RAF Horsham St Faith is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

station near

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England which was operational from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as

Norwich International Airport Norwich Airport is an international airport in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England, north of Norwich. In 2017, Norwich Airport was the 28th busiest airport in the UK and busiest in the East Anglia region. Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aero ...

RAF Bomber Command use

The airfield was first developed in 1939 and officially opened on 1 June 1940 as a bomber station. It had been built pre-war and had five C-type hangars, permanent brick and tiled buildings with central-heating and a high standard of domestic accommodation. The first aircraft there were

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

s dispersed from No. 21 Squadron RAF at

RAF Watton Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1937 it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) ...

in 1939 but the first operational aircraft there were fighters: Supermarine Spitfires of No. 19 and No. 66 squadrons from

RAF Duxford Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Muse ...

Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns ...

s of A Flight

No. 264 Squadron RAF No. 264 Squadron RAF, also known as No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. World War I The squadron was first formed during the First World War, from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. 439 ...

began sorties on 12 May 1940. The first operational bomber units were No. 139 Squadron RAF and No. 114 Squadron RAF of

No. 2 Group No. 2 Group is a Group (military aviation unit)#United Kingdom, group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was react ...

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

with the Blenheim IV. No. 114 then moved onto

RAF Oulton Royal Air Force Oulton or more simply RAF Oulton is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield located west of Aylsham, Norfolk and northwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The airfield was built over 1939 and 1940 as a bomber airfield with ...

which was a new satellite station for Horsham Two of the early visitors to the new airfield were the Right Honourable

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...

and General Sir

Alan Brooke Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, (23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963), was a senior officer of the British Army. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, during the Sec ...

. In August 1941, an aircraft from

No. 18 Squadron RAF No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook (UK variants), Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron. History First World War The squadron was fo ...

flying from Horsham St Faith en route to attack a power station at

Gosnay Gosnay () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A former coal-mining town, now a light industrial and farming village, situated some southwest of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at t ...

, dropped a box by parachute over the south-west corner of the airfield at Saint- Omer- Longeunesse, containing a pair of legs for Wing Commander

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

who had been shot down over France and had lost his artificial limbs in the process. In December 1941

No. 105 Squadron RAF No. 105 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force, active for three periods between 1917 and 1969. It was originally established during the First World War as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and disbanded after the war. Reactivate ...

arrived from

RAF Swanton Morley The former Royal Air Force Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley. The site, now known as Robertson Barracks, is occupied by ...

to begin training on the new

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

fast bomber and from June 1942, the squadron carried out photographic and bombing missions over Germany. *

(1941): Bristol Blenheim IV *

No. 19 Squadron RAF Number 19 Squadron (sometimes written as No. XIX Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to operate the Supermarine Spitfire. It currently operates the UK's Control and Reporting Centre from RAF Boulmer. No. 1 ...

(1940):

Supermarine Spitfire I Supermarine Spitfire variants powered by early model Rolls-Royce Merlin engines mostly utilised single-speed, single-stage superchargers. The British Supermarine Spitfire was the only Allies of World War II, Allied fighter aircraft of the Wo ...

* No. 21 Squadron RAF detachment (1939–1940): Bristol Blenheim IV *

No. 64 Squadron RAF No. 64 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. It was disbanded on 31 January 1991 at RAF Leuchars. History 1916 to 1919 No. 64 Squadron Royal Flying Corps w ...

(1945): North American Mustang III & IV, de Havilland Hornet F1 * No. 66 Squadron RAF (1940):

(1941–1942): de Havilland Mosquito IV * No. 107 Squadron RAF detachment (1939–1941): Bristol Blenheim IV * No. 110 Squadron RAF detachment (1939–1942): Bristol Blenheim IV * No. 114 Squadron RAF (1940): Bristol Blenheim IV * No. 139 Squadron RAF (1941): Bristol Blenheim IV, (1942), de Havilland Mosquito IV

