#87 RAF Davidstow Moor, Cornwall

As you look to the west with the second-highest Cornish peak Roughtor on your left, an area of reasonably level ground is where the former airfield of RAF Davidstow Moor is located. At 294 metres, it is the highest airfield in Britain. This made the site very susceptible to hill fog, sea mists, and low cloud, all of which are not good if you happen to be flying aircraft. It was estimated in 1943 for 80% of the time, weather conditions at Davidstow were unsuitable for flying. The first operational aircraft to arrive at Davidstow flew in on 8 November 1942, 18 B-24Ds Liberators of the 44th (The Flying Eight-Balls) and 93rd Bombardment Groups landed from their bases at Shipham and Alconbury, respectively. The Liberators caused a bit of apprehension to the locals who thought the aircraft might be German. The units were fuelled and bombed up, ready to fly the next day in an attack on the U-Boat pens at St Nazaire. The mission was in support of Operation Torch, which was the allied invasion of French North Africa. The camp started to run down in 1945, and by October of the same year, the Regiment had left. In December 1945, Davidstow finally closed. After closure, Davidstow became for a short time one of the first Formula 1 racing circuits. Once again, the weather played a hand in making the site too dangerous to race due to poor visibility. More information at https://www.airshowspresent.com/raf-davidstow-moor-airfield-history.html