RAF Mepal ){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry/Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Mepal, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1942 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1943-1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°23′44″N 000°07′11″E / 52.39556°N 0.11972°E | ||||||||||||||||||
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)  Mepal Airfield Location in Cambridgeshire | |||||||||||||||||||
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Runway information[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
RAF Mepal is a former RAF station located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of Mepal, Cambridgeshire, England and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Ely. Construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943.[1][2]
History
Mepal first hosted No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters.[3]
Tiger Force
It was used towards the end of the Second World War to prepare Avro Lancaster bombers squadrons such as No. 44 (Rhodesia) squadron for use in Tiger Force which was to bomb Japan.[4]
Thor missiles
From 1957 PGM-17 Thor missiles were based at the airfield in the north east corner.[1][5]
See also
- List of former Royal Air Force stations
References
Citations
- ^ a b c "Bomber Command - Mepal". Ministry of Defence - Royal Air Force. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Mepal". Control Towers. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Mepal". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "RAF Mepal". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "RAF Mepal Thor Missile Site". English Heritage - Pastscape. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
Bibliography
External links
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Media related to RAF Mepal at Wikimedia Commons