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RAF Woodhall Spa
Airfield Code: Google Earth Co-ordinates: 53° 8'6.97"N 0°11'27.00"W Wartime Runways: 06/24 = 6000ft x 150ft 12/30 & 18/36 = 4200ft x 150ft RAF Woodhall Spa was built to Class A standard and was located a mile south of Woodhall Spa village between the B1192 Woodhall Spa to Tattershall Thorpe road and the LNER Boston to Lincoln line. Built in 1941, the lengths of the three concrete runways were increased in the later stages of construction. A concrete perimeter track served the runway ends and 36 pan type hardstandings and one loop. The technical site was located towards Tattershall Thorpe between runway heads 30 and 36 with one Type T2 hangar and there was another T2 near the station main entrance on the south-west side with a B1 close by to the north. Bomb stores lay beyond the north perimeter in woodland between runway heads 18 and 24. The dispersed camp was south, mostly in Tattershall Thorpe parish, consisting of two communal, six domestic sites and sick quarters. Opened as a satellite station for RAF Coningsby, No.97 Squadron and its Lancaster's moved from RAF Coningsby to Woodhall Spa's paved surfaces in March 1942, the squadron having only just converted to Lancaster's. It flew its maiden mission with the type from the new station on March 20/21. The squadron operated from Woodhall Spa until mid-April 1943 when it was selected to transfer to No. 8 Group, Bomber Command and develop pathfinder techniques. The day after departing for Bourn, a detachment from No.97 was left behind to form No.619 Squadron, which flew its first raid on June 11/12. It stayed until January 1944 when it moved to RAF Coningsby. This was an exchange of stations with No.617 Squadron, which was pioneering the use of special weapons and tactics, notably the l2,000 lb and 22,000lb bombs. The reason for the move is understood to be because No.617 required more dispersals and RAF Coningsby was only a two squadron station. In April 1944 another specialist squadron, No.627 equipped with Mosquito's, arrived from RAF Oakington and No.8 Group to furnish No.5 Group with its own pathfinders. It was acting as Master Bomber for one of No.627's Mosquito's that Wing Commander Guy Gibson lost his life on the night of September 19/20, 1944 in a sortie from Woodhall Spa. Wing Commander J. B. Tait took over in July, the former commander of No.617, Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, the other famous Master Bomber, being awarded the Victoria Cross for his record of gallant actions and leadership. The two elite squadrons operated from Woodhall Spa up until the end of hostilities. No.617 was then moved to RAF Waddington in June and No.627 was re-numbered No.109 Squadron on October 1st, 1945 and moved to RAF Wickenby. Operational losses from Woodhall Spa amounted to 91 aircraft, 74 Lancaster's and 17 Mosquito's. With the end of the war in Europe the Woodhall Spa was used as an assembly and kiting-out point for ground personnel for Tiger Force, the planned heavy bomber force for the Far East. After VJ Day Tiger Force was dispersed, and with No.627 Squadron disbanded and with No.617 Squadron having moved to RAF Waddington, the airfield was closed. In the years that followed the site was used by 92 MSU for the storage of bombs. However revival came in 1960 when it was selected as a base for a Bloodhound ground-to-air missile site for the defence of the Lincolnshire's V-bomber stations. The first operating unit was No. 222 Squadron, replaced by No.112 Squadron with a new mark of Bloodhound four years later. The missiles were removed in 1965 but the site was retained for exercises. With the rest of the airfield sold off for agriculture or mineral extraction, the former missile site remained under the control of RAF Coningsby and was used for the servicing of Tornado engines until 2003 when it was mothballed. The RAF continues to hold part of the airfield as a satellite to Coningsby, albeit for component servicing and storage. There is a No.617 Dambusters Squadron memorial at Woodhall Spa. Aircraft & Squadrons
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