Time Machine Designs has released RAF Kenley 1940, its reconstruction of this iconic Battle of Britain airfield as it may have appeared at dawn on 18th August 1940 — a date recognised as the battle's Hardest Day.
At lunchtime on that Sunday, Kenley was hit by a low-level raid that devastated the airfield, causing loss of life to RAF personnel, in the surrounding area and amongst the attacking German aircrew. This reconstruction captures the station in the hours before that raid — at full operational readiness, with both resident squadrons at dispersal and the full complement of personnel and equipment in place.
The addon has been developed using original Air Ministry airfield plans and building drawings, aerial photographs from September 1940, first-hand accounts and photographs collected by Kenley Revival, and a site visit by the TMD team hosted by Kenley Revival. Reflecting TMD's underlying approach, the development team included students from boomsatsuma and early career creative technologists.
What's Included
✦ Over 200 custom models of buildings, aircraft, vehicles and objects
✦ All station buildings, dispersals and blast pens reconstructed from Air Ministry plans
✦ Six blast pen parking spaces in each of the 64 and 615 Squadron areas for multiplayer scrambles
✦ Static Spitfires (64 Squadron) and Hurricanes (615 Squadron), plus three Magisters used as station hacks
✦ Unique aircraft codes for each model, including serial numbers for aircraft known to have been at Kenley on 18th August
✦ The Blenheim that force-landed at Kenley on 29th July and was destroyed in the raid on 18th August
✦ Period-accurate station vehicles including refuellers, crash tenders, Tillys and staff cars
✦ Airfield defences including anti-aircraft positions and the Parachute & Cable system deployed against the raid
✦ Replacement of all default trees and vegetation within the airfield perimeter to match 1940 aerial photographs