RAF Hixon

RAF Hixon
Hixon, Staffordshire
Wellington Mk III aircraft of No. 30 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hixon.
RAF Hixon Shown within Staffordshire
Coordinates	52°50′11″N 02°00′32″W / 52.83639°N 2.00889°W / 52.83639; -2.00889Coordinates: 52°50′11″N 02°00′32″W / 52.83639°N 2.00889°W / 52.83639; -2.00889
Type	Operational Training Unit (OTU) Maintenance Unit (MU)
Code	HX
Height	267 feet (81 m)
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry Ministry of Defence Hixon Airfield Services
Controlled by	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1941-1942 (1941-1942)
Built by	Trollope & Cole
In use	1942–1957
Materials	Tarmac
Airfield information
Runways Direction Length and surface 22/06 1,650 yd (1,510 m) Concrete 28/10 1,400 yd (1,300 m) Concrete 34/16 1,200 yd (1,100 m) Concrete

Royal Air Force Hixon or more simply RAF Hixon was a Royal Air Force station located on the north western edge of the village of Hixon in Staffordshire, England. The airfield was 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east of Stafford and bounded at the west and north by railways.

After opening in 1942, it served as a base for No. 30 Operational Training Unit and, after the OTU left up until its closure in 1957, it served as a satellite site for No. 16 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Stafford.

Permission was granted to build a base at Hixon in August 1941 with opening coming on 13 May 1942. The base was to be used for operational flying, but instead it was used as a training environment for Bomber aircrews flying Vickers Wellington aircraft on No. 30 OTU, Curtiss Tomahawks and Hawker Hurricanes on 1686 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight (BDTF) and Bristol Blenheims flown by No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit ((P)AFU). It was originally intended to be a No. 7 Group asset, but when it was handed over to the Royal Air Force from the contractors in June 1942, No.92 Group became its owner. Even then there was another change; it became a No.93 Group asset six weeks later.

As a night bomber training unit, crews from Hixon were often sent on missions to France and sometimes even Germany to drop propaganda leaflets (PsyOps). These missions were often called after their codename, 'Nickel Raids'. These night-time raids were just as dangerous as actual bombing runs as the enemy had no way of determining that they were only dropping leaflets.

In early 1943, No. 25 OTU based at RAF Finningley was disbanded and the Wellington aircraft and groundcrews were sent to Hixon. The personnel and assets were shared out with RAF Seighford. In June of the same year, No. 1686 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight (BDTF) was formed at Hixon for 'Bullseye' training. No.1686 was equipped with P-40 Tomahawk aircraft which were formally used by No. 112 Squadron in North Africa and still retained their distinctive Sharks Teeth markings under the nose of the aircraft. The Tomahawks (and later, Hurricanes) were used so that the turret operators could practice against fighter attack whilst airborne.