Hartford Bridge
HARTFORD BRIDGE: Military aerodrome (aka HARTFORD BRIDGE FLATS in WW2)
Shortly after the end of WW2 renamed as BLACKBUSHE
Note: These three maps were kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder
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Military users: RAF Fighter Command
322 (Dutch) Sqdn (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
Bomber Command 2 Group Forward airfield for D-Day
21 Sqdn (Lockheed Venturas)
88, 107 & 342 (Lorraine) Sqdns (Douglas A-20 Bostons)
226 & 320 (Dutch) Sqdns (North American B-25 Mitchells)
264, 305 (Polish), 418, 605 & 613 Sqdns (DH Mosquitos)
430 (RCAF) Sqdn
Note: In early 2018 Henri Lavasseur kindly reminded me, (see 'Comment' below), that 430 (RCAF Squadron), hadn't been mentioned.
The history seems a bit vague here. Formed as the "City of Sudbury" Squadron in 1943, it appears they flew the Curtiss P.40 Tomahawk Mk.I and Mk.II, the North American P-52 Mustang Mk.1 and the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV. Initially intended for Army co-operation duties, they were later to become a fighter reconnaissance unit.
Post WW2: 301 (Polish) Sqdn (Vickers Warwicks & Handley Page Halifaxs)
Location: Just N of the A30, S to SSW of Yateley, about 4nm WSW of Camberley town centre
Period of operation: Military: 1943 (some say 1942?) to 1946
Runways: 08/26 1828x46 hard 13/31 1280x46 hard
01/19 1280x46 hard
NOTES: In WW2 the runway surfaces were given as concrete and wood chippings.
Hartfordbridge still exists today, albeit as a hamlet on the A30 roughly 2nm WSW of the present day BLACKBUSHE aerodrome. I’ve also found a rather intriguing mention that after becoming a civil airport in the early postwar years there was a sort of U S Navy base here and before becoming fully operational the RAE at FARNBOROUGH used this site. Can anybody add more?
If you are wondering why on earth BLACKBUSHE was named HARTFORD BRIDGE in WW2, RAF airfields were named after the nearest Post Office for telegraph communications.
'FRIENDLY FIRE'
There is a debate going around which hinges on whether or not more Allied aircraft were shot down in the European war, in WW2, by the British Army and Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunners, than by the Germans. It is a mute point and can probably never be resolved. However, I would like to quote this passage from The Reich Intruders by Martin W Bowman of an account by 'Dinty' Moore : "When D-Day arrived, 21 Squadron was out whenever weather permitted patrolling behind the battlefront looking for anything that moved. The night of D-Day, the 6th, we were briefed to patrol the Caen-Lisieux-Boisney road to stop German reinforcements reaching the beachhead. We were told that there was a corridor across the Channel in which every aircraft must stay on outward and return flights. Our night fighters were patrolling on either side of the corridor and were likely to regard any plane that was found outside the designated area as hostile. As we left the English coast a hail of flak went up from a ship in mid-Channel right where we were headed. Pretty shortly down went an aircraft in flames - it looked like one of our four-engined bombers. It seemed that one of our own ships (the Royal Navy got the blame) had parked itself right on the path that every aircraft going to and from the Continent that night would be following. And, in true naval fashion, it let fly at everything that went over. We decided to risk the night-fighters rather than fly through that lot and did a wide detour."
The first British aircraft to be shot down in WW2 was due to 'friendly fire' either by RAF fighters or Army ack-ack. Look up 'The Battle of Barking Creek'. It is a fact that Army and Naval anti-aircraft crews took this task literally - they fired at any aircraft. And, needless to say, more often as not Allied aircraft returning from sorties into Europe.
Henri Levasseur
This comment was written on: 2018-01-04 15:29:11RCAF 430 Sqn stood up at Hartford Bridge 1 Jan 1943. 75th anniversary this year. No mention of it on your web site. Oversight??
Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Henri, Most definitely an oversight, and many thanks for pointing this out. Best regards, Dick
Charles Weager
This comment was written on: 2020-06-01 15:07:52RAF HArtford Bridge became RaF Blackbushe because there was another RAF Hartford Bridge.
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