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Acaster Malbis was something of a location disaster as airfields go, constructed far too close to the River Ouse the site was plagued by mists making operations almost impossible.
The airfield opened in 1942 as part of No12 Group, Fighter Command, as a satellite to RAF Church Fenton.
The first unit to arrive was No601 Airacobras, not a very popular aircraft with this unit.
Combinations of technical problems with the aircraft and the bad weather conditions resulted in many serious accidents.
Next to take over the airfield was No21 Group, Flying Training Command and the Airspeed Oxfords of No15 Advanced Flying Unit moved in. The misty conditions again proved a problem and slowly losses mounted. The airfield, again, deemed unsuitable for training purposes now.
In 1943 the airfield closed and despite the absolute unsuitability and losses encountered, the site was developed as a heavy bomber station as part of No4 Group Bomber Command. Concrete runways were constructed, hangars added and accommodation blocks built.
The airfield was only used by flying units for circuit training and eventually became a bomb storage depot.
The station finally closed in 1946 and most certainly was a failure from the start.
The site is still worth a visit, the control tower (which is a rarity in itself) and part of the domestic site still remain. On a recent visit it seemed that some of the runways are now being ripped up, presumably to return to agriculture.
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