sommerfeld Tracking
13/31  Sommerfeld Tracking

Royal Air Force Kingsnorth or more simply RAF Kingsnorth is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground in Kent, England. It was at Bliby Corner approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Ashford; about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London. It is not to be confused with RNAS Kingsnorth, later RAF Kingsnorth, which was an airship station in operation during and after the First World War.

Opened in 1943, Kingsnorth was one of a number of prototype temporary Advanced Landing Ground airfields to be built in France after D-Day, as the Allied forces moved east across France and Germany. Kingsnorth was used by British, Dominion and the United States Army Air Forces until it was closed in September 1944.

Today the airfield is agricultural land with few remains visible on the ground, although sections of the runways can clearly be made out on aerial and satellite photos.

  1. ^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 121.