RAF Folkingham

Infobox Military Structure
name= Royal Air Force Station Folkingham
USAAF Station 484
location= Located Near Folkingham, Lincolnshire, England
coordinates=coord|52|51|34.34|N|000|26|45.22|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title


caption= Folkingham Airfield - 9 May 1944
type= Military airfield
code=FK ?
built=1943
builder=
materials=
height=
used=1943-1947,1959-1963
demolished=
condition=
ownership=
controlledby=Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
garrison=Royal Air Force
Ninth Air Force
commanders=
occupants=313th Troop Carrier Group
battles= European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 Location map|Lincolnshire
caption= RAF Folkingham, shown within Lincolnshire
lat= 52.88725
long= -0.40596
width= 200

RAF Folkingham was an air station of the Second World War period, established in phases on a convex hilltop by the British Royal Air Force, and lent to the United States Army Air Forces. It is located two miles south-west of Folkingham on farmland in the parishes of Lenton, Laughton and Aslackby to the west of the A15 in Lincolnshire. (getamap|TF049300|Site map)

It is now abandoned.

Overview

Despite the dome shape of the hill, the terrain on its top is fairly flat but it was not suited to use as an air station without the construction of substantial runways as the hill is capped by glacial till (boulder clay). This becomes particularly sticky when wet and disturbed.

Although surveyed and approved as suitable for the construction of a bomber airfield, The initial Royal Air Force use of the site began in 1940 when it was set up as a decoy for RAF Spitalgate. The intention was to make it look like a real airfield so that it would draw aerial attacks which might otherwise be made on active stations. As such it attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe on at least three occasions.

Not until early 1943 did Messrs Lehane. MacKenzies & Shand arrive with directions to build an airfield to Class A specification. The work took most of the year, during which time the new station had been allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force Troop Carrier Command.

The main runway was 6,000 ft in length with two 4,200 ft auxiliaries, aligned 01-1.9, 07-25 and 13-31 respectively. The 50 hardstands were all loop type and both these and the runways were of concrete. The two hangars were the T-2 type and the scattered domestic accommodation, built by Bovis Ltd, catered for 2,189 persons.

USAAF Use

313th Troop Carrier Group

US personnel started to arrive in January 1944 to prepare for the 313th Troop Carrier Group scheduled to transfer from Trapani/Milo Airfield, Sicily. On 5 February it opened as a USAAF IX Troop Carrier Command station flying four squadrons of C-47s. Operational squadrons and fuselage codes were:

* 29th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z7)
* 47th Troop Carrier Squadron (N3)
* 48th Troop Carrier Squadron (5X)
* 49th Troop Carrier Squadron (H2)

The 313th TCG was part of the 52nd Troop Carrier Wing.

The first of its squadrons, the 29th TCS, did not fly in until the 24th. The 47th TCS followed on March 1 and the 48th and 49th TCSs on March 3 and 5 respectively. At this time, the squadrons had an authorised strength of 18 C-47s, although during the spring and early summer this was increased to 24.

Operation Overlord

In the early hours of 6 June 72 C-47s and C-53s of the 313th were sent to drop paratroops of the 82nd Airborne Division 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment near Picauville France and they carried out a re-supply mission next day. From these operations, four C-47s were missing and many damaged by light flak.

Operation Market-Garden

In between training with paratroops, the group `trucked' supplies and fuel to Normandy but in September it was alerted for another airborne operation. The 313th was selected to make the first drop in Holland after the Pathfinders, the first serial to arrive (it had overtaken the lead one) consisting of 43 C-47s and two C-53s dropping some 740 American paratroops of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and 260 parapacks at Groesbeck, while the second serial of 45 aircraft, some five minutes behind, dropped some 756 paratroops and 226 parapacks. Two C-47s with the first serial were shot down by flak and 11 damaged but the second serial escaped with only light damage to three aircraft.

Next day the 313th launched 79 C-47s and three C-53s carrying the British Parachute Regiment from Folkingham, all towing CG-4A gliders. They had been billeted in Bourne and at Grimsthorpe Castle, ten and seven kilometres away respectively. Again plenty of ground fire was encountered and one C-47 failed to return.

The 313th's final combat mission for Operation "Market" was on the 23rd when, again towing gliders, two serials of 49 aircraft each carried in reinforcements. Only one C-47 was lost and two of the gliders were shot down. Then on 26 September 36 C-47s carried in troops and supplies to the landing strip Si Keent, near Grave.

The grop was scheduled to receive 200 of the roomy Curtiss C-46 Commando transports in the autumn of 1944, although the first did not arrive until late December. The 313th began conversion at the end of January 1945 and had 90 on hand by March. The group also condueled trials with the heavy CO-13A assault glider which arrived at Folkingham.

How ever, at the end of February, the group began its move to a new base in France at Achiet (Advanced Landing Ground B-54), although the last elements did not leave until well into March. It appears there was some apprehension in the group about conditions they would encounter in France as furniture and many base fittings - even coal - were shipped across the Channel in its aircraft!

RAF Maintenance Command

Folkingham was retained by the USAAF although most personnel had departed by mid-April. The base was then turned over to RAF Maintenance Command and little flying took place thereafter. RAF Technical training was carried out until 1946 and the station was closed in 1947.

Thor Missile use by RAF Bomber Command

From 1959 to 1963 Thor intercontinental ballistic missiles were set up as a deterrent lest the USSR should think of threatening a war. RAF Folkingham finally closed in August 1963.

Civil Use

With the facility released from military control, the runway was used for development testing of the new BRM 16 cylinder 1.5 litre racing car which was presented before the press for the first time on 15 December 1949, at Folkingham airfield. A BRM engine test house and other facilities were later built there. However, when the station was equipped with Thor rockets, BRM was moved out to RAF North Witham. On the closure of he Thor site, BRM moved back and its later cars were tested here.

Today the airfield is largely used by agriculture, although there are large parts of the main runway and peremeter track, along with hardstands and the remininants of the Thor missile pads remaining. There are also a few original buildings to be seen. There are concrete disused bomb stores in the surrounding wooooods.

ee also

* List of RAF stations
* USAAF Ninth Air Force - World War II
* 82d Airborne Division

References

* Freeman, Roger A., "UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now", 1994
* Maurer Maurer, "Air Force Combat Units Of World War II", Office of Air Force History, 1983

External links

* [http://raf-lincolnshire.info/folkingham/folkingham.htm Lincolnshire RAF History Site]
* [http://homepages.which.net/%7Erex/bourne/article9.htm The Thor years]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TF0462130283 Photographs of RAF Folkingham from the Geograph British Isles project]