RAF Knettishall | |||||||||||
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Knettishall, Suffolk in England | |||||||||||
![]() An aerial photograph of RAF Knettishall in 1951 | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 52°22′35″N 000°53′22″E / 52.37639°N 0.88944°E | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces | ||||||||||
Controlled by | Eighth Air Force | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1942 | /43||||||||||
In use | 1943 - 1957 | ||||||||||
Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||||
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Private_airstrip_at_Knettishall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_243343.jpg/220px-Private_airstrip_at_Knettishall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_243343.jpg)
Royal Air Force Knettishall or more simply RAF Knettishall is a former Royal Air Force station in Suffolk, England, UK. During the Second World War, it was numbered as Station 136 by the United States Army Air Forces while home to the 388th Bombardment Group and its four squadrons consisting of:
- 560th Bombardment Squadron
- 561st Bombardment Squadron
- 562nd Bombardment Squadron
- 563rd Bombardment Squadron
Part of the Eighth Air Force between 1943 and 1945.[1]: 321 Royal Air Force Knettishall was declared surplus to RAF requirements after the war's end, it was closed in 1957. Most of the runways and buildings were demolished by the late 1960s, although some were still standing as ruins by 2000.[2] The airfield itself remains in limited use by light general aviation aircraft to the present day.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "KNE 031 - Knettishall Airfield - Suffolk Heritage Explorer". heritage.suffolk.gov.uk.
- ^ "Knettishall". www.abct.org.uk. Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK.