Dunkeswell

Dunkeswell opened in 1943 and was handed to the USAAF who flew Liberators on anti submarine duties and helped the war against the U - Boat menace. Post war the airfield was used briefly by the RAF before being closed in 1946 and sold in 1948. However, this was not the end of flying activities and today the field opearates as a civilian airstrip for light aircraft. Several old buildings survive and are in use on the nearby industrial estate, there is a memorial to wartime use and also a small heritage centre that is free to enter. We went for a look last week after doing the Upottery center whic is only a few miles away.

Upottery Heritage Centre

I visited Upottery Airfield 9 years ago and pictures from that visit can be found here but although I also found the Heritage Centre at that time it was out of season and closed. However this time around it was open so we called by. The airfield has strong links with supporting the D-Day landings and it was from here that Easy Compnany as immortalised in Band of Brothers departed for Normandy in 1944 and, in fact, the airfield was used for filming in the TV series. The heritage museum, which is free to enter, focuses on the D-Day period but there are other displays relating to the Home Front, Bomber Command etc and it is based in the refurbished Officer's Mess from WWII. The chap manning the museum when we went was friendly and helpful and happy to chat and I popped a donation in the box before leaving.

RAF Culmhead

Culmhead in Somerset opened in 1941. Initially it was named after the nearby village of Church Staunton but to avoid confusion with Church Fenton was renamed. At the point of opening there was a very limited RAF presence in the South West which was addressed by the arival of Polish Wing Hurricanes and then Spitfires which protected the Portland area. Various other units then used the field including naval Seafires and then in 1944 the first two RAF Gloster Meteors of 616 squadron arrived for training purposes although a week later they went to RAF Manston for their first operational flight. After this the airfield was wound down with some glider training use before closing in 1946. Although the airfield became home to a signals unit from the 1950s this came to an end in 1999 and a small business park has grown up at the intersection of the original runways. Not much of the airfield proper now survives but there is a memorial and you can alsoe see, on private land, two control towers albeit they are derelict.

RAF Exeter

The current Exeter airport began life in 1937 and was in use by Jersey Airlines flying regular trips to Jersey. However, no sooner had the venture started to get going than WWII broke out and the airfield was taken over becoming RAF Exeter and serving an important role with Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. It went on to see USAAF service and had a role with C47s dropping parachutists in support of the Normandy landings. However, a memorial to the airfields wartime use reflects the importance of the Battle of Britain period.

RAF Wendling

Wendling Airfield, 4 miles from East Dereham, was built in 1942 and handed to the United States Army Air Force. It was a heavy bomber field of the 8th air Force and the most northerly USAAF airfield of the 8th. The aircraft operated were B-24 Liberators. The last combat mission was flown on 25th April 1945.

At the end of the war the airfield passed to RAF Maintenance Command and became a stand by field before closing in 1961 and being sold off in 1964 after which it returned to agriculture.

Little of the airfield remains today and access is difficult although the line of the main runway is quite evident due to a tree line and rows of turkey sheds. A memorial has been erected close to the airfield.