Part II of a Brief History of the RAF in Lincolnshire
The Second World War
The Later Years - 1943 - 45
Bomber Operations
After 3 ½ years of war, Bomber Command in March 1943 had a line up in Lincolnshire as follows -
1 Group - Wickenby, Grimsby, Elsham Wold, Kirmington, Ingham, Hemswell
5 Group - Waddington, Fiskerton, Skellingthorpe, Scampton, Woodhall Spa
New weapons and navigation aids were on-stream and the first 1000 Bomber raid, carried out in May 1942, was the norm. A Pathfinder Squadron was formed from crack crews which improved bombing accuracy.
617 Squadron - The Dambusters ( see this link for a story about "AJ-M" which crashed on the raid )
A new squadron, X, was formed at Scampton in March 1943, commanded by Guy Gibson. It was soon to be allocated the designation 617 squadron. The 'Dambuster' story is too involved to be told here, but save to say it became one of the first ' mid war ' successes that hinted that the tide was turning. The squadron was maintained after the dams raid to carry out other specialist tasks. In July, they carried out a raid in Italy, landing in N.Africa before returning home via another raid. August saw them move to Coningsby with it's new runways.
617 squadron carried out work on the new high altitude bomb sight as well as work on low level raiding. They were also involved on the eve of D-Day by throwing 'window' out slowly and steadily over the Calais coast to simulate an attack which, it was hoped would show up on the German radar. The spoof was a complete success. Raids were also undertaken on the 'Tirpitz' in a Norwegian fijord and the Bielfeld viaduct using the new 22,000 lb Grand Slam Bomb.
New Airfields
Almost monthly during 1943, new airfields opened. April saw Bardney open, Dunholme Lodge soon after. Two others were Ludford Magna and Kelstern, and before the end of the year Spilsby, Metheringham and North Killingholme opened.
1943 - 44 continued to see large raids leave from Bomber Command in Lincolnshire. New measures in warfare were employed at this time and a squadron from Ludford Magna were equiped to provide electronic counter measures over enemy teritory. The ABC equipment jammed German radar, and they carried a German speaking operator to add further confusion. All on top of normal bombing duties !
In 1944, Inhgam ceased to operate bombers as its runways could not take the Lancasters, its sqaudrons moving to Faldingworth. Dunholme Lodge also ceased flying as when Scampton re-opened with its concrete runways, both bases curcuits crossed and caused problems.
April 1945 saw Lincolnshires bomber airfields look like this
1 Group - Wickenby, Elsham Wolds, Ludford Magna, Hemswell, Scampton, Kirmington, Faldingworth, Binbrook, North Killingholme, Fiskerton
5 Group - Bardney, Spilsby, Fulbeck, Skellingthorpe, East Kirkby, Metheringham, Strubby, Waddington, Woodhall Spa
* Grimsby and Kelstern closed before the end of the war, with old airfields at Strubby and Fulbeck being taken over by bombers.
1 and 5 Groups alone lost 22,000 airmen, whose names are recorded in the RAF chapel in Lincoln Cathedral.
Bomber Support
The stations and squadrons also required bombs and fuel to keep running. A fuel depot in Torksey supplied most of the fuel for Lincolnshire, were as three other depots supplied ammunition and Oxygen. 93 MU was originally based on the Swinderby site, heavily camouflaged, and issued bombs to Hemswell, Waddington and Scampton. When Swinderby opened as an operational station the MU was re-named Norton Disney, a village a few miles away ( confuse the enemy ?)
100 MU, South Witham, opened in 1942. July that year 3,769 tons of ammunition was brought in by road and rail. ' Tallboys ' arrived in Feb 1945.
233 MU was established at Market Stainton in jan 1943. This site supplied the eastern airfields requiring a railhead at Brocklesby. The MU had 60 miles of grass verge for storage and so was dispered over a wide area.
Fighter Operations
Dayligh German raids had stopped by 1943 and so Kirton-in-Lindsey had a change of role to a training unit. Hibaldstow became it's satellite. RAF Digby had a mix of units passing through although the main users were still the Canadians. After August 1944 though, the base took on a non-operational role involved in radar calibration and other duties. Although the day menace had gone, the night raids were still a threat. As Hibaldstow had closed, Coleby Grange became the only defence in Lincolnshire.
