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Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 History  





2 Dakota crash  19 February 1945  





3 Units  





4 See also  





5 References  



5.1  Citations  





5.2  Bibliography  
















RAF Zeals







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Coordinates: 51°0535N 2°1912W / 51.093°N 2.320°W / 51.093; -2.320
 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


RAF Zeals
USAAF Station AAF-450
RNAS Zeals (HMS Hummingbird)

Zeals, Wiltshire in England
Aerial photograph of Zeals airfield: control tower, technical site and blister hangars at the bottom (south), 24 March 1944.
RAF Zeals is located in Wiltshire
RAF Zeals

RAF Zeals

Shown within Wiltshire

Coordinates51°05′35N 2°19′12W / 51.093°N 2.320°W / 51.093; -2.320
TypeRoyal Air Force station
CodeZL[1]
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
Admiralty
OperatorRoyal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces 1943-44
Royal Navy
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command
* No. 10 Group RAF
1942-43 & 1944-45
Ninth Air Force 1943-44
Fleet Air Arm 1945-
Site history
Built1941 (1941)/42
In useMay 1942 - January 1946 (1946)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation168 metres (551 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Grass
00/00  Grass
00/00  Grass

Royal Air Force Zeals, or more simply RAF Zeals, is a former Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, sited to the north of the village of Zeals, next to the village of Stourton and the Stourhead estate.

History[edit]

The station was in operation from 1942 to 1946, and was successively occupied by the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces and the Royal Navy.

From opening until August 1943 the site was used by the RAF as an airfield for Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters.

Units:

In August 1943 it was transferred to the United States Army Air Force with the intention of using the airfield for maintenance of Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft. However, the damp conditions prevented the operation of heavy aircraft, so Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters were flown from Zeals instead.

From March 1944, it returned to the RAF who used it as a fighter airfield for de Havilland Mosquito fighters against German bombers.

Units:

Following D-Day, the RAF used the airfield for military glider training in preparation for action against Japan. In April 1945 the station was taken over by the Royal Navy (as HMS HummingbirdorRNAS Zeals) who used the airfield for aircraft carrier training.

Units:

The airfield was closed down from January 1946 and in June it was returned to farmland. The control tower, now a private house, remains on Bells Lane in Zeals.

Dakota crash – 19 February 1945[edit]

Memorial at the crash site of Dakota III TS436, crashed 19 February 1945

ADouglas Dakota III crashed on 19 February 1945, killing more than twenty people.[20] The aircraft had taken off from Zeals airfield to return to Lincolnshire after two weeks of glider training and flew into some cloud-covered beech trees on a knoll.

The site of the crash is marked by a memorial which was erected by the Wiltshire Historical Military Society.[21]

Units[edit]

  • No. 122 Airfield RAF between 15 and 24 February 1943[23]
  • No. 147 Airfield between 1 and 12 May 1944[23] became No. 147 (Night Fighter) Wing RAF between 12 May and 18 June 1944[10][11]
  • No. 2750 Squadron RAF Regiment[10]
  • No. 2835 Squadron RAF Regiment[10]
  • No. 2885 Squadron RAF Regiment[10]
  • No. 3205 Servicing Commando[10]
  • No. 3207 Servicing Commando[10]
  • No. 3209 Servicing Commando[10]
  • No. 3210 Servicing Commando[10]
  • No. 4018 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment[10]
  • Glider Pick-up Training Flight RAF between 8 January and 19 March 1945 with the Douglas Dakota and Waco Hadrian gliders[24]
  • No. 925/926 (Balloon) Squadron[10]
  • No. 949 (Balloon) Squadron[10]
  • No. 966 (Balloon) Squadron[10]
  • See also[edit]

    References[edit]

    Citations[edit]

    1. ^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 221.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 57.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 59.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 65.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 66.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 80.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 91.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 83.
  • ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Zeals". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  • ^ a b Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 296.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
  • ^ Jefford 1988, p. 99.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 90.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 26.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 76.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 78.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 114.
  • ^ "Crash of a Douglas DC-3 Dakota III in RAF Zeals: 20 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  • ^ "Memorial: Crew of Dakota TS436". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 143.
  • ^ a b Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
  • ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 142.
  • Bibliography[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Zeals&oldid=1177249246"

    Categories: 
    Royal Air Force stations in Wiltshire
    Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
    1945 disasters in the United Kingdom
    Aviation accidents and incidents locations in England
    Hidden categories: 
    Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Use British English from November 2015
    Use dmy dates from November 2015
    Articles needing additional references from February 2013
    All articles needing additional references
    Coordinates on Wikidata
     



    This page was last edited on 26 September 2023, at 22:21 (UTC).

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