| On
January 1944, a RAF Boston III, BZ387 (ex- USAF Douglas Havoc,
33188) crashed here during an overshoot. One
particularly daring reconnaissance mission
from RAF Hartfordbridge occurred around midnight on D-Day (June
6th 1944).
Flight Lieutenant Walter
Le May DFC and
his pilot, F/Lt. Ray
Batenburg DFC, RNZAF, flew to France were they carried out 2 hours of reconnaissance,
flying mostly at 200ft. photographing key military points before
returning home.
The
Second World War in
Europe officially ended on May 8th 1945, and the now re-named
airfield, RAF Blackbushe, was used for transportation purposes. Between June 1945 and 13th August 1945,
311 squadron (Czechoslovakian) Transport Unit who were flying unarmed Liberators, ferried
Czechoslovakian troops home from Blackbushe.
Sadly, on 5th
October 1945 one of the 311 Sq. Liberators (GR. VI)
KG867, crashed 2 miles S.W of Blackbushe after an engine
had caught fire, killing 23 in total. The airfield
finally closed on 15th
November 1946. However, it wasn't closed for long, and on 15th
February 1947 a new era began with the opening of the Blackbushe
Aerodrome.
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