Coastal Command
North Coats strike wing recieved rocket armed Beaufighters in June 1943 and successfuly used them against merchant shipping in the North sea. In Febrary 1944, it moved to Kent to cover the eastern approaches of the D-Day beaches before being moved back to North Coats in September. It was disbanded in june 1945, 484 men having lost their lives from the base.
Coastal command opened a station at Strubby in 1944 for air-sea rescue aircraft. It soon became a more offensive base when a Beaufighter Strike Wing was added. The station transferred to Bomber Command when North Coats became able to handle the enemy shipping off the coast of Holland on its own.
Non Flying Units
Lincolnshire was short on non-flying military establishments due to it's proximity to the enemy. However, one famous establishment was ' HMS Royal Arthur '. This was a Royal Naval centre based on the site of the Butlins Holiday Camp in Skegness. The RAF were also in Skegness with a recruitment base but it was not a complete site and various wings moved to other towns such as Boston.
The End of The War
The Cost
Lincolnshire was the home to most of the faces of the RAF - bombing, day/night fighting, coastal patrol, training and transport. 45 airfileds were utilised roughly 30,000 acres of land, which is 1.5 % of the total area of the county. Around 80,000 personel were stationed there, which had a great impact upon a previously rural county. War time bases, now closed, still leave their mark on the landscape.
The Post War Years
By early 1946, many stations had been closed and the remaining squadrons were reorganised. Many that were formed during the war and therefore had little tradition were disbanded. The exception was 617 squadron which was retained. The post war threat to the UK was already beginning to emerge in the form of the USSR, which meant that the Lincolnshire airfields were still considered as 'Front Line' and thus kept under the command of Bomber Command. A new aircraft was issued, called the 'Lincoln'. It was larger than the 'Lancaster' but had the same bomb load and was only 10mph faster.
A Transport Command unit was rarely seen in Lincolnshire, but in December 1945 for a year, 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit was based at Elsham Wolds until that base became non-operational. Metheringham lasted until Febraury 1946 and Faldingworth had a Polish Lancaster sqaudron until October 1946 before closing in October 1948 after briefly hosting a Polish 'Mosquito' sqadron. Many of the Polish airmen settled in Lincolnshire as they did not want to return to a Poland under USSR control. Skellingthorpe became home to 58MU which salvaged crashed aircraft for some while after. Spilsby ceased to operate bombers in October 1945, but continued to operate as 2 Armament Practice School until November 1946.
Training 1945 - 55
Manby had been renamed RAF Flying College, flying Canberras, and sought to give refreshers to officers in all weather flying, navigation and weapons training. Digby housed several training units until 1953, including Officers Advanced Training School, Secraterial Branch Training Establishment and Equipment Officers School. Kirton-in-Lindsey recieved the 'Oxford' aircraft of 7 Flying Training School in April 1946, but was replaced by 2 Initial Training School using 'Tiger Moths'. North Coats had several non-flying units such as 1 ITS, 15 School of Technical Training and a unit of 'Sycamore' search and rescue helicopters. North Coats also recieved aircraft for repair and salvage. Two MU's lasted until the early 1950's, when they were replaced by 92MU based at Wickenby from 1952 - 56.
As the Korean War progressed, disused Lincolnshire airfields were designated as reserve USAF bases. Few saw any active presence although Sturgate briefly had Strategic Fighter Wings 'Thunderstreak' jets.
Jet Aircraft 1951 - 1955
The threat of USSR agression escalated in the 1950's and the RAF began to grow again and re-arm. Fighter Command was now almost completly jet equiped with 'Meteors' and 'Vampires', but Bomber Command was still using piston engined aircraft and begining to show it's age. In May 1951 Binbrook got the first jet bombers to be brought into service with the RAF, the 'Canberra'. The Canberra was a success and was issued to Scampton soon after. Conningsby recieved Canberras in 1953. Hemswell became a split station, as two of it's squadrons still flew 'Lincolns' alongside the jets.
