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RAF Llandow, in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, was a station shaped by maintenance, storage and preparation work – an airfield whose strategic value lay in logistics and readiness rather than in a single operational squadron’s combat record. Opened before the war and then rapidly adapted for wartime use, it became a significant site within RAF maintenance structures, with a role that expanded as the conflict demanded more systematic handling of aircraft movements, repairs and onward deployment.
A central wartime resident was No. 38 Maintenance Unit (38 MU), tasked with the reception, storage and despatch of RAF aircraft. Maintenance Units were the ‘warehouse and workshop’ layer of the RAF. Aircraft arrived for storage, inspection, modification or issue; spares and equipment were managed at scale; and machines were prepared for onward movement to operational units. This was a complex business in a fast-moving war, because aircraft types and equipment fits changed continuously and because operational demand could surge at short notice.
Llandow also hosted flying and training-related activity at different times. For example, B Flight of No. 53 Operational Training Unit arrived with Supermarine Spitfires, reflecting how the station could support advanced training and work-up flying. Later, as the focus shifted toward the liberation of Europe, Llandow hosted transport-related functions: small transport flights such as No. 1312 Flight operated Avro Ansons to move urgent personnel and messages linked to the Normandy area. These communications and liaison movements were a practical wartime necessity – fast, flexible movement of people and small loads that kept planning and coordination responsive.
Another notable function connected to preparation and training was aircraft preparation work, including an Overseas Aircraft Preparation Unit. These units prepared aircraft for onward travel and foreign service, which often meant fitting additional equipment, checking systems for long ferry legs, and ensuring documentation and standard procedure were correct. Llandow therefore sat in the chain between production or repair and operational deployment.
- Key unit: No. 38 Maintenance Unit (reception, storage and despatch of aircraft).
- Other wartime activity included B Flight No. 53 OTU (Spitfire-related training) and transport/liaison work such as No. 1312 Flight (Avro Anson) supporting movements during the Normandy period.
- Why it mattered: ensured aircraft and people could be moved, prepared and supplied efficiently – an enabling function without which combat squadrons could not sustain tempo.
Llandow’s WW2 significance is best seen as part of the ‘hidden architecture’ of air power: the careful management of aircraft inventories, modification standards and personnel movement. It is also a reminder that Wales hosted more than operational flying bases – it hosted the support infrastructure that made the operational war possible.
Maintenance and preparation stations also show how the RAF planned for the global nature of the war. Aircraft were not always destined for local squadrons; many were prepared for overseas movement, which required additional checks, fittings and careful documentation. Llandow’s preparation work helped ensure that aircraft arrived in theatre ready to operate rather than becoming bottlenecks on arrival.