RAF Bisterne

Military Decommissioning. RAF Bisterne was constructed as a temporary Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) specifically to support the D-Day landings and the subsequent Allied advance into Europe. Once its strategic purpose was fulfilled and the war in Europe concluded, it was deemed surplus to requirements and was closed.

The site has been almost completely returned to its pre-war state. The land is now primarily used for agriculture, including farming and gravel extraction, with several water-filled gravel pits visible in the area. The original runways and taxiways have been removed, and their outlines are only faintly discernible from the air. A significant portion of the former airfield site is now occupied by the Bisterne Solar Farm, a large-scale renewable energy project. There are no remaining original wartime buildings or infrastructure.

RAF Bisterne, also known as USAAF Station 415, was a critically important, albeit short-lived, military airfield during World War II. Constructed in late 1943 and opened in March 1944, its primary role was to support Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. It was initially operated by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Ninth Air Force. The main operational unit was the 371st Fighter Group, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft. From Bisterne, these fighter-bombers flew missions over France, providing crucial ground attack support, escorting bombers, and engaging in air combat to establish air superiority for the D-Day landings. After the 371st Fighter Group moved to a captured airfield in France in late June 1944, the airfield was transferred to RAF control. It was then used by various RAF and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) units, including No. 420 Squadron RCAF flying Handley Page Halifax bombers for a brief period. The ICAO code 'GB-0121' is a non-official designator used in some modern databases to identify historical or private airfields and was not in use during its operational period.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Bisterne as an airfield. The land is privately owned and has been fully repurposed for agriculture, mineral extraction, and renewable energy generation. The complete removal of its original infrastructure and its current land use make any future aviation-related redevelopment highly improbable.