RAF Khormaksar

RAF Khormaksar
Aden, Aden Protectorate in Yemen
Motto: Into the Remote Places
RAF Khormaksar Shown within Yemen
Coordinates	12°49′46″N045°01′45″E / 12.82944°N 45.02917°E / 12.82944; 45.02917
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	British Forces Aden
Site history
Built	1917 (1917)
In use	1917 – 29 November 1967 (1967)
Battles/wars	Aden Emergency
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: ADE, ICAO: OYAA
Elevation	1 metre (3 ft 3 in) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26  Asphalt

Royal Air Force Khormaksar or more simply RAF Khormaksar is a former Royal Air Force station in Aden, Yemen. Its motto was "Into the Remote Places". ^[1] During the 1960s, it was the base for nine squadrons and became the RAF's busiest-ever station as well as the biggest staging post for the RAF between the United Kingdom and Singapore.^{[ citation needed ]}

It later became Aden International Airport.

History

Established in 1917, RAF Khormaksar was enlarged in 1945 as the British spread their influence deeper into the Arabian Peninsula.^{[ citation needed ]} No. 8 Squadron RAF arrived in 1927, and stayed until 1945, operating the Fairey IIIF, Vickers Vincent, Hawker Demon, Martin Maryland, Fairey Swordfish, and the Lockheed Hudson. ^[2]

On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and France, and Aden quickly became an important British base for the East African Campaign. Khormaksar launched its first combat sorties three days later, when 8 Squadron sent nine Bristol Blenheims to bomb an airfield at Assab in Italian Eritrea, across the Red Sea from Aden on 12 June. Five Vincents attacking the same airfield that night. ^[3] On 5 August 1940, Italy invaded British Somaliland, and 8 Squadron's Blenheims flew missions against advancing Italian troop columns. The Italians heavily outnumbered the British and Commonwealth defences, and the port of Berbera, immediately south of Aden across the Gulf of Aden, was occupied by the Italians on 19 August. ^{[4] [5]}

After December 1941, the station became a stopover and refueling point for the USAAF Air Transport Command. ^[6] 8 Squadron continued to be based at Khormaksar equipped with Blenheims. The squadron flew Vickers Wellington XIIIs were flown from December 1943 until May 1945. ^[2]

In 1943 a Communication Squadron, HQ British Forces Aden Communication Squadron, was established here. It changed names twice in 1951 and 1955 before being disbanded in 1956. ^[7]

In 1958, a state of emergency was declared in Aden as Yemeni forces occupied nearby Jebel Jehaf and RAF squadrons were involved in action in support of the British Army. In the 1960s, during operations around Rhadfan, the station reached a peak of activity, becoming overcrowded and attracting ground attacks by rebels. In 1966, the newly elected Labour government in the United Kingdom announced that all forces would be withdrawn by 1968. ^[8]

Belvedere HC.1 of 26 Squadron based at Khormaksar c. 1964

In May 1967, it was expected that planned final force levels at Khormaksar ahead of the January 1968 withdrawal would be: ^[9]

*The Army element, comprising Tactical Headquarters Aden Brigade, one commando, one battalion, one armoured car troop, one light artillery troop, one engineer troop and elements of the small Joint Headquarters. Total of some 1,150 personnel.

*The RAF element, comprising a squadron of Hunters and a Wessex flight (both with servicing support parties), a visiting aircraft servicing party, the Communications Centre, elements of an ATOC, movements, airfield services and elements of the Joint Headquarters. Total of some 350 personnel.

Khormaksar played a role in the evacuation of British families from Aden in the summer of 1967. The station closed on 29 November 1967.^{[ citation needed ]}

