Raf Charmy Down

Royal Air Force Charmy Down or RAF Charmy Down is a former Royal Air Force station in Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately 3mi north-northeast of Bath; about 96mi west of LondonOpened in 1941 it was used by initially by the Royal Air Force and then later by the United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as night fighter interceptor airfield. After the war it was closed in 1945. Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields. HistoryBuilt on a kerbed Long barrow site, where a cremation urn was found, near a burial of a long necked beaker, and a bronze dagger, these are believed to be from the Beaker people. The kerbed Long Barrows were then flattened to make way for the airfield. It was originally planned as a satellite for the Maintenance Unit at nearby RAF Colerne but by the time construction work started in 1940 it had been selected as a sector station by No. 10 Group of RAF Fighter Command. RAF Charmy Down was opened late in 1940 and originally had a grass surface with landing strips of 4125ft, both south east to north west and north east to south west. It was later upgraded to the Class A airfield standard set by the British Air Ministry in 1941, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern. In addition a 50ft wide tarmac perimeter track and 39 aircraft dispersal points was constructed. These were 12 double pens and 15 single standings.

Royal Air Force Charmy Down or RAF Charmy Down is a former Royal Air Force station in Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately 3mi north-northeast of Bath; about 96mi west of LondonOpened in 1941 it was used by initially by the Royal Air Force and then later by the United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as night fighter interceptor airfield. After the war it was closed in 1945. Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields. HistoryBuilt on a kerbed Long barrow site, where a cremation urn was found, near a burial of a long necked beaker, and a bronze dagger, these are believed to be from the Beaker people. The kerbed Long Barrows were then flattened to make way for the airfield. It was originally planned as a satellite for the Maintenance Unit at nearby RAF Colerne but by the time construction work started in 1940 it had been selected as a sector station by No. 10 Group of RAF Fighter Command. RAF Charmy Down was opened late in 1940 and originally had a grass surface with landing strips of 4125ft, both south east to north west and north east to south west. It was later upgraded to the Class A airfield standard set by the British Air Ministry in 1941, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern. In addition a 50ft wide tarmac perimeter track and 39 aircraft dispersal points was constructed. These were 12 double pens and 15 single standings.