  raf tangmere was a royal air force station famous for its role in the battle of britain, located at tangmere village about 3 miles (5&nbsp;km) east of chichester in west sussex, england. american raf pilot billy fiske died at tangmere and was the first american aviator to die during world war ii. famous world war ii aces douglas bader, the wing commander, and then inexperienced johnnie johnson were at tangmere in 1941. ==history== ===first world war=== the aerodrome was founded in 1917 for use by the royal flying corps as a training base. in 1918 it was turned over to the american air force as a training ground, and continued as such until the end of the great war in november of that year, after which the airfield was mothballed. in 1925 the station re-opened to serve the raf's fleet air arm, and went operational in 1926 with no. 43 squadron equipped with biplane gloster gamecocks (there is still a row of houses near the museum entrance called gamecock terrace). ===second world war=== as war threatened in the late thirties, the fighters became faster, with hawker furies, gloster gladiators, and the hawker hurricanes powered by the famous merlin engines all being used at tangmere. in 1939 the airfield was enlarged to defend the south coast against attack by the luftwaffe, with tangmere's only hotel and some houses being demolished in the process. the raf commandeered the majority of houses in the centre of the village, with only six to eight families being allowed to stay. it was only in 1966 that the village resumed its status as a civilian community. [[image:supermarine spitfire of fighter command.jpg|thumb|left|200px|a line of supermarine spitfire mark vbs of no. 131 squadron raf, being prepared for a sweep at merston, a satellite airfi
Battle_of_Britain History_of_West_Sussex Royal_Air_Force_stations_in_West_Sussex