RAF Langar

Royal Air Force Station Langar Airport USAAF Station AAF-490 RCAF Langar
Located Near Langar, Nottinghamshire, England
Langar airport, September 1943
Coordinates	52°53′30″N 000°54′07″W
Type	Military airport
Code	LA
Site information
Controlled by	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces Royal Canadian Air Force
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1942-Present
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 class=notpageimage| RAF Langar, shown within Nottinghamshire
Garrison information
Garrison	RAF Bomber Command Ninth Air Force
Occupants	No. 207 Squadron 435th, 438th, 441st Troop Carrier Groups

RAF Langar is a former military airport in England. The field is located 12 miles south-east of the centre of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, a few miles south of Bingham.

The airport was opened in September 1942 and during World War II it was used by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force Ninth Air Force.

Overview

Langar airfield was built during the early months of 1942 to Class A bomber airfield specifications, 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. The concrete runways were a main of 6,000ft at 01/19, and two secondaries of 4,200 ft at 07/25 and 4,200 ft at 13/31. The original 36 dispersal hardstands were of the pan type but in the summer of 1943 14 loops were added to bring the total to 50. The original specification required the usual two T-2 hangars but an additional two were added when the airfield was required to hold 32 Horsa gliders in store. Accommodation was mainly Nissen type buildings which catered for 2.253 persons.

RAF Bomber Command use

The first flying unit arrived in September 1942 when No. 207 Squadron arrived with Lancaster bombers from RAF Bottesford. 207 Squadron was a major RAF Bomber Command unit and participated in major raids on occupied Europe.

Also, in September 1942, A.V. Roe Ltd. prepared to use a large hangar complex on the west side of the Langar/Harby road to carry out major repair and maintenance of Lancasters.

The RAF remained until October 1943 when it moved to RAF Spilsby.

USAAF use

In November 1943 Langar was transferred to the USAAF Ninth Air Force as a troop carrier group base. The airfield was used as a reception base for troop carrier groups flying in from the United States. The 10th Service Group and 27th Mobile Repair Maintenance Squadron was established to support these transitory groups before they moved onto their permanent airfields.

Langar was known as USAAF Station AAF-490 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "LA".

435th Troop Carrier Group

The 435th Troop Carrier Group arrived at Langar on 3 November 1943 from Baer AAF Indiana with four squadrons of 56 C-47s. Operational squadrons of the group were:

• 75th Troop Carrier Squadron (SH)
• 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (CW)
• 77th Troop Carrier Squadron (IB)
• 78th Troop Carrier Squadron (CM)

The 435th TCW was assigned to the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing.

The group began operational training at the airfield, however it was moved on 25 January 1944 to RAF Welford to train alongside the 101st Airborne Division.

438th Troop Carrier Group

Langar remained vacant for about a month until the 438th Troop Carrier Group arrived in early February 1944 from Baer AAF, Indiana. Operational squadrons of the group were:

• 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
• 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
• 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
• 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)

The 438th TCW was assigned to the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing. Like its predecessor, the group was moved south after a month to a new station at RAF Greenham Common.

441st Troop Carrier Group

The 441st Troop Carrier Group arrived at Langar on 17 March Baer AAF Indiana with four squadrons of 56 C-47s. Those being:

• 99th Troop Carrier Squadron (3J)
• 100th Troop Carrier Squadron (8C)
• 301st Troop Carrier Squadron (Z4)
• 302d Troop Carrier Squadron (2L)

The 441st was a group of Ninth Air Force's 50th Troop Carrier Wing, IX Troop Carrier Command. It was scheduled to be assigned to Langar, however it only remained until 25 April until being moved to RAF Merryfield.

IX Troop Carrier Command depot

Although no further flying combat units were stationed at Langar, the airfield became a major maintenance and supply depot for the IX Troop Carrier Command. In addition, Langar became a center for assembly and modification of CG-4A Waco Gliders, primarily the fitting of reinforced noses for better crew protection in rough landings. During this time several hundred gliders were assembled there.

In August 1944 Langar was released to RAF control for operational use, however the need for forward operating bases in connection with Operation Market-Garden, the 441st Troop Carrier Group using the airfield as part of the operation.

On 17 September 45 C-47s of the 441st TCG dropped paratroops of the 82d Airborne near Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Five aircraft were lost to Flak. On 18 September, 40 C-47s, all towing CG-4A gliders carried out a reinforcement mission without loss or casualties.

No further missions were flown until 23 September when 90 C-47s, all towing gliders to Holland encountered flak that brought down one C-47. This was the last operational mission by the USAAF from Langar, and ended the association of the Ninth Air Force with the airfield

Post D-Day use

In October 1944, RAF Bomber Command returned to Langar moving in with No. 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit with 32 Lancasters which used the station until March 1945. Although retained by the Ministry of Defence. The airfield was used after the war for a short time for prisoners of war and then for displaced persons. Early in 1952 it was taken over by the RCAF Royal Canadian Air Force to become a supply base for their NATO squadrons. The Base was constructed on the old domestic and technical sites with completely new buildings, to a much higher standard than the Air Ministry was used to, by an English design team under the direction of an RCAF officer. For 12 months nearly 1000 men worked constructing the Base, which worked around three two acre warehouses . The first RCAF personnel arrived autumn 1952. The air field was used for eleven years (1952 - 1963) by the Royal Canadian Air Force as 30 Air Materiel Base, RCAF Langar. Langar was the RCAF's primary supply base for No. 1 Air Division RCAF in Europe, a complex of four fighter bases set up in nearby North Luffenham and in France and West Germany by Canada to help meet NATO's European air defence commitments during the Cold War. It was the only Canadian base in the UK.

The RCAF established No. 30 Air Materiel Base (AMB), to handle the transportation of supplies, equipment, aircraft, personnel, and other support essential for the operation of the four NATO air bases and its headquarters. Several units were attached to 30 AMB. No. 137 (Transport) Flight, which was attached to the Movements Unit of 30 AMB, operated several types of aircraft including six Bristol Freighters, one Beechcraft Expeditor, and two Dakotas. No. 312 Supply Depot handled medical supplies and spares for mechanical equipment, including aircraft (e.g. the F-86 Sabre) and vehicles. No. 314 Technical Services Unit was tasked with inspecting all supplies before they were forwarded to operational bases. This unit also assisted with repair contracts and provided technical advice.

Civil Use

With the facility released from military control in 1963, the airfield is the base for the British Parachute Schools, who use the original control tower for their headquarters. The former Avro industrial complex is used by private industry. Local groups of modified car enthusiasts meet for speed tests. There is a go-karting track.

The airfield is relatively intact, with most of its wartime facilities still in use.

See also

• List of RAF stations
• Royal Canadian Air Force

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913800
• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
• www.controltowers.co.uk RAF Langar

External links

• Photographs of RAF Langar from the Geograph British Isles project
• Aerial photo of RAF Langar from Multimap.com
• RAF Langar from RAF Bomber Command History site
• Crews of Lancasters EM-N and EM-V of 207 Squadron, kia 28th August 1943
• 207 Squadron Association website
• WikiMapia

Video clips

• Skydive in June 2008 by Archbishop John Sentamu
• Skydiving
• 2007 skydive
• 2006 skydive