RAF Hell's Mouth
Encyclopedia
RAF Hell's Mouth was a World War II
Royal Air Force
grass airfield at Hell's Mouth, (Porth Neigwl) on the Llŷn Peninsula
near Abersoch
, Gwynedd
.
RAF Hell's Mouth was commissioned in February 1937 as a Relief Landing Ground, later an Emergency landing Ground for RAF Penrhos
. It was also an air gunnery and bombing range, with targets on the land, floated 1 mile offshore and towed drogues in the air. A small range railway was in use to provide moving targets. The site was decommissioned in 1945 and returned to agriculture.
Typical aircraft using the airfield were Bristol Blenheim
and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
. In August 1944 a Vickers Wellington
was successfully landed by a Polish pilot followinmg an engine failure. Despite the mismatch in size, the aircraft also was able to subsequently take off.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
grass airfield at Hell's Mouth, (Porth Neigwl) on the Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
near Abersoch
Abersoch
Abersoch is a large village in the community of Llanengan in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a popular coastal seaside resort with approximately 1,000 inhabitants, on the east-facing south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula at the southern terminus of the A499. It is about south-west of Pwllheli and south-west of...
, Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
.
RAF Hell's Mouth was commissioned in February 1937 as a Relief Landing Ground, later an Emergency landing Ground for RAF Penrhos
RAF Penrhos
RAF Penrhos was a World War II Royal Air Force airfield at Penrhos, on the Llŷn Peninsula near Pwllheli, Gwynedd. It was operational from 1 February 1937 to 21 October 1946 for armarment training, air observer, bombing and gunnery schools....
. It was also an air gunnery and bombing range, with targets on the land, floated 1 mile offshore and towed drogues in the air. A small range railway was in use to provide moving targets. The site was decommissioned in 1945 and returned to agriculture.
Typical aircraft using the airfield were Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War...
. In August 1944 a Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
was successfully landed by a Polish pilot followinmg an engine failure. Despite the mismatch in size, the aircraft also was able to subsequently take off.