Units and aircraft

Inter war years and Second World War

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 8 Squadron RAF	27 February 1927 - 1 May 1945	Fairey III Vickers Vincent Hawker Demon Bristol Blenheim Martin Maryland Fairey Swordfish Lockheed Hudson Vickers Wellington	F . I I I I VI XIII	Disbanded [2]
No. 12 Squadron RAF	20 October 1935 - 25 November 1935 23 March 1936 - 18 May 1936 28 July 1936 - 11 August 1936	Hawker Hart	I	Moved to RAF Robat Moved to RAF Robat Moved to RAF Andover [10]
No. 41 Squadron RAF	20 October 1935 - 18 March 1936	Hawker Demon	I	Moved to RAF Sheikh Othman [11]
No. 94 Squadron RAF	26 March 1939 - 2 May 1939	Gloster Gladiator	I & II	Moved to RAF Sheikh Othman [12]
No. 114 Squadron RAF	23 September 1945 - 1 May 1946	Douglas Boston de Havilland Mosquito	V VI	Reduced to a Cadre [13]
No. 203 Squadron RAF	18 May 1940 - 16 April 1941	Bristol Blenheim	IV	Moved to RAF Kabrit [14]
No. 216 Squadron RAF	27 November 1942 - 15 July 1945	Lockheed Hudson Douglas Dakota	VI I	Detached from RAF Cairo West [15]
No. 244 Squadron RAF	17 March 1944 - 1 May 1945	Vickers Wellington	XIII	Detached from RAF Masirah [16]
No. 259 Squadron RAF	14 September 1943 - 1 May 1945	Consolidated Catalina	IB	Detached from RAF Dar es Salaam [17]
No. 265 Squadron RAF	1 April 1943 - 1 May 1945	Consolidated Catalina	IB	Detached from RAF Diego Suarez [18]
No. 459 Squadron RAAF	1 July 1942 - 5 April 1944	Lockheed Hudson	III	Detached from LG227 and LG143 [19]
No. 621 Squadron RAF	5 December 1943 - 12 November 1945	Vickers Wellington	XIII & XIV	Moved to RAF Mersah Matruh [20]

Cold War

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 8 Squadron RAF	1 September 1946 - 14 August 1950	de Havilland Mosquito Hawker Tempest Bristol Brigand Avro Anson Auster	FB.6 F.6 B.1 C.19 AOP.6	Moved to RAF Nicosia [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	25 September 1950 - 31 May 1951	Bristol Brigand Avro Anson Auster	B.1 C.19 AOP.6	Moved to RAF Shaibah [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	8 September 1951 - 23 February 1952	Bristol Brigand Avro Anson Auster	B.1 C.19 AOP.6	Moved to RAF Nicosia [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	9 April 1952 - 7 July 1953	Bristol Brigand de Havilland Vampire	B.1 FB.9	Moved to RAF Nicosia [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	23 November 1953 - 24 July 1956	de Havilland Vampire de Havilland Venom	FB.9 FB.1 & FB.4	Moved to RAF Habbaniyah [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	20 December 1956 - 30 June 1961	de Havilland Venom Gloster Meteor Hawker Hunter	FB.1 & FB.4 FR.9 FGA.9 & FR.10	Moved to RAF Bahrain [2]
No. 8 Squadron RAF	14 October 1961 - 8 August 1967	Hawker Hunter	FGA.9 & FR.10	Moved to RAF Masirah [2]
No. 21 Squadron RAF	1 June 1965 – 9 September 1967	Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Douglas Dakota Hawker Siddeley Andover	CC.1 I CC.2	Disbanded [21]
No. 26 Squadron RAF	1 March 1963 – 30 November 1965	Bristol Belvedere	HC.1	Disbanded [22]
No. 37 Squadron RAF	21 August 1957 – 7 September 1967	Avro Shackleton	MR.2	Disbanded [23]
No. 43 Squadron RAF	1 March 1963 – 7 November 1967	Hawker Hunter	FGA.9	Disbanded [24]
No. 73 Squadron RAF	30 July - 21 December 1956	de Havilland Venom	FB.1	Moved to RAF Nicosia [25]
No. 78 Squadron RAF	15 April 1956 – 13 October 1967	Scottish Aviation Pioneer Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Percival Pembroke Westland Wessex	CC.1 CC.1 C.1 HC.2	Moved to RAF Sharjah [26]
No. 84 Squadron RAF	31 December 1956 – 3 September 1967	Vickers Valetta Bristol Sycamore Percival Pembroke Blackburn Beverley Hawker Siddeley Andover	C.1 HR.14 C.1 C.1 C.1	Moved to RAF Sharjah [27]
No. 105 Squadron RAF	15 June 1962 – 6 August 1967	Armstrong Whitworth Argosy	C.1	Moved to RAF Muharraq [28]
No. 208 Squadron RAF	26 March - August 1956 (Det) 15 November - 30 November 1961 30 November - 9 December 1961 (Det) 9 December 1961 - 8 June 1964	Gloster Meteor Hawker Hunter Hunter Hunter	FR.9 FGA.9 FGA.9 FGA.9	Sqn at RAF Akrotiri Moved to RAF Eastleigh Sqn at RAF Eastleigh Det at RAF Muharraq [29]
No. 233 Squadron RAF	1 September 1960 – 31 January 1964	Vickers Valetta	C.1	Disbanded [30]
No. 683 Squadron RAF	18 December 1951 - 10 June 1952	Avro Lancaster Vickers Valetta	PR.1 C.1	Moved to RAF Habbaniyah [31]

