RAF Mepal
Appearance
RAF Mepal | |||||||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
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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Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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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]
Current use
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2012) |
See also
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
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2012) |
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Mepal.
Categories:
- Use dmy dates from May 2013
- Articles with empty sections from April 2012
- Defunct airports in England
- Royal Air Force stations in Cambridgeshire
- Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
- Military units and formations established in 1942
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1963