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Overview
RAF Zeals, on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, was a wartime airfield built to standard bomber-station specifications, opened in 1943 as the RAF expanded the number of concrete-runway stations capable of operating in all weathers. Zeals’ Second World War identity is closely tied to the south-west’s shift from early defensive flying to the intense training, staging and tactical support work that preceded and followed the Normandy landings. Like many mid-war stations, Zeals illustrates flexibility: it could host training units, absorb detachments, and support the movement of aircraft as the air war’s priorities changed.
Wartime role
By 1943-44 the RAF required airfields that could handle heavier aircraft, operate at night, and maintain a high sortie rate even in poor weather. Zeals’ concrete runways and dispersal network made it suitable for multi-engine flying and for the support tasks that surrounded the invasion of Europe. In the south-west, airfields also played an important role in staging and diversion: training flights could operate without clashing with the dense bomber traffic of eastern England, and aircraft heading for the Channel front could disperse or refuel when needed.
Units, squadrons and aircraft
Zeals is best described through the kinds of units that used such an airfield in 1943-45: Operational Training Unit detachments, advanced flying sections, communications flights and, at times, tactical air force elements preparing for continental operations. Aircraft commonly associated with these roles include Vickers Wellingtons (OTU bomber training), Airspeed Oxfords and Avro Ansons (multi-crew and navigation), and higher-performance types in the broader south-west environment such as Mosquitos and fighters transiting to and from operational areas. The station’s proximity to other major south-west bases also meant it could receive diversion landings from a wide range of types, including heavies returning from raids when visibility collapsed.
- Training and support detachments within the RAF wartime flying training system
- Communications and calibration flights (liaison and station support)
- Typical aircraft mix: Wellington, Oxford, Anson, Master/Harvard; plus occasional transiting Mosquito and other types depending on operational demand
What happened here
Zeals’ wartime life was shaped by constant flying and practical problem-solving. Training sorties demanded reliable runway availability and a disciplined circuit pattern. Multi-engine aircraft required careful engine handling, and instructors emphasised emergency drills because failure rates on wartime engines could be unforgiving. The station also contributed to the wider readiness picture in 1944: as the invasion approached, the south-west was full of movement – aircraft relocating, units working up, and logistics surging. Even if Zeals did not become famous for a single dramatic raid, its contribution lay in enabling the system to operate smoothly: keeping crews current, providing diversion options, and absorbing the kind of ‘friction’ that otherwise slowed operations.
Legacy
RAF Zeals is a strong example of a ‘mid-war utility’ airfield: built quickly, used hard, and valuable because it could be repurposed as needs changed. For researchers, the most revealing material often sits in station movement orders and unit diaries, which show how Zeals fitted into the shifting tempo of 1943-45. On the ground, runway fragments and dispersal traces help you read the station’s original wartime plan and understand why it was built in that location.