387TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (MEDIUM)

Station B-87
Stoney Cross
Hampshire, England

Opened November 1942

        Station 452 at Stoney Cross was one of several World War II airfields constructed in the New Forest on the southern coast of England. The hardcore base for the field came from the bomb-shattered homes of Southampton, 10 miles to the northwest. The airfield opened for operations in November 1942. Its three runways were used successively by many different units for many different purposes, first R.A.F. Hurricanes and Mustangs of the Army Cooperation Command, then Stirlings, Whitleys and Albermares training Horsa glider pilots, then United States Army Air Force P-38s supporting the D-Day invasion forces, then B-26 medium bombers bombing tactical targets ahead of the advancing front and finally R.A.F. Transport Command York and Dakota duties. The airfield closed in 1946.

        After the war, the British Forestry Commission gradually restored the New Forest. The runways were broken up and the debris removed. The concrete--roadways, accommodation footings and aircraft parking--was pulled up and the rubble used as fill for new construction. By the year 2000, the New Forest bases had all but disappeared. All that remained was graffiti carved on trees by US aircrews and small sections kept intact as memorials.

        The 387th Bombardment Group was stationed at Stoney Cross for about a month.  It arrived July 18, 1944, and moved on to France on August 22.

        Units assigned to Stoney Cross:

    Unit                    AF       Arrived   Departed    Aircraft
    239                             25 Jan 43 - 10 Mar 43    P-51
     26                              1 Mar 43 - 10 Mar 43    P-51
    175                              1 Mar 43 - 11 Mar 43    Hurricane
     26                             13 Mar 43 -  7 Apr 43    P-51
    175                             19 Mar 43 -  8 Apr 43    Hurricane
    296                             25 Aug 43 - 14 Mar 44    Albemarle
    297                             25 Aug 43 - 14 Mar 44    Albemarle
    299                              4 Nov 43 - 15 Mar 44    Ventura Stirling
    367th Fighter Group      USAAF   5 Apr 44 -  6 Jul 44    P-38
    387th Bombardment Group  USAAF  21 Jul 44 -  5 Sep 44    B-26
    232                             15 Nov 44 -    Dec 44    Wellington
    242                             15 Nov 44 -  7 May 46    Wellington Stirling York
    243                              4 Jan 45 -  6 Jan 45    C-45
     46                              9 Jan 45 - 11 Oct 45    Stirling Dakota
    232                              5 Feb 45 - 14 Feb 45    B-24

MAPS

• Topographical map
• Road maps

1999
The Blockhouse in (exterior and interior) in 1999

 
 

26 
                            1/3/43-10/3/43 
                            13/3/43-7/4/43 
                                               P-51 
46 
                            9/1/45 - 11/10/45 
                                               Stirling Dakota 
175 
                            1/3/43-11/3/43 
                            19/3/43-8/4/43 
                                               Hurricane 
232 
                            15/11/44 12/44 
                                               Wellington 
232 
                            5/2/45-14/2/45 
                                               B-24 
239 
                            25/1/43 10/3/43 
                                               P-51 
242 
                            15/11/44 - 7/5/46 
                                               Wellington Stirling York 
243 
                            4/1/45-6/1/45 
                                               C-45 
296 
                            25/8/43 - 14/3/44 
                                               Albemarle 
297 
                            25/8/43-14/3/44 
                                               Albemarle 
299 
                            4/11/43-15/3/44 
                                               Ventura Stirling 
367thFG 
                            5/4/44-6/7/44 
                                               P-38 
387thBG 
                            21/7/44-5/9/44 
                                               B-26 
32nd Mbl Reclam & Rep Sqn (H) 
44th Sta Compl Sqn 
53rd Air Svc Sqn, 53rd Svc Gp