RAF Burtonwood

RAF Burtonwood was probably the largest military base in Europe during World War II, processing over 11,500 aircraft between 1943 and 1945 alone, but beyond that it was responsible for the support of initially the 8th Air Force, then additionally the 9th and ultimately the 12th and 15th Air Forces as well. Over 35,000 men were under the direct control of Burtonwood with 18,500 on the base itself. Nothing was too big or small, from rebuilding battle-damaged bombers to manufacturing valve springs for aero engines, manufacturing timber packing cases or converting gliders into powered aircraft.

After World War Two Burtonwood returned to the RAF for two years as a maintenance unit and then reverted to the USAF in 1948 to support the US bases here, and it undertook all the major servicing for the C-54 Skymaster aircraft involved in the Berlin Airlift. Major redevelopment took place with the construction of the Header House on Site 8, the extension of the runway to 9,000ft to be one of the longest in the UK and the construction of the new control tower and passenger terminal. After eleven years of maximum use, the mission reduced and by 1965, the base passed back to RAF control. Two years later, however, the US Army took command and remained there until its closing in 1993, albeit occupying only a fraction of the original site.

The main runway now forms the base of the M62 motorway. RAF Burtonwood celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary on 1 April, 1990.

Facts and Figures

The following schedule was prepared by Colonel William Arnold, Chief of Maintenance Division at BAD I, and is the total production at BAD I, Royal Air Force Burtonwood between I July 1943 and 8 May 1945.

Aircraft Assembled, Modified or Repaired

A-20 14
A-29 23
AT-6 & 16 18
B-17 4,243
B-24 694
B-25 12
B-26 444
C-45 50
C-46 6
C-47 & 53 325
C-64 16
L-1,4&5 158
P-38 1,004
P-47 4,381
P-51 5
P-61 102
Mosquito 27
Other 53
Total aircraft 11,575

Aircraft Engines Overhauled: 30,386

Aircraft Engine Accessories Overhauled

Spark Plugs 2,476,462
Carburettors 31,812
Magnetos 61,409
Harnesses 30,245
Cylinders 331,021

Aircraft Instruments/Accessories Overhauled/Modified

Armament

Machine guns 38,526
Solenoids 37,381
20mm cannons 836
Turrets 330
Hoist assy 984
Miscellaneous armament 261

Bombsights

Automatic pilot equipment 1,887
Stabilizers 4,521
Bombsights 2,270
Miscy bombsight equipment 5,184
K-14 gunsights & accessories 2,447

Control Surfaces

Wings & Wing tips 729
Flaps & ailerons 741
Elevators 218
Rudders 338
Horiz & vert stabilizers & fins 186
Misc wings & controls 339

Hydraulic & Tank

Wheels & brakes 4,043
Glycol heaters 7,475
Hydraulic cylinders 3,343
Hydraulic inst. & accessories 4,612
Oil temp & reg & coolers 8,462
Tanks 671
Radiator coolers 775

Paint, Dope and Fabric

Parachutes repaired & packed 71,422
Fuel cells 9,936
Life rafts 13,796
De-icers 4,586
Oxygen masks 28,394
Life vests 47,595
Control surfaces 2,194

Propeller

Propeller assemblies 11,798
Propeller blades 18,177
Propeller governors 558
Propeller power-units 3,617

Ground & Airborne Signal Work

Radio or radar installation in a/c 13,346
Modification of existing equipment in shop 126,684
Manufacture of kits or units of equipment in shop 32,232

Modification Kits Manufactured

A-20 879
B-17 56,351
B-24 17,181
B-26 1,353
C-47 3,113
P-38 11,400
P-47 58,889
P-51 4,543
P-61 80
Miseries 355,575
Miscellaneous 458,299
L-4 471

World War II Production Figures

Date Aircraft Engines
Jan 1944 379 544
Feb 1944 465 724
Mar 1944 493 1,228
Apr 1944 521 1,300
May 1944 (inc 212 B-24) 587 1,872
June 1944 865 1,387
July 1944 914 1,534
Aug 1944 1,019 2,048
Sep 1944 782 2,207
Oct 1944 726 2,022
Nov 1944 671 1,813
Dec 1944 449 ?
Jan 1945 503 2,128
Feb 1945 1,014 2,155
Mar 1945 822 ?
Apr 1945 ? ?
May 1945 322 ?
Jun 1945 254 2,044
Jul 1945 ? Engine line closed
Aug 1945 100  
Sep 1945 (100+ scrapped) 354  
Oct onwards Scrapping  

Base Air Depot Area (BADA)

Burtonwood (AAF 590) contained the HQ of all maintenance of aircraft and support equipment throughout the British Isles including storage and some bomb sights. The following is a list of the bases controlled by BADA together with their compliments as at 31 March 1945.
           
