Westhampnett
*WESTHAMPNETT: Military aerodrome (See also CHICHESTER & GOODWOOD)
Note: Pictures by the author.
Military users: WW2: RAF Fighter Command 11 Group
*Battle of Britain RAF Station (1st August 1940) 11 Group
145 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
Note: This Station was not involved as a base in July 1940
(1st September 1940) 602 Sqdn (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
WW2
65, 501 & 616 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
302 (Polish) Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
303 (Polish), 402 & 443 (RCAF) Sqdns (Spitfires)
American 309th Fighter Squadron
Note: This seems an interesting situation. The 309th were one of the first USAAF units to arribve in the UK. However, as the Bell P.39 Airacobras and Curtiss P.40 Warhawks they were flying at Baer Field in Indians were considered unsuitable for use in the European theatre of war, they collaborated closely with the RAF and were trained on and equipped with Spitfires. Their first combat mission, to France, was on the 18th August 1942.
Location: ENE of Chichester, SE of East Lavant, W of Westerton & NW of Westhampnett
Period of operation: 1940 to ?
Runways: WW2: WNW/ESE 1006 grass NE/SW 914 grass
NW/SE 1280 grass
NOTES: This might be as good a place as any to try and explain the importance of the RAF Polish fighter squadrons in WW2, and during the ‘Battle of Britain’ phase especially. Today there is an interesting idea going around, along these lines: It certainly cannot be proved that the Polish RAF pilots made the difference between the winning or losing of the ‘Battle of Britain’. But without them we’d have lost!
Added to this list much be the huge amount of people from countries (or Dominions) within the British Empire, not least Canadian, Australian, New Zealanders, South Africans and many others.
Plus of course we must add all the Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Norwegian and many others, (including some Americans don’t forget), who piled in on our side to fight the utter evil of the Nazi regime. Looking back I think it quite remarkable that so many people, so early on in the war realised how the Nazi regime would quickly progress into total evil, including the needless slaughter of their own civilian population. Much is made of the extermination camps, obviously quite rightly, but few point out that the German people also suffered and died by equal amounts. The writing was clearly on the wall for the Nazi regime in 1943 after the RAF, (albeit inadvertently), created the Hamburg firestorm.
THE EARLY YEARS
The history of the early years of WW2 is utterly fascinating. (As is the rest of course). Quite why a small and allegdly ill-equipped island nation, (easily totally overwhelmed as the Nazi High command saw us - and obviously through our Royal family ties with Germany), should decide to confront the military might of the Nazi Third Reich seems an utter nonsense today? At the very least some form of coalition with the Germans seemed the pragmatic option. But - as we now know so well, it didn’t happen.
Against all sensible reason (many said) the British establishment decided to resist the massive onslaught of the Third Reich and declare war. Probably what needs to be most understood today is that the consequences could not have been fully envisaged. Without any doubt the British government had severe doubts as to how the general population would react.
But, we must remember that in those days we still had an Empire with Dominions. (The biggest Empire the world has ever seen don’t forget) Most of which couldn’t contribute much in material terms, (nearly all the British Empire consisted of mostly scrub, sand and weeds etc on a vast scale), but many of the people of all classes of society (not just British either) who inhabited such regions were fiercely loyal and signed up in their thousands to fight. All these combined factors, which I am quite certain the Nazi High Command appeared to totally fail to take into account (?), made the crucial difference?
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Many now maintain the USA only entered the European war to prevent the Russian Soviet ‘Empire’ taking over western Europe. A threat Churchill had warned them of back in 1941? Today I believe that most historians agree with this - the USA certainly didn't enter the European war to save 'Blightly'.
Dealing with helping the clearing up of the already, in real terms, defeated German Nazi regime, (still in denial of the eventual outcome of course), being part and parcel of the ‘deal’. Hence the D- Day invasion and all that followed, getting Americans on foot in Europe to halt the Russian advance.
THE PRIZE
The prize to the Americans being a massive military presence in Europe plus almost unhindered access to European commercial markets by the likes of Coca Cola, Ford, General Motors, Kelloggs, Kraft, Mars and Nabisco etc. Is this being too cynical? I think not.
Ken Thackeray
This comment was written on: 2018-09-01 11:55:35I think your ideas on the USA's entry into WW11 is pretty spot on ! They were even more wary of the Germans in the Great War, waiting to see who was looking like winning the conflict, then jumping in with the likely victors with only a few months of the war to run. Then claiming to have won it on their own.
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