| Unit Name: | RAF Fighter Command |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Branch: | Royal Air Force |
| Role: | Defence of Great Britain |
| Battles: | Battle of Britain |
During the Battle of Britain, the defence of the UK's airspace was divided up within RAF Fighter Command into four Groups, each comprising several airfields and squadrons.[1]
The groups involved, 10, 11, 12 and 13, saw very different levels of activity during the battle. No. 11 Group, responsible for the defence of London and the south-east saw the heaviest fighting, and pilots were often rotated among the groups to allow them to rest and recuperate after several weeks of fierce contact with the enemy. Each group was commanded by an Air Vice-Marshal, who served under the head of Fighter Command during the battle, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding.
Key:
10 Group defended Wales and the West Country and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Quintin Brand.
| Station name | BoB role | Grid reference | Station opened | Flying ceased | RAF station closed | Current use | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Box | HQ | 1940 | N/A | 2000 | Decommissioned, in use by Defence Equipment & Support | |||
| RAF Middle Wallop | SS | 1940 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | 1 September 1957 | 2 (Training) Regiment Army Air Corps and School of Army Aviation | ||
| RAF Filton | SS | 1916 | 2012 | 1960s | Bristol Filton Airport | |||
| RAF Boscombe Down | SA | 1939 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | < | ---Date---> | MoD Boscombe Down | |
| RAF Colerne | SA | 1940 | style="text-align:center; " | - | < | ---Date---> | 21st Signal Regiment, Bristol University Air Squadron, 3 AEF | |
| RAF Exeter | SA | 1937 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | < | ---Date---> | Exeter International Airport, The Hunter Flying Club | |
| RAF Pembrey | SA | 1939 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | 1957 | Pembrey Airport, Pembrey Sands AWR Support, Pembrey Circuit | ||
| RAF Roborough | SA | 1931 | 2011 | Plymouth City Airport | ||||
| RAF St Eval | SA | 1939 | 1959 | 6 March 1959 | RAF St Eval HIVE, MOD Ariel Field | |||
| RAF Warmwell | SA | 1937 | 1945 | < | ---Date---> | Crossways village |
11 Group covered the southeast of England and the critical approaches to London and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park.
| Station name | BoB role | Grid reference | Station ppened | Flying ceased | RAF station closed | Current use | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Uxbridge | HQ | 1918 | N/A | 31 March 2010 | Battle of Britain Bunker remains open. Hillingdon House, the HQ of 11 Fighter Group, to be refurbished as restaurant | |||
| RAF Biggin Hill | SS | 1916 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | 1992 | London Biggin Hill Airport, Planned heritage site & conservation area | ||
| RAF Debden | SS | 1937 | 1960 | 21 August 1974 | 33 Engineer Regt EOD, NATS Radar Station | |||
| RAF Hornchurch | SS | 1915 | 1962 | July 1962 | Hornchurch Country Park, Housing Estate, Conservation Area | |||
| RAF Kenley | SS | 1917 | 1959 | Housing and conservation area | ||||
| RAF Northolt | SS | 1915 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | style=" text-align:center;" | - | Current RAF Station, HQ Music Services, 63 Squadron, RAF Regt (QCS) | |
| RAF North Weald | SS | 1916 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | 1964 | North Weald Airfield | ||
| RAF Tangmere | SS | 1917 | 16 October 1970 | Tangmere Military Aviation Museum | ||||
| RAF Croydon | SA | 1939 | 30 September 1959 | 1946 | Business park, museum | |||
| RAF Detling | SA | < | ---Date---> | Light industry, agriculture | ||||
| RAF Eastchurch | SA | < | ---Date---> | HM Prison Swaleside | ||||
| RAF Ford | SA | < | ---Date---> | HM Prison Ford | ||||
| RAF Gosport | SA | < | ---Date---> | , Rowner Housing Estate | ||||
