Pre-ww2 airfields
but what's the reason for most hangars to be arranged in a slight arc as opposed to being dispersed?
I recall reading somewhere that bomber airfields built during the expansion period of the 1930s were built as grass fields with a circular(ish) perimeter track and hangars and other buildings were built outside this circle. In the centre of the airfield was a large white X in a circle and this was the target for the resident squadrons to practice their trade. The typical bombers of the period being Hawker Hart type aircraft.
I think this is explained in one of the 'After the Battle' books and there is a photo of Scampton, a typical such airfield, with the X still discernable.