Thousands of ground personnel, and virtually all RAF motor transport vehicles, destined for Normandy passed through Old Sarum in the D-Day preparation period, making it an integral part in the organisational structure of the D-Day landings. Seven large tented camps were set up in the countryside around the airfield and a force of over a thousand fitters was established to undertake the waterproofing of the 25,000 invasion vehicles. A large part of the airfield was used to assemble the long lines of trucks and other vehicles, and the station hangars were pressed into service as the principal workshops.