United States Army Air Forces use

In September 1942 Horsham St Faith was made available to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

for use by the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

. The USAAF designated the airfield as Station 123 (HF). USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Horsham St Faith were: * 469th Sub-Depot * 18th Weather Squadron * 60th Station Complement Squadron * Headquarters (96th Combat Bomb Wing) Regular Army Station Units included: * 1080th Signal Company * 1105th Quartermaster Company * 1119th Military Police Company * 13th Special Services Company * 1686th Ordnance Supply & Maintenance Company * 858th Chemical Company ;319th Bombardment Group (Medium) The first USAAF tenants at the airfield was the 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), arriving from

RAF Shipdham Royal Air Force Shipdham or more simply RAF Shipdham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles south of Dereham, Norfolk, England. The airfield now operates as Shipdham Airfield. History USAAF use RAF Shipdham was the first US ...

on 4 October 1942. Flying the

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

medium bomber, the group stayed until 11 November when the group reassigned to

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

as part of the North African Campaign at

Saint-Leu Airfield Saint-Leu Airfield was a military airfield in Algeria, near the city of Bettioua, about 45 km northeast of Oran. During World War II it was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force 319th Bombardment Group during the Nor ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. The airfield then lay unused over the winter. ;56th Fighter Group 56fg-p47

With the departure of the Marauders to North Africa, the next USAAF group to use Horsham St Faith was the 56th Fighter Group, transferring from

RAF Kings Cliffe Royal Air Force Kings Cliffe or more simply RAF Kings Cliffe is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, west of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. The airfield was built with hard-surfaced run ...

on 6 April 1943. The group consisted of the following squadrons: *

61st Fighter Squadron The 61st Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, conducting Instructor Pilot training. The 61st, known as t ...

(HV) *

62d Fighter Squadron The 62d Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Mission The 62d Fighter S ...

(LM) *

63d Fighter Squadron The 63d Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-35A aircraft, and conducts advanced fighter training since its reactivation in 2016. ...

(UN) The group entered combat with a fighter sweep in the area of St Omer on 13 April 1943, and flew numerous missions over France, the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, and Germany to escort bombers that attacked industrial establishments, V-weapon sites,

submarine pen A submarine pen (''U-Boot-Bunker'' in German) is a type of submarine base that acts as a bunker to protect submarines from air attack. The term is generally applied to submarine bases constructed during World War II, particularly in Germany and ...

s, and other targets on the Continent. On 8 July, the group had to move to

RAF Halesworth Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold. United States Army Air Forces use Halesworth was built in 19 ...

when work started on enlarging Horsham St Faith for use as a heavy bomber station with hard surface runways and concrete hardstands and a perimeter track. The move was not particularly popular with the men of the 56th who had to give up the comparative comfort of Horsham's barracks for the temporary hut (and muddy) accommodations at Halesworth. ;458th Bombardment Group (Heavy) B-24s 458th BG with P-51s

With runway construction finished, The 458th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrived at Horsham St Faith late in January 1944 from Tonopah Army Airfield

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The group flew its first mission on 24 February with

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s. On 2 March a heavily loaded bomber taking off crashed on nearby

Hellesdon Hellesdon is a village and suburb of Norwich in the District of Broadland in Norfolk, England. It lies approximately north-west of Norwich city centre and has a population of 11,132, according to the 2011 Census. Norwich International Airport is ...

which was under the flightpath. In September 1944, like other bomber groups in the area it participated in shipping fuel for American forces to France. The group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945, flying 240 missions losing 47 aircraft in combat along with another 18 in accidents before returning to Sioux Falls AAF

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

in July 1945.

Postwar Royal Air Force use

The airfield was transferred to

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

on 10 July 1945 when it was occupied by four

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...

Squadrons one of which. No. 307, was entirely composed of Polish personnel. Meteor jet aircraft arrived during 1946-48 and in June, an echo of the airfield's former occupants was provided by a visit by a Swedish

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team ...

squadron. RAF Horsham St Faith was a front-line RAF station for many years, and its squadrons participated in many post-war exercises. *

No. 23 Squadron RAF ("Always on the attack") , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , b ...

(1952): de Havilland Vampire NF10, (1955–1956),

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

(1956–1957), de Havilland Venom NF3, (1958–1959 & 1960) Gloster Javelin FAW4 & FAW7 *

No. 34 Squadron RAF ("Wolf wishes, wolf flies") , dates=7 Jan 1916 – 25 Sept 19193 Dec 1935 – Feb 19421 Apr 1942 – 15 Oct 19451 Aug 1946 – 31 July 194711 Feb 1949 – 24 June 19521 Aug 1954 – 10 Jan 19581 Oct 1960 – 31 Dec 1967 , country= United ...