The Nuclear Deterrent
The RAF hit a peak of it's post war power in 1956. The new jet bombers had been designed, the ' V-Bomber ' force.The ' Vulcan ' aircraft was the more advanced of the force ( the other being the 'Valiant' ) and was sent to 1 Group at Scampton and Waddington. Both bases were re-constructed between1954 - 56 to accept them, including just one runway as opposed to the wartime triangle. Vulcans were designed to deliver Britain's 'H' bombs and so required local storage facilities. 92MU moved to Faldingworth from Wickenby in 1956 - 57 and resembled a high security prison.
The Suez Crisis errupted in October 1956 and saw many of Lincolnshires Canberras involved in bombing Egyptian targets. Binbrooks squadrons were based in Malta and Waddingtons went to Cyprus. Suez was not a success, however, and so a re-think over the years after reduced the RAF's presence. 1955 had 187 operational squadrons, by 1960 there were 135, by 1965 only 100.
Missiles were now thought of as the future of the deterrent, and in 1958 the US 'Thor' missile was brought to the UK. The missiles were based at five dispersal sites, all reporting to a central HQ. The Lincolnshire HQ was at Hemswell, with the dispersals at Bardney, Caistor, Coleby Grange and Ludford. This meant that with the V bombers in the county, there was a significant proportion of the UK's deterrent in Lincolnshire.
To defend these strategic bases, Fighter Commands Hunter and Javelin fighters and Bloodhound Air Denfence Missiles were used. North Coats was the first to recieve the Bloodhound missiles and radar tracking sets. Dunholme Lodge and Woodhall Spa also had Bloodhounds. The Thor missile set-up was soon found to be vulnerable to attack and thus disbanded. Hemswell became a recruit training centre before being put on care and maintainance in 1967.
Conningsby soon closed to be redesigned to take the new TSR2 aicraft but the programme was cancelled in 1965 by the new Labour Government. Other replacements were also cancelled and it wasn't until the early 80's that Conningsby could fly a modern Multi Role Aircraft, the 'Tornado'. Bomber Command became 1 ( Bomber ) Group, Strike Command in April 1968. The 'Blue Steel' missile was withdrawn in 1969 and the US Skybolt was cancelled. This meant that for many years after it entered service, the ' Vulcan ' remained the front line deterrent for which had become outdated.
1969 saw the Royal Navy take over the Nuclear role with the 'Polaris' submarines. 92MU at Faldingworth closed in 1972. By 1978 all the RAF's remaining Vulcans were based in Lincolnshire carrying out roles as diverse as radar training, oil platform patrols and reconnaissance.
The 70's and 80's and 90's
During the 70's, Binbrook became one of the RAF's major front line stations equiped with the 'Lightning ' and became the home of the the last British made supersonic fighter until the base closed in the late 80's, the end of the cold war was drawing near. Conningsby was eventually equiped with the ' Tornado ' aircraft in mid 1985, replacing the old ' Phantoms '. The station is still open and also now home to the ' Battle of Britain Memorial Flight '.
Swinderby and Scampton are now both closed. Swinderby held on with Aircrew Training until the early 90's, and Scampton with various roles until the mid 90's.
North Coats is now also closed, shut in the early 90's. Donna Nook bombing range is still open, but is now also a home to North Sea seal's and makes for an interesting nature walk.
Waddington is now the base of AWACs and Nimrod aircraft, which take on roles from North Sea patrols to airborne command centres. Digby is still in use as a communications station.
Lincolnshire has in recent years reaped the reward of the end of the cold war, and can now reclaim much of the land once taken by the RAF ( or at least make use of the buildings left behind ). Bases have closed and the few that remain are always wary of future Government cuts. However, the County can be proud that it had once served the nation as it's runway for over 80 years with both offensive and defensive roles.
The County offers a heritage of aviation that can be traced by driving the back roads armed with a road atlas. A large haystack could mean a concrete runway and a distant warehouse could be a disused hanger.
The information contained in this two part summary is taken for the book " Bomber County " by T N Hancock 1978. ISBN 0 86111 100 1.
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