The airfield was opened in 1941 and was initially used by the Royal Air Force to house two squadrons of RAF Fighter Command with the first to arrive being 131 Squadron on 27 September 1941 with Supermarine Spitfires It was planned to open RAF Condover as a satellite station but when it opened in 1942 the RAF had decided to hand over the Atcham site for American use.
To support the USAAF, jurisdiction of Atcham Airfield was transferred from RAF Fighter Command to the USAAF on 15 June 1942 when a number of RAF stations were turned over to the Americans. It was designated as Station 342. USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Atcham were:
333d Service Group
42d Service Group
18th Weather Squadron
Regular Army Station Units included:
1004th Signal Company
1148th Quartermaster Company
1761st Ordnance Supply & Maintenance Company
2020th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
182nd Medical Dispensary
Fighter Training
The 6th Fighter Wing was the original training organisation established on 27 August 1942, under the control of VIII Fighter Command. During 1942 and early 1943, it trained pilots in combat operations as well as air-to-air-gunnery with the attached 1st Gunnery & Tow Target Flight. The training was conducted using Supermarine Spitfies and pilots drawn from the 67th Observation Group at RAF Membury and RAF Middle Wallop. The 6th Fighter Wing provided training to the following groups: ; 31st Fighter Group ; 14th Fighter Group . This aircraft was condemned due to enemy action 16 April 1946 The 6th Wing was discontinued on 13 September 1943. Its place was taken by a provisional unit, the 2906th Observation Training Group, which had been organized on 16 August. The 2906th was replaced in turn by a regular unit, the 495th Fighter Training Group on 26 October 1943. The 495th switched its mission to a Replacement Training Group and was assigned two RTU squadrons:
As a Combat Crew Replacement Center, the squadrons flew a mixture of hand-me-down aircraft, primarily planes which were considered not combat-ready to high hours and being "war weary". It flew P-47 Thunderbolts, some P-38H Lightnings, and A-20 Havocs. Pilots trained were then assigned to both VIII Fighter Command and IX Fighter Command after completion of training for subsequent assignment to units as needed. The 495 FTG stayed until February 1945, moving to RAF Cheddington. From August 1944 the Ninth AF P-38s from the 496 FTG/554 FTS from RAF Goxhill used Atcham as a training field.
Back to Royal Air Force control
Atcham was returned to the RAF Flying Training Command on 14 March 1945 becoming a satellite of RAF Ternhill. No. 5 Advanced Flying Unit RAF and No. 6 Service Flying Training School RAF. No. 577 Squadron RAF target towing with Airspeed Oxfords, Spitfires and Vultee A-31 Vengeances used the airfield until the end of the war. Atcham was abandoned on 22 October 1946 and disposed of on 20 January 1958.
Current use
With the end of military control, Atcham airfield was returned to farmland with the runways being broken up and removed and the control tower demolished. Today there is little evidence of Atcham airfield. Some minor agricultural roads which were part of the perimeter track remain as access to farm fields, and the B4394 uses part of the former South West to North East runway. The three Callender Hamilton hangars of the former technical site remain together in use with all the administration buildings, the whole complex forming the Atcham Industrial Estate northwest of the former airfield area.