(1949–1951): various target and target towing aircraft * No. 65 Squadron RAF (1946): Supermarine Spitfire LF16E, de Havilland Hornet F1 *

No. 74 Squadron RAF Number 74 Squadron, also known as "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger-head motif, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s, and then trainers until its disbandment in 2000. It was the Royal Air Forc ...

(1946–1950): Gloster Meteor F3 & F4 *

No. 118 Squadron RAF No. 118 Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Air Force. Originally formed in 1918, it served as a fighter squadron in the Second World War, flying Spitfires and Mustangs. It flew jet fighters as part of RAF Germany in the 1950s, and Bristol ...

(1945–1946):

North American Mustang III North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

* No. 141 Squadron RAF (1955–1956): de Havilland Venom NF3 * No. 228 Squadron RAF detachment (1959–1964): Bristol Sycamore HR14 then Westland Whirlwind HAR2, HAR4 & HAR10 *

No. 245 Squadron RAF No. 245 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew as an anti-submarine squadron during World War I and as a fighter squadron during World War II. After the war it was first a jet-fighter squadron and its last role was as a radar-cal ...

(1946–1955): Gloster Meteor F3, F4 & F8 *

No. 257 Squadron RAF No. 257 Squadron RAF was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force active during the First World War, the Second World War and also the Cold War. It was finally disbanded in December 1963. History In World War I No. 257 Squadron was formed at D ...

(1947–1950): Gloster Meteor F3, F4 & F8 *

No. 263 Squadron RAF No 263 Squadron was a Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of the First World War. After being disbanded in 1919 it was reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron ...

(1947–1950): Gloster Meteor F3, F4 & F8 *

No. 275 Squadron RAF No. 275 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron that served between 1941 and 1959. History No. 275 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Valley on 15 October 1941 for air-sea rescue duties in the Irish sea and was 9 Group's Air ...

detachment (1957–1959): Bristol Sycamore HR14, Westland Whirlwind HAR2 & HAR4 * No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron (1945–1946): de Havilland Mosquito XXX * No. 695 Squadron RAF (1945–1949): various target and target towing aircraft The station was deactivated on 1 August 1963.

Units

The following units were here at some point:

Current use

With the end of military control, RAF Horsham St Faith was redeveloped into

. Most of the World War II buildings remain, although converted for a variety of purposes. Three of the five large pre-war hangars are still being used for aircraft maintenance. Two have been converted for commercial use. The control tower still exists although the top has been restored and a new tower has been built adjacent to the present main runway. Other wartime buildings now form part of the airport industrial estate (owned by the County and City Councils) and are intermingled with many newer structures. The former RAF accommodation blocks situated towards Catton were until 1993 used by the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

as accommodation for students. Known to students as "Fifers Lane" or "Horsham" halls, these have since been demolished and the site redeveloped as housing. The remaining MOD property, formerly airmen's quarters, has become married quarters for nearby RAF stations. Whilst most runways and taxi-tracks from the military airfield remain, only one runway is primarily used, east–west runway 09–27, which was extended eastwards by the RAF in 1956, to avoid take-offs and landings over built-up areas. A section of the old main runway is currently used for light aircraft. Adjacent to the airport terminal building opened in 1988 there is a memorial display relating to the USAAF, consisting of photographs, paintings, and a plaque commemorating the American use of the airfield. Behind the modern control tower, and now on a section of the former airfield isolated by the Norwich Northern Distributor Road, is the City of Norwich Aviation Museum.

References

Citations

Bibliography

*United Kingdom

Aeronautical Information Publication In aviation, an Aeronautical Information Publication (or AIP) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization as a publication issued by or with the authority of a state and containing aeronautical information of a lasting character e ...

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) ''Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle'' * Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present

External links

Official site

City of Norwich Aviation Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horsham St Faith Airports in England Airfields of the VIII Bomber Command in the United Kingdom Airfields of the VIII Fighter Command in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force stations in Norfolk Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom