| RAF Bognor | |
| Ensign: | Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg |
| Ensign Size: | 90px |
| Location: | Bognor, West Sussex |
| Country: | England |
| Type: | RAF advanced landing ground |
| Pushpin Map: | West Sussex#UK |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Shown within West Sussex |
| Pushpin Label: | RAF Bognor |
| Ownership: | Air Ministry |
| Operator: | Royal Air Force |
| Controlledby: | RAF Second Tactical Air Force |
| Code: | OG |
| Used: | June 1943-January [1] |
| Builder: | Royal Canadian Engineers |
| Battles: | European theatre of World War II |
| Elevation: | 7m (23feet) |
| R1-Number: | 05/23 |
| R1-Length: | 1280m (4,200feet) |
| R1-Surface: | Sommerfeld tracking |
| R2-Number: | 07/25 |
| R2-Length: | 1463m (4,800feet) |
| R2-Surface: | Sommerfeld tracking |
Royal Air Force Bognor or more simply RAF Bognor (also known as Bognor Advanced Landing Ground (A.L.G.)) is a former Royal Air Force advanced landing ground north of Bognor, West Sussex, England.[2]
Survey work on the site was undertaken in "mid-1942", with construction beginning in early 1943, completed by the Royal Canadian Engineers.[3] Bognor was one of 82 planned Operation Hadrian sites planned with only 26 being built. The original budget for the site was £20,500.[4] The airfield became operational on 1 June 1943 with two intersecting Sommerfield track runways. The site was under the control of RAF Tangmere located four miles further north.
The site was originally a training site for aircrews to practise operating with few facilities, however, in Autumn 1943, extra over blister hangars were installed. These provided shelter for most aircraft that were stationed at Bognor, little accommodation was provided for the aircrews who lived in tented camps. The site was used as a forward staging base for a number of fighter and ground attack units for the D-Day assault, however, these soon moved to back to Tangmere and were replaced by 83 Group and 1310 Flight. 1310 flew Ansons from Bognor in an air ambulance and medical supply capacity to the advancing forces on the French coastline.[5]
83 Group left the site in late September 1944 and need for the airfield ceased to exist. Runway removal works were carried out during the Autumn of 1944 and by early 1945, the site had been returned to its original owners. Parts of the site have now been built over by the expanding Bognor Regis or returned to farmland with few noticeable remnants of the airfield remaining.
| Squadron | Dates | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jun 1943 – 2 Jul 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 1 Jun 1943 – 1 Jul 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 31 Mar 1944 – 22 Jun 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 1 Jun 1943 – 1 Jul 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | |
| 25 Jun 1944 – 21 Jul 1944 | Avro Anson | |
| 25 Jun 1944 – 25 Sep 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire, Mustang IV, Typhoon | |