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RAF Poulton
Royal Air Force Poulton or more simply RAF Poulton (X4PL) is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, satellite station located near Poulton, Cheshire and was operational from 1 March 1943 until 1945. It was used as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) and Tactical Exercise Unit (TEU) for Hawker Hurricanes. History It was part of No. 12 Group RAF, 12 Group and was used as a satellite of RAF Hawarden. It had 8 Blister hangar, Blister and 1 Bessonneau hangars. Based units and aircraft * No. 3 Tactical Exercise Unit RAF (TEU), using the Hawker Hurricane. Arrived Nov 43. Possibly moved to Aston Down on 18 Dec 44 and re-designated as No 55 OTU. * No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF ((P) AFU), using the Airspeed Oxford. * No. 1515 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF, almost certainly using the Airspeed Oxford. * No. 41 OTU, No. 41 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU) (Day Fighter Wing), possibly using the Hawker Hurricane. Moved to Poulton from Hawarden 1 Feb 45, and was re- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poulton, Cheshire
Poulton is a settlement in Cheshire West and Chester. The area, which was a former civil parish until being merged into the combined parish of Poulton and Pulford in 2015, is in the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. In 2001 census it had a recorded population of 92. Since 1995, significant archaeological activity has been conducted in the area, first by the University of Liverpool and later by the independent group known as the Poulton Research Project. History Archaeological research has established there has been human habitation in the area since the Mesolithic period (8,000 B.C.). In the Sub-Roman Britain period, Iron Age roundhouse ditches, Briquetage and animal bones have also been found suggesting the area was once an important site for the processing and preserving of meat for trading. Roman finds include ditches, domestic ceramics and building materials relating to the Legio XX Valeria Victrix that was garrisoned at the nearby legionary fortress of Deva V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State for Air. Organisations before the Air Ministry The Air Committee On 13 April 1912, less than two weeks after the creation of the Royal Flying Corps (which initially consisted of both a naval and a military wing), an Air Committee was established to act as an intermediary between the Admiralty and the War Office in matters relating to aviation. The new Air Committee was composed of representatives of the two war ministries, and although it could make recommendations, it lacked executive authority. The recommendations of the Air Committee had to be ratified by the Admiralty Board and the Imperial General Staff and, in consequence, the Committee was not particularly effective. The increasing separation of army and naval aviation from 191 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain. The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MOD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government's foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". The R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940, when the Few held off the Luftwaffe attack on Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when it was disbanded and the RAF fighter force was split into two categories; defence and attack. The defensive force became Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) and the offensive force became the RAF Second Tactical Air Force. Air Defence of Great Britain was renamed back to Fighter Command in October 1944 and continued to provide defensive patrols around Great Britain. It was disbanded for the second time in 1968, when it was subsumed into the new Strike Command. Origins On 20 May 1926, the forerunner of Fighter Command was established as a group within Inland Area. On 1 June 1926, Fighting Area was transferred to the Air D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Theatre Of World War II
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Nazi Germany, Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and end of World War II in Europe, ending with the Western allies, Western Allies conquering most of Western Europe, the Soviet Union conquering most of Eastern Europe and German Instrument of Surrender, Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 (9 May in the Soviet Union) but the fighting on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern front continued until 11 May during the Prague offensive and the end of the Battle of Odzak on 25 May. The Allies of World War II, Allied powers fought the Axis powers on two major fronts (Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front and Western Front (World War II), Western Front) as well as in a Bombings of Germany, strategic bombing offensive and in the adjoining Mediterranean and Middle East ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Air Force Station
The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used for training, intelligence gathering stations and an early warning radar network. The list also includes RAF stations operated by the United States Visiting Forces, former RAF stations now operated by defence contractor QinetiQ on behalf the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and air weapons ranges operated by the MOD. Overseas, the RAF operates airfields at four Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs) which are located in British Overseas Territories. RAF stations and MOD airfields in the UK Royal Air Force RAF front-line operations are centred on seven main operating bases (MOBs): * RAF Coningsby, RAF Marham and RAF Lossiemouth (Air Combat) * RAF Waddington ( Combat Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) * RAF ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 percent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the campaign, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s. Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest by the Air Ministry, Hawker refined their monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and the more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's ''Int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Hawarden
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain. The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MOD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government's foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blister Hangar
A blister hangar is a novel arched, portable aircraft hangar designed by notable British airport architect Graham R Dawbarn patented by Miskins and Sons in 1939. Originally made of wooden ribs clad with profiled steel sheets, steel lattice ribs and corrugated steel sheet cladding later became the norm. It does not require a foundation slab and can be anchored to the ground with iron stakes. Numerous examples were manufactured for military use in World War 2 and various different sizes were available. Many found post-war use as agricultural or industrial buildings and some still remain in use on airfields such as Fairoaks, Redhill, Coal Aston Coal Aston is a village in the county of Derbyshire, in England. It is by the town of Dronfield. Geography Coal Aston sits on a ridge overlooking Sheffield and Dronfield. To the south there is Frith Wood, which is made up of mixed woodland ric ... and White Waltham today. Denham Aerodrome still uses their blister hangar to house the only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bessonneau Hangar
The Bessonneau hangar was a portable timber and canvas aircraft hangar used by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'' and subsequently adopted by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War. Many Bessonneau hangars were also subsequently used by the fledgling Royal Air Force (RAF) as temporary structures until more permanent facilities could be built such as at RAF Cleave in Cornwall. History Around 1908, the Bessonneau hangar was designed and manufactured by the French rope and canvas manufacturer Établissements Bessonneau, headed by Julien Bessonneau, and based at Angers. The hangar, then referred to as a Bessonneau tent, was first used in the area of Maine-et-Loire, and in 1910, specifically employed to protect aircraft participating in an air race from Angers to Saumur. By the start of the First World War, they were widely used by the ''Aéronautique Militaire'', and as a consequence were adopted by the expedition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Second World War. The Oxford was developed by Airspeed during the 1930s in response to a requirement for a capable trainer aircraft that conformed with Specification T.23/36, which had been issued by the British Air Ministry. Its basic design is derived from the company's earlier AS.6 Envoy, a commercial passenger aircraft. Performing its maiden flight on 19 June 1937, it was quickly put into production as part of a rapid expansion of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in anticipation of a large-scale conflict. As a consequence of the outbreak of war, many thousands of Oxfords were ordered by Britain and its allies, including Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Poland, and the United States. Following the end of the conflict, the Oxford continue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griffon engined Mk 24 using several wing configurations and guns. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. The Spitfire remains popular among enthusiasts; around 70 remain airworthy, and many more are static exhibits in aviation museums throughout the world. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. Mitchell developed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing with innovative sunken rivets (designed by Beverley Shenstone) to have the thinnest possible cross-section, achieving a potential top speed greater than that of several contemporary figh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