Units

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 1417 Flight RAF	1958 – 1960 1 March 1963 – 8 September 1967	Gloster Meteor Hawker Hunter	FR.9 FR.10 / T.7	Reabsorbed into No. 8 Squadron RAF [32]
Aden Communication Squadron RAF	1 December 1951 – 1 September 1955	Various	Various	Became Aden Protectorate Communication and Support Squadron RAF [7]
Aden Protectorate Communication and Support Squadron RAF	1 September 1955 – 31 December 1956	Various	Various	Redesignated No. 84 Squadron RAF [7]
Headquarters British Forces Aden Communications Flight RAF	21 March 1943 – 1 January 1944 January 1946 - 1 December 1951	Various	Various	Became Aden Communication Squadron [7]
Aden Communication Unit RAF	1 January 1944 - January 1946	Various	Various	Reverted back to the HQ British Forces Aden Communications Flight RAF [7]
No. 131 Maintenance Unit	9 March 1942 - 1 November 1945 1 November 1958 - 31 August 1967	Blackburn Beverley Armstrong Whitworth Argosy Scottish Aviation aircraft Bristol Belvedere	Various	Aircraft Repair & General Engineering Sections [33]
Search and Rescue Flight RAF, Khormaksar	13 June 1958 - 1 July 1967	Bristol Sycamore Westland Whirlwind	HR.14 HAR.2/HAR.4	Disbanded [34]

See also

• British Forces Aden
  • Air Forces Middle East

References

Citations

1. Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p.  115. ISBN   0-7100-9339-X.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 26.
3. Shores 1996, p. 18–19.
4. "The Ethiopian Campaign - 1940-1941". 8 Squadron Royal Air Force, 4 September 2006. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
5. Shores 1996, pp. 45–54.
6. R. Frank Futrell, “The Development of Base Facilities,” in The Army Air Forces in World War II, vol. 6, Men and Planes, Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate, eds. (Washington, D.C., Office of Air Force History, new imprint, 1983), 157, 160; John D. Carter, “The Air Transport Command,” The Army Air Forces in World War II, vol. 7, Services Around the World, ed. Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate, 42, 44–45 (Washington, D.C., Office of Air Force History, new imprint, 1983).
7. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 32.
8. Brian Lapping, 'End of Empire,' Guild Publishing, London, 1985.
9. Air Forces Middle East. "(extracts from) Operational Order AFME/S216/Air, dated 23 May, 1967". radfanhunters.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 28.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 38.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 52.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 68.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 71.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 77.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 79.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 81.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 93.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 101.
21. Jefford 1988, p. 31.
22. Jefford 1988, p. 33.
23. Jefford 1988, p. 37.
24. Jefford 1988, p. 39.
25. Jefford 1988, p. 47.
26. Jefford 1988, p. 48.
27. Jefford 1988, p. 50.
28. Jefford 1988, p. 54.
29. Jefford 1988, p. 69.
30. Jefford 1988, p. 75.
31. Jefford 1988, p. 105.
32. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 120.
33. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 181.
34. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 232.

Bibliography

• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.

External links

• Crest Badge and Information of RAF Khormaksar
• Personal histories and photos from RAF Khormaksar in the 1960s
• Photos from RAF Khormaksar in the mid 1960s
• Aircraft stationed and visiting RAF Khormaksar