An archaeological dig at RAF Brize Norton has helped paint a picture of life at the base in the Second World War.
In 1945, 45 specialist German aircraft captured by the Allies were brought back to the station for testing and evaluation.
But a severe storm damaged most of them and the airframes were scrapped and buried in large pits to the south of the airfield.
It was the discovery of these, plus other buried Allied aircraft, which sparked the idea of a dig at the base which opened in 1937.
After several initial surveys, over five days multiple aircraft types were unearthed, including parts from Horsa gliders.
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These were launched from Brize Norton during D-Day and Operation Market Garden, an Allied operation fought in the Netherlands in 1944 to create a route into northern Germany.
Some 104 Horsa gliders had been disposed of on site.
During the 1950s the United States Air Force controlled Brize Norton and over 200 artefacts were unearthed from this period with some of the more substantial ones being prepared for display in the RAF Brize Norton Heritage Centre.
Work will now begin to start identifying other aircraft parts, which could take several months.
Flight Sergeant Graham Moore, who lead the project, said: “We’ve had some really good successes finding predominantly Horsa glider artefacts, including a data plate which is historically important.
"We’ve also found several items of personal belongings. We’ve found toothbrushes, cutlery, cups, bottles, all items used by people which help build a bigger picture of the Station.
"I think we are only just scratching the surface but so far the project has delivered some really promising results.”
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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris
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