Station AAF Officers W/O Enlisted Total
Sudbury, Derby 158 35 4 945 984
Stansted 169 44 3 716 163
Greencastle 237 5   211 216
Constitution Hill 362 1   10 11
Bristol 473 17 1 322 340
Tostock Park 502 13 3 312 328
Liverpool 513 4   80 84
Wapley Common 515 1   10 11
St Mellons 516 1 1 40 42
Little Heath 517 9   180 189
Melton Mowbray 520 14   628 642
Braybrooke 521 14 2 479 495
Smethwick 522 12 5 386 403
Bures 526 4   266 270
Leicester 527     15 15
Haydock 530 5   175 180
Riseley 541 12 1 255 268
Earsham 545 14   468 482
Watford 549 20 3 150 173
Williamstrip 550 1 1 76 78
Huyton 552 22 1 571 594
Eggington, Derby 564 24 3 553 580
Poynton 571 20 1 487 508
Melchbourne 572 25 3 553 607
Wortley 581 14 1 205 220
Warton 582 256 77 8,828 9,161
Sharnbrook 583 22   457 479
Barnharn 587 16 1 390 407
Burtonwood 590 495 109 15,163 15,757
Groveley Wood 592 9   268 277
Langford Lodge 597 91 15 1,121 1,227
Baverstock 802 63 4 1,687 1,754
TOTAL   1,283 229 36,033 37,545

April 1945 Facts

Value $50M, 1,823 Buildings, 2.5 miles of runway, 3.5 miles of perimeter track, 28.76 miles of road, 4.05 miles of railway track. Total Area -1,253 acres.

4,006,852 sq ft of covered facilities comprising:

1,263,442 sq ft for Supply and Storage; 1, 112,965 sq ft for Shops and Technical Operations; 1,629,445 sq ft for Administration and Housing.

7,096,181 sq ft of open facilities. Original surfaced area 781,200 sq ft. Including Canada Hall, Living Site total accommodation for 18,063 personnel.

 

1948 - 1958 Facts

250,000 British visitors. 800,000 cups of coffee per annum. 3,000 British cars purchased. 46,800,000 telephone calls made. 50,000 photographs taken by base photo lab. 11,000,000 miles covered by Base Motor Pool. 25,000,000 passengers carried by Base Motor Pool. 6,500 Americans married English girls. 600,000 Coca Colas served. 23,381,200 gallons of petrol consumed.

 

Base Contained

18 miles of surfaced roadway. 4.65 miles of railway track. 13 hangars. 1,054 nissen huts. 22 warehouses covering an area of 3,535,990 sq ft. 16.85 miles of fencing. 1,471 acres. 3,940,740 sq ft of aircraft parking apron.

The Burtonwood Association

The Burtonwood Association was formed in 1987 to maintain the records and history of the work undertaken at Burtonwood and to remember all those men and women, British and American, who have served there or have an interest in the base. Also it was established to allow ex-personnel to maintain contact with one another throughout the world and as a means of disseminating material relating to activities there throughout its history and at the present time.

Anyone is welcome to join the Association; those who served there as civilians or military are entitled to full membership and interested parties may become associate members. Widows of serving personnel are also especially welcome.

For more information and an application form please contact the following:

UK

Aldon P Ferguson

18 Ridge Way

Wargrave

Reading

Berkshire RG 10 8AS

England

079 121 48938

 

US

George Loomis

359 Bittlewood Avenue

Braddock Preserve at Winslow Berlin, NJ  08009-9491

856-767-4582

 

Or visit the Burtonwood Association web site at http://www.rafburtonwoodbase.org/

 

The contents of this page are taken from the book Royal Air Force Burtonwood by Aldon P. Ferguson. The AEHS sincerely appreciates Mr. Ferguson’s generosity in allowing the use of this material. His book, ISBN 0-9511113-1-0, is available from:
Aldon P Ferguson
18 Ridge Way
Wargrave
Reading
Berkshire RG 10 8AS
England
079 121 48938

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