RAF Tangmere

RAF Tangmere
Tangmere, West Sussex in England
Aerial photograph of Tangmere airfield, 10 February 1944
RAF Tangmere is located in West Sussex
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere
Location in West Sussex
Coordinates50°50′45″N 000°42′23″W / 50.84583°N 0.70639°W / 50.84583; -0.70639
Grid referenceSU910060[1]
TypeRoyal Air Force Sector Station
CodeRN[2]
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force 1919-20
1925-
Royal Flying Corps 1917
U.S. Signal Corps 1918-1919
Fleet Air Arm
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command
* No. 11 Group RAF
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
*No. 84 Group RAF[2]
RAF Signals Command 1958-[3]
Open to
the public
Yes
Site history
Built25 September 1917 (1917) & 1927-30
In use1917-20
1925 - October 16, 1970 (1970-10-16)
Battles/warsFirst World War
European theatre of the Second World War
EventsBattle of Britain
Garrison information
Past
commanders
C. W. Hill
DesignationsGrade II
Airfield information
Elevation15 metres (49 ft)[2] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
07/25 1,828.75 metres (6,000 ft) Concrete
17/35 1,463 metres (4,800 ft) Concrete

Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain.[4]

It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, and the then inexperienced Johnnie Johnson were stationed at Tangmere in 1941.

  1. ^ Birtles 2012, p. 49.
  2. ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 189.
  3. ^ Birtles 2012, p. 51.
  4. ^ Smith, Andrew W. M. (4 March 2018). "Eclipse in the dark years: pick-up flights, routes of resistance and the Free French". European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire. 25 (2): 392–414. doi:10.1080/13507486.2017.1411889. ISSN 1350-7486. S2CID 148856854.