Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Sculthorpe Training Area
Sculthorpe Training Area, previously Royal Air Force Sculthorpe / (RAF Sculthorpe), is a military training site administered by the Defence Training Estate, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) west of Fakenham in the county of Norfolk in England.
The training area occupies the larger part of the former RAF Sculthorpe, a military airbase used by RAF bombers in the later stages of the Second World War (1942–45), by United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) units from 1952 to 1962, and thereafter temporary visiting airmen and support crews of both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) until its closure as an active airfield on 2 October 1992. In 1997, the Ministry of Defence sold the technical, domestic and administrative site, but retained the airfield itself, including the runways, taxiways, dispersal areas and the adjacent dispersed secure weapon storage area.
RAF Sculthorpe was built between the villages of Sculthorpe (to its east) and Syderstone (to its west-north-west) as the second satellite airfield of RAF West Raynham (itself a few miles to the south), the first satellite airfield being RAF Great Massingham. Work began on Sculthorpe in the spring of 1942, and the airfield was laid out as one of only two Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bomber airfields (the other was the nearby RAF Marham), with the familiar wartime triangular three runway layout expanded by 50 per cent, the main runway being 9,000 feet (2,743 metres) long (compared to the standard 6,000 feet (1,829 metres)) and the subsidiary runways being 6,000 feet (compared to around 4,000 feet (1,219 metres)). The work involved construction of the concrete runways, dispersals site, mess facilities, and accommodation. Much of the work was completed by Irish labour working for the company Bovis Construction.
As work was drawing to a close in May 1943, the first aircraft squadrons started to arrive. The first was No. 342 Squadron (Lorraine) of the Free French Air Forces within No. 2 Group RAF from RAF West Raynham. This squadron operated two flights of the Douglas Boston aircraft, along with the related Douglas Havoc aircraft for training. No. 342 Squadron stayed until 19 July 1943, when they moved to RAF Great Massingham.
On 20 July 1943, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) moved in with No. 487 Squadron RNZAF and No. 464 Squadron RAAF taking up residence, with their Lockheed Ventura aircraft having moved from RAF Methwold, before converting at Sculthorpe onto the de Havilland Mosquito. On 20 September 1943, 21 Squadron moved in from RAF Oulton, also with Mosquitos, to form the Sculthorpe Wing (No. 140 Wing RAF). The wing stayed at Sculthorpe, completing more than 100 missions, before departing for RAF Hunsdon in Hertfordshire on 31 December 1943.
In January 1944, No. 214 Squadron RAF of 100 Group RAF moved in with Boeing Fortress II aircraft for use in electronic warfare support of RAF Bomber Command, to be joined by crews from the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 96th Bomb Group from RAF Snetterton Heath, known at Sculthorpe and thereafter as the 803rd Bomb Squadron of the USAAF. In April 1944, the 803rd and 214 Squadron departed for RAF Oulton, leaving Sculthorpe empty for its redevelopment as a 'very heavy bomber base', with the work not being completed until the spring of 1946.
A number of units were also posted here:
I was sent to RAF Sculthorpe the summer of 1968 and left in 1969 after 1 and 1/2 years duty there.
Hub AI
Sculthorpe Training Area AI simulator
(@Sculthorpe Training Area_simulator)
Sculthorpe Training Area
Sculthorpe Training Area, previously Royal Air Force Sculthorpe / (RAF Sculthorpe), is a military training site administered by the Defence Training Estate, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) west of Fakenham in the county of Norfolk in England.
The training area occupies the larger part of the former RAF Sculthorpe, a military airbase used by RAF bombers in the later stages of the Second World War (1942–45), by United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) units from 1952 to 1962, and thereafter temporary visiting airmen and support crews of both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) until its closure as an active airfield on 2 October 1992. In 1997, the Ministry of Defence sold the technical, domestic and administrative site, but retained the airfield itself, including the runways, taxiways, dispersal areas and the adjacent dispersed secure weapon storage area.
RAF Sculthorpe was built between the villages of Sculthorpe (to its east) and Syderstone (to its west-north-west) as the second satellite airfield of RAF West Raynham (itself a few miles to the south), the first satellite airfield being RAF Great Massingham. Work began on Sculthorpe in the spring of 1942, and the airfield was laid out as one of only two Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bomber airfields (the other was the nearby RAF Marham), with the familiar wartime triangular three runway layout expanded by 50 per cent, the main runway being 9,000 feet (2,743 metres) long (compared to the standard 6,000 feet (1,829 metres)) and the subsidiary runways being 6,000 feet (compared to around 4,000 feet (1,219 metres)). The work involved construction of the concrete runways, dispersals site, mess facilities, and accommodation. Much of the work was completed by Irish labour working for the company Bovis Construction.
As work was drawing to a close in May 1943, the first aircraft squadrons started to arrive. The first was No. 342 Squadron (Lorraine) of the Free French Air Forces within No. 2 Group RAF from RAF West Raynham. This squadron operated two flights of the Douglas Boston aircraft, along with the related Douglas Havoc aircraft for training. No. 342 Squadron stayed until 19 July 1943, when they moved to RAF Great Massingham.
On 20 July 1943, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) moved in with No. 487 Squadron RNZAF and No. 464 Squadron RAAF taking up residence, with their Lockheed Ventura aircraft having moved from RAF Methwold, before converting at Sculthorpe onto the de Havilland Mosquito. On 20 September 1943, 21 Squadron moved in from RAF Oulton, also with Mosquitos, to form the Sculthorpe Wing (No. 140 Wing RAF). The wing stayed at Sculthorpe, completing more than 100 missions, before departing for RAF Hunsdon in Hertfordshire on 31 December 1943.
In January 1944, No. 214 Squadron RAF of 100 Group RAF moved in with Boeing Fortress II aircraft for use in electronic warfare support of RAF Bomber Command, to be joined by crews from the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 96th Bomb Group from RAF Snetterton Heath, known at Sculthorpe and thereafter as the 803rd Bomb Squadron of the USAAF. In April 1944, the 803rd and 214 Squadron departed for RAF Oulton, leaving Sculthorpe empty for its redevelopment as a 'very heavy bomber base', with the work not being completed until the spring of 1946.
A number of units were also posted here:
I was sent to RAF Sculthorpe the summer of 1968 and left in 1969 after 1 and 1/2 years duty there.