It became the base of Wing Commander Douglas Bader until he was shot down over France, as Fighter Command took the war to the enemy with operational sweeps over Occupied Europe. Those operations included the infamous Channel Dash which saw the escape of the German warships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the Dieppe raid of 1942 which involved the largest aerial battle of the war up to that date. Westhampnett's squadrons also supported the D-Day landings and the subsequent Battle of Normandy.
Packed with the largest collection of photographs of this airfield ever compiled, this illustrated publication provides a detailed history of the fighting as seen through the eyes of many of the pilots and ground crew. RAF Westhampnett brings to life those exciting but dangerous days of the Second World War through the words and photographs of those who were there.
For more information or to order the book :-
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-Fighter-Command-Station-at-War-Hardback/p/11276
Latest book review on Amazon
This book is well written and contains plenty of great photos. A must for aviation enthusiasts.
Great photos and lots of information ,I've lived in Chichester all of my 82 years sof it's of particular interest to me, it also brought back many memories. also flew with Vectair flying club .in the 1970s..
