RAF Barford St John

Infobox Military Structure
name= Royal Air Force Station Barford St John
partof=United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE)
location= Located near Bloxham Oxfordshire, England
coordinates=coord|52|0|16.92|N|001|21|28.55|W|


caption=
type= Military Air Base
code=BJ
built=1941
builder=
materials=
height=
used=1941-1946,1970s?-Current
demolished=
condition=
ownership=
controlledby=Royal Air Force
United States Air Force
garrison=RAF Bomber Command
Air Force Communications Service
United States Air Forces in Europe
commanders=
occupants=
battles= European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 Location map|Oxfordshire
caption= RAF Barford St John, shown within Oxfordshire
lat= 52.02
long= -1.371
width= 200

RAF Barford St John is an air base in Oxfordshire, England operated by the United States Air Force. It is a non-flying facility, being used as a communications center, with many large communications aerials as a satellite of RAF Croughton.

History

Barford St John airfield was opened in June 1941 as a training facility for RAF Flying Training Command. It had three grass runways, used primarily by Airspeed Oxfords of No.15 Service Flying Training School from RAF Kidlington. The airfield was closed in late 1941 and rebuilt as an RAF Bomber Command airfield with paved runways and equipped for night operations.

The airfield was reopened in December 1942 as a satellite for RAF Upper Heyford. Bomber Command No. 16 Operational Training Unit was stationed there with Wellingtons until December 1944. No.1655 Mosquito Training Unit replaced the Wellingtons and unit renamed 16 OTU in January 1945 when it moved to RAF Cottesmore. In 1943 Barford St John was also used as flight test center for the Gloster E.28/39 Whittle/ Pioneer and F.9/40 Meteor jets from RAF Brockworth.

With the end of the war, the airfield was closed in 1946 and placed into care and maintenance status.

USAF Use

In the 1960s or early 1970s, the United States Air Force opened a communications center on the airfield.

Given its postwar use by the military, all its runways, perimeter track and hardstands still exist. The World War II buildings have been removed, being replaced by modern buildings on the airfield, secured and guarded with fencing and other security devices.

ee also

* List of RAF stations
* United States Air Forces in Europe

External links

* [http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/jsp/map_print.jsp?mapX=444200&mapY=234100&zoomLevel=7&isNI=n&mapAction=zoomabs&isGeo=y Ordnance survey map showing aerials on the site]