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RAF Barkston Heath, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, shows how an airfield could pivot from local training support to a key role in Allied airborne operations. Established before the war and used early on as a relief landing ground, Barkston Heath’s first wartime function was to support RAF Cranwell and the training system that fed aircrew into the expanding RAF. Relief landing grounds mattered: they provided overflow capacity, reduced accident risk, and allowed instructors to spread flying across multiple sites.
In 1943 the airfield was upgraded to a ‘Class A’ standard with concrete runways and extensive hardstandings. While the original intention was linked to training and the heavy bomber system, wartime priorities changed rapidly. Barkston Heath was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces and became an important station for troop carrier units under the US Ninth Air Force. This moved the airfield’s centre of gravity from training circuits to transport operations – hauling men, vehicles and supplies, and preparing for the airborne phases of the liberation of Europe.
Troop carrier flying was demanding and dangerous. It involved formation flying in poor weather, night navigation, low-level approaches and, crucially, the towing and release of gliders. Barkston Heath-based units supported major Allied operations including Operation Market Garden in September 1944, when transport aircraft and gliders carried airborne troops toward the Rhine bridges in the Netherlands. The success of such missions depended on the precision of pilots, navigators, dispatchers and ground crews, and on an airfield that could launch large numbers of aircraft quickly and recover them safely.
The station also hosted multiple US troop carrier groups as the war progressed, reflecting the mobility of transport units and the push to keep forward supply moving. Aircraft such as the C-47 Dakota were the workhorses of the system, while later arrivals included heavier transports like the C-46 Commando. Barkston Heath’s operations were part of the wider logistical story of victory: air mobility that supported land advances, reinforced bridgeheads and sustained airborne forces once they were on the ground.
After the war Barkston Heath returned to RAF use and has remained active in training roles into the modern era. Its Second World War history, however, is defined by that dramatic mid-war shift: from a quiet relief landing ground supporting RAF training to a busy troop carrier base contributing to the airborne operations that helped break open German-held Europe.
Troop carrier stations required specialised ground equipment, including glider towing gear, dispatch facilities and loading routines designed around pallets, jeeps and airborne containers.
Airborne operations depended on timing: a transport airfield had to launch dozens or hundreds of aircraft in sequence and recover them quickly, often at night and in marginal weather.
The legacy of Barkston Heath’s wartime service is often remembered through airborne associations and the continuing aviation presence in the Grantham area.