Royal Air Force Shepherds Grove or more simply RAF Shepherds Grove 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) an ...
station located in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...
, active from 1943–44 to 1966. Shepherds Grove was host to units of 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 ...
,
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 Forc ...
. During the Cold war it was also one of the 20 Thor IRBM missile bases in the UK, as part of
Project Emily.
Units
The following units were here at some point:
*
No. 30 Gliding School RAF
*
81st Fighter Interception Wing
*
No. 82 Squadron RAF
No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) unit.
History
For ...
*
No. 196 Squadron RAF
No. 196 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron originally formed as a training unit during World War I. It was active during World War II in Nos. 3, 4 and 38 Group RAF. It served first as a bomber squadron and later as an airborne support an ...
*
No. 299 Squadron RAF
*
No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF
*
No. 1677 (Target Towing) Flight RAF
*
Radio Warfare Establishment became the
Central Signals Establishment
See also
*
List of former Royal Air Force stations
This list of former RAF stations includes most of the stations, airfields and administrative headquarters previously used by the Royal Air Force.
The stations are listed under any former county or country name which was appropriate for the du ...
*
United States Air Forces in Europe
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
*
United States Air Force in the United Kingdom
Since 1942 the United States has maintained air bases in the United Kingdom. Major Commands of the USAF having bases in the United Kingdom were the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), Strategic Air Command (SAC), and Air Mobility Command ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Ravenstein, Charles A., ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977'', Office of Air Force History, 1984
* Endicott, Judy G., ''USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995''. Office of Air Force History
* Menard, David W., ''Before Centuries''. USAFE Fighters 1948-1959
External links
The Grover's SiteThe 1954 Shepherds Grove AlbumThe 1958 Shepherds Grove AlbumAerial photo from Multimap.ComRAF Shepherds Grove
photos taken in 2006
the UnOfficial 81st SPS RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge Site
the UnOfficial gathering place for the men and women who served in the USAF 81st Security (Air) Police Squadron at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherds Grove
Installations of the United States Air Force in the United Kingdom
Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk
Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
Military airbases established in 1944
Military installations closed in 1966
1944 establishments in England
1966 disestablishments in England