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Overview
RAF Dunkeswell, in East Devon north of Honiton, was one of the wartime airfields developed to strengthen Allied maritime coverage of the western approaches. Built as a hard-surfaced airfield in 1943, it quickly became associated with anti-submarine warfare at a moment when the Battle of the Atlantic was still a decisive contest, particularly around the Bay of Biscay and the French Atlantic ports.
USAAF anti-submarine role
In summer 1943 Dunkeswell became a base for the United States Army Air Forces’ Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. The 479th Antisubmarine Group moved to Dunkeswell in early August 1943, operating Consolidated B-24 Liberators on ‘killer hunt’ patrols against German U-boats. These missions demanded long-range endurance, careful navigation and a constant search for fleeting signs of a submarine – periscope wakes, radar contacts, shadowing of convoy routes or approaches to U-boat transit lanes. Aircraft were fitted for maritime work, carrying depth charges and anti-submarine equipment, and crews flew long sorties over ocean areas where ditching could be fatal.
The 479th’s presence at Dunkeswell was brief but significant. The strategic and organisational landscape was changing: by late 1943, responsibility for much of the aerial anti-submarine mission shifted toward the United States Navy. The 479th ended operations in October 1943 and was later inactivated.
U.S. Navy patrol bombing
After the transfer, U.S. Navy patrol units took over aircraft and responsibilities, using navalised versions of the Liberator (PB4Y-1) on maritime patrol. These squadrons continued the essential work of guarding convoy routes and hunting submarines, now under naval command structures and tactics. The continuity of effort is a key point: Dunkeswell’s runways and dispersals supported a fast transition between services while keeping patrol coverage in place at a critical time.
Why Dunkeswell mattered
Dunkeswell’s geographic position was ideal for western maritime operations. It offered relatively quick access to the Channel approaches, the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay – areas linked to the German U-boat bases along the French coast. From these waters came a persistent threat to merchant shipping and to the build-up of forces and material needed for the liberation of Europe. In that context, even a short-lived anti-submarine deployment could have outsized importance: every convoy protected and every submarine deterred or destroyed improved the odds of success for the broader Allied strategy.
Legacy
After the Second World War the airfield transitioned into civilian use and remains active as Dunkeswell Aerodrome. For historians and visitors, the wartime significance lies in the station’s maritime focus – long-range patrol aircraft, antisubmarine tactics and the often-overlooked air contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic. It stands as a reminder that victory depended not only on the skies over Europe, but also on keeping the sea routes open that sustained Britain and supplied the Allied armies.