AAC Dishforth

 military airbase, Second World War 1939-1945, military, RAF - Royal Air Force, former air force base

Tenant Unit = 9th Regiment British Army Aircorps

Dishforth was transferred from the RAF to Army Air Corps use by 9 Regiment AAC in 1992.
Dishforth was the first base to receive the Apache helicopter, and had 16, divided between 2 squadrons. Following a reshuffle of AAC units in 2006/2007 Apaches were concentrated on Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk. Dishforth now has 3 Squadrons of Lynx Mk.7 helicopters & Lynx Mk.9A helicopters (see photos).

Order of Battle
HQ Squdron
659 Sqn AAC
669 Sqn AAC
672 Sqn AAC
Manoeuvre Support Squadron (MSS)
AAC Workshops

www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0051.html
www.wattisham.org.uk/visit-dishforth-20091009.htm
www.scramble.nl/airports/publish/egxd.htm

History as RAF Dishforth

Since 1936 the most conspicuous airfield along the length of the Great North Road the A1 - has been RAF Dishforth. Three miles north of Boroughbridge, it borders the eastern side of the road which, until recent improvements, was slightly elevated providing a panorama of the airfield that could not fail to be noticed. An expansion scheme establishment, it had the usual grass surface of some 200 acres with a crescent of Type C hangars fronting the bombing circle, five in number with the fifth tucked in behind the fourth and backed by the technical workshops and administrative offices. Behind these the communal buildings and barracks, all in brick, steel and concrete and centrally heated.

By January 1937 work was far enough advanced for No. 10 Squadron and its Heyfords to be brought up from Boscombe Down and the following month for No. 78 Squadron to arrive from the same station with the same aircraft type. In March, No. 10 Squadron became the first to convert to the Whitley, then considered a heavy bomber. No. 78 also received Whitleys but the supply was slow and it was not fully equipped until the summer.

On the outbreak of hostilities, No. 78 was a reserve squadron in No. 4 Group so it did not go to war from this station. On the other hand No. 10 despatched the first sorties from Dishforth on September 8 when that evening eight Whitleys were sent to distribute leaflets over Germany. No. 78 was moved to Linton-on-Ouse in December 1939 in an exchange with No. 51 Squadron. In July 1940, No. 10 was moved to Leeming and No. 78 returned from Linton and entered operations. No. 78 operated at Dishforth until the following April when it left for Middleton St George. No. 51 Squadron, a longer tenant, was not moved until May 1942 when it was loaned to Coastal Command and based at Chivenor. During the early war years a number of pan type hardstandings were put down, mostly on long access tracks, two crossing the A1.

Bomber Command was then planning to raise an all-Royal Canadian Air Force group and in June 1942 a new squadron, No. 425, was formed at Dishforth to fly Wellingtons. It undertook its first raid on the night of October 5 and ten days later a second RCAF squadron, No. 426, was formed, also to fly Wellingtons, becoming operational on the night of January 14/15, 1943. At this time Dishforth came under No. 6 Group, the formal transfer having occurred on New Year's Day.

No. 425 was one of the Wellington squadrons picked to increase bombing capability in the Mediterranean and it left Dishforth in May for North Africa. The following month its sister squadron was transferred to Linton-on-Ouse so that hard runways could be laid at Dishforth. This work, carried out by F. Haslam Ltd taking nearly six months, brought the airfield up to Class A standard. The main runway 16-34, was 1,976 yards long and the 04-22 and 10-28 at 1,500 and 1,488 yards respectively. The existing perimeter taxiway was enlarged and the pan hardstandings built during the preceding year linked to it, increasing the total to 36. Additional domestic buildings brought the maximum personnel that could be accommodated to 1,782 males and 332 females.

At the beginning of November 1943, No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit and its Halifaxes moved in from Croft soon to be joined by No. 425 Squadron, which had returned from North Africa. Re-trained on Halifaxes, No. 425 departed for Tholthorpe and operations a month later. For the rest of the war in Europe, Dishforth was to maintain a training role. No. 1664 HCU being disbanded in early April 1945. Combined with the break-up of No. 6 Group in June, this meant the station was soon completely deserted by the Canadians. The war had seen 128 of the bombers despatched on operations from Dishforth go missing or crash in the UK: 90 Whitleys, 37 Wellingtons and a Halifax.

Later that summer Transport Command took over and installed Nos. 1659 and 1665 Heavy Transport Conversion Units, which were later merged into No. 1332 Transport Conversion Unit. These formations were engaged in training crews to operate Liberators and Yorks. In 1948 another change of designation for the resident unit made it No. 241 Operational Conversion Unit, which endured until 1950 when it was combined with another formation at Topcliffe and established at Dishforth as No. 242 OCU. This label proved more durable and No. 242 OCU carried on the work of producing crews for Transport Command until the end of 1961. After the OCU had been moved, no further major flying formations were based at Dishforth. It has, however, been maintained in good order for three decades as a Relief Landing Ground for Linton-on-Ouse and those of regular squadrons during exercises. The Army Air Corps has been in residence since 1988.