RAF Keevil

51.3131, -2.1115 — view on OpenStreetMap ↗

About

RAF Keevil was built on farmland near Steeple Ashton in Wiltshire in 1941–42 and, after early use for Spitfire assembly and by United States Ninth Air Force transport and observation units, became an airborne-forces station in No. 38 Group. From it the Short Stirlings of Nos. 196 and 299 Squadrons towed Airspeed Horsa gliders and dropped paratroops, flying on the night of 5/6 June 1944 in Operation Tonga — the airborne opening of D-Day — and later in the Arnhem operation and supply drops to the resistance. Flying training followed after the war. The airfield is still in military hands as a relief landing ground, with gliding clubs and motorsport using parts of the site.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Keevil — Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust and RAF Keevil — Wikipedia. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Photographs

Operation TONGA. Short Stirling Mark IVs of Nos. 196 and 299 Squadrons RAF, lining the runway at RAF Keevil, Wiltshire, UK, on the evening of 5 June, before emplaning paratroops of the 5th Parachute Brigade Group for the invasion of Normandy.
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (F/O), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stirlings_ready_for_Operation_Tonga_at_RAF_Keevil_June_1944_IWM_CH_13298.jpgView source & full licence →
Aerial photograph of Keevil airfield looking north, the main runway runs horizontally, the control tower and two T2 hangars are at the lower left of the airfield, operational buildings blister hangars and barrack sites are at the top, 4 March 1944. Photograph taken by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7PH/GP/LOC196. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Forces / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Keevil_-_4_March_1944_-_Airfield.jpgView source & full licence →
Aerial photograph of Keevil Airfield.
ⓘ licence & creditBritish Government / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Keevil-110456.pngView source & full licence →

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