| RAF Gravesend | SA | < | ---Date---> | Riverview Housing Estate, Golf Course, Cascades Leisure Centre | ||||
| RAF Hawkinge | SA | < | ---Date---> | Kent BoB Museum, Housing | ||||
| RAF Hendon | SA | 1908 | 1957 | 1987 | RAF Museum, Hendon Police College, Grahame Park Housing Estate | |||
| RNAS Lee-on-Solent | SA | 1917 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | < | ---Date--->29 March 1996 | HM Coastguard, Unlicensed Private Airfield, Maritime & Aviation Industry | |
| RAF Lympne | SA | 1916 | 1984 | < | ---Date--->1 January 1946 | Industrial Park | ||
| RAF Manston | SA | 1916 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | < | ---Date--->31 March 1999 | Kent International Airport, Defence Fire Training and Development Centre | |
| RAF Martlesham Heath | SA | 1917 | 1963 | Major British Telecom site. Control Tower Museum – 14.00 to 16.45 each Sunday April until October, 3 Memorials at Barrack Square. see www.mhas.gov.uk or Facebook – Martlesham Heath Aviation Society and Control Tower Museum. | ||||
| RAF Rochford | SA | 1939 | style=" text-align:center;" | - | 1946 | Now London Southend Airport | ||
| RAF Stapleford Tawney | SA | < | ---Date---> | Stapleford Aerodrome | ||||
| RAF Thorney Island | SA | 1938 | < | ---Date---> | ||||
| RAF Westhampnett | SA | < | ---Date---> | Goodwood Circuit | ||||
| RAF West Malling | SA | 1930 | 1969 | Kings Hill a mixed development of (eventually) around 2,500 homes and 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of commercial space. |
12 Group defended the Midlands and East Anglia and was led by Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory.
| Station name | BoB role | Grid reference | Station opened | Flying ceased | RAF station closed | Current use | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Watnall | HQ | 1940 | N/A | < | ---Date---> | Housing / industrial / Nature Reserve | ||
| RAF Church Fenton | SS | 1 April 1937 | 19 December 2013 | Leeds East Airport | ||||
| RAF Digby | SS | < | ---Date---> | |||||
| RAF Duxford | SS | 1918 | 1961 | < | ---Date---> | Imperial War Museum Duxford | ||
| RAF Kirton in Lindsey | SS | < | ---Date---> | |||||
| RAF Wittering | SS | 1916 | < | ---Date---> | Expeditionary Engineering and Logistics. Flying training with elements of 3 Flying Training School and 6 Flying Training School. | |||
| RAF Collyweston | SA | 1916 | 1942 | Merged with the neighbouring RAF Wittering when a 2-mile long grass runway was built linking the two airfields in 1942 | ||||
| RAF Coltishall | SA | < | ---Date---> | HM Prison Bure, industrial use, solar farm | ||||
| RAF Fowlmere | SA | 1918 | < | ---Date---> | Fowlmere Airfield | |||
| RAF Leconfield | SA | < | ---Date---> | Defence School of Transport (part of Defence College of Logistic, Policing, and Administration) | ||||
| RAF Tern Hill | SA | < | ---Date---> |
13 Group covered the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and was commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Richard Saul.
| Station name | BoB role | Grid reference | Station ppened | Flying ceased | RAF station closed | Current use | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Newcastle | HQ | < | ---Date---> | Housing Estate | ||||
| RAF Acklington | SS | 1938 | 1972 | HMP Acklington | ||||
| RAF Dyce | SS | < | ---Date---> | Aberdeen Airport | ||||
| RAF Turnhouse | SS | 1916 | < | ---Date---> | Edinburgh Airport | |||
| RAF Usworth | SS | 1916 | < | ---Date---> | Factory for Nissan cars | |||
| RAF Wick | SS | 1939 | 1978 | Wick Airport | ||||
| RAF Catterick | SA | 1914 | < | ---Date---> | Part of the Catterick Garrison complex. | |||
| RAF Drem | SA | 1917 | 1946 | Decommissioned | ||||
| RAF Grangemouth | SA | 1939 | 1945 | |||||
| RAF Kirkwall | SA | < | ---Date---> | |||||
| RAF Sumburgh | SA | < | ---Date---> | Sumburgh Airport | ||||
| RAF Castletown | SA | 1940 | 1944 | 1945< | ---Date---> |