| 词条 | RAF Wattisham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 释义 |
| name = RAF Wattisham | ensign = | ensign_size = | native_name = | partof = | location = Wattisham, Suffolk | nearest_town = | country = England | image = File:McDonnell F-4J Phantom F3, UK - Air Force AN1648857.jpg | alt = A McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom F3 of No. 74 Squadron which was based at RAF Wattisham. | caption = A McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom F3 of No. 74 Squadron which was based at RAF Wattisham. | image2 = RAF Wattisham.jpg | image2_size = 100px | alt2 = Station badge | caption2 = Supra mare supra terramque ({{Language with name/for|2=Latin|3=Above the sea and above the land}}) | type = Royal Air Force flying station station | coordinates = {{coord|52.128|0.956|type:landmark_region:GB-SFK|display=inline}} | gridref = | image_map = | image_mapsize = | image_map_alt = | image_map_caption = | pushpin_map = Suffolk | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Suffolk | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_image = | pushpin_label = RAF Wattisham | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_marksize = | ownership = | operator = Ministry of Defence | controlledby = Royal Air Force (1939–1942 and 1946–1993) United States Army Air Forces (1942–1946) | open_to_public = | site_other_label = | site_other = | site_area = 409 hectares | code = | built = {{Start date|df=yes|1938}} | used = 1939–{{End date|1993}} | builder = John Laing & Son Ltd | materials = | height = | length = | fate = Transferred to the British Army's Army Air Corps and became Wattisham Airfield. | condition = Closed | battles = | events = | current_commander = | past_commanders = | garrison = | occupants = | website = | footnotes = | IATA = | ICAO = EGUW | FAA = | TC = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = 03590 | elevation = {{Convert|89|m|0}} | r1-number = 05/23 | r1-length = {{Convert|2,424|m|0}} | r1-surface = Asphalt | h1-number = | h1-length = | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label = | airfield_other = }} Royal Air Force Station Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham {{Airport codes||EGUW}} is a former Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front-line air force base before closing in 1993 and is now operated by the British Army as Wattisham Airfield. HistoryRoyal Air Force useRAF Wattisham opened on 5 April 1939 as a medium bomber station, the squadrons there being equipped with Bristol Blenheim bombers.[1] Part of No. 2 Group, No. 107 Squadron RAF and No. 110 Squadron RAF were stationed there on the outbreak of war as No. 83 Wing.[2] On 4 September 1939, just 29 hours after the declaration of war, bombers from Wattisham took off on the first attack of the war, against enemy shipping in Wilhelmshaven harbour.[1] The following squadrons and units also were based at Wattisham at some point during this time:
In September 1942 the base was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces.[1] United States Army Air Forces useWattisham was assigned USAAF designation Station 377 and Station 470, and work began on building concrete runways with the intention of adapting the airfield for heavy bomber use. However, plans were apparently changed when it was evident that there would be sufficient heavy bomber airfields available for the USAAF, and it was decided that Wattisham would remain an air depot and also house a fighter unit.[15] Work ceased on the runways leaving only the E-W with a concrete surface and short stretches of the other two. The main SW-NE runway was finished off with steel matting while the remaining NW-SE runway continued to be grass-surfaced for most of its length.[15] 68th Observation GroupBetween October and December 1942 the 68th Observation Group operated the Bell P-39D Airacobra from Wattisham.[16] 4th Strategic Air DepotThe 4th Strategic Air Depot (originally the 3rd Advanced Air Depot and then 3rd Technical Air Depot) serviced many types of aircraft but, by late 1943, was concentrating on fighter types. An additional technical area with four T2 hangars, some eighteen hardstands and a taxiway loop joining the airfield perimeter track, were constructed on the south side of the airfield. An engineering complex in temporary buildings was built around this area, chiefly in the village of Nedging Tye.[15] The 4th Strategic Air Depot installation was officially named Hitcham, which was actually the name of a village two miles to the north-west of the site, to differentiate it from the fighter station using the same airstrip.[15] The base was, by 1944, responsible for the maintenance of all American fighters in the UK.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} 479th Fighter GroupAlong with the depot maintenance mission, Wattisham also hosted an Eighth Air Force fighter group, the 479th Fighter Group, arriving from Santa Maria AAF, California, on 15 May 1944.[17] The group was part of the 65th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command.[18] Aircraft of the group had no cowling color markings as did other Eighth Air Force fighter groups and were marked only with colored tail rudders. The initial inventory of the P-38's, many of which were hand-me-downs from other groups painted in olive drab camouflage, used geometric symbols on the tail to identify squadrons, white for camouflaged aircraft and black for unpainted (natural metal finish) Lightnings.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} The group consisted of the following squadrons:
The 479th FG escorted heavy bombers during operations against targets on the continent, strafed targets of opportunity, and flew fighter-bomber, area and counter-air patrol missions. Engaged primarily in escort activities and fighter sweeps until the Normandy invasion in June 1944.[17] The group patrolled the beachhead during the invasion, strafed and dive-bombed troops, bridges, locomotives, railway cars, barges, vehicles, airfields, gun emplacements, flak towers, ammunition dumps, power stations and radar sites while on escort or fighter-bomber missions as the Allies drove across France during the summer and fall of 1944. The unit flew area patrols to support the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July and the airborne attack on the Netherlands in September.[17] The 479th Fighter Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for the destruction of numerous aircraft on airfields in France on 18 August and 5 September and during aerial battle near Münster on 26 September. The unit continued escort and fighter-bomber activities from October to mid-December 1944. It converted to P-51s between 10 September and 1 October, using both types on missions until conversion was completed.[17] The group participated in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) by escorting bombers to and from targets in the battle area and by strafing transportation targets while on escort duty. From February to April 1945 it continued to fly escort missions, but also provided area patrols to support the airborne attack across the Rhine in March.[17] The unit returned to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, in November 1945,[20] and was inactivated in December 1945.[17] Among the notable pilots of the 479th were its second group commander, Col. Hubert Zemke,[20] and an ace, Major Robin Olds.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} LegacyThe United States Air Force 479th Tactical Fighter Wing at George AFB, California, (1952–1971) was bestowed the lineage, honors and history of the World War II USAAF 479th Fighter Group. The 479th TFW deployed personnel and aircraft to Key West NAS, Florida, in response to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and deployed squadrons frequently to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Later, the 479th Tactical Training Wing at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, (1977–1991) provided pilot training.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} The 479th Fighter Group at Moody AFB, Georgia, (2000–2007) and since 2009 at NAS Pensacola, Florida, currently as the 479th Flying Training Group.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} Back to Royal Air Force controlIn 1946, the base was returned to the RAF and was used by No. 266 Squadron RAF which initially between 4 November 1946 and 5 December and again between 4 January 1947 and 16 April 1947 were based here. Both times the squadron flew the Gloster Meteor F.3.[21] The Air Ministry Servicing Development Unit formed here on 1 January 1947 with a number of aircraft including the Avro York I, Hawker Tempest V, Gloster Meteor F.4 & T.7, Avro Anson T.20 and the de Havilland Vampire F.3.[22] The squadron disbanded on 1 June 1950 at RAF Wittering.[23] runways - 16 apr 47 – 27 oct 50 In 1949, new runways were laid,{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} and the following year Wattisham became home to the Gloster Meteor, the UK's first jet fighter. 152 Squadron was using Meteor night fighters NF 12,[24] and these were added to in 1954 by Hawker Hunters, from 257 and 263 Squadrons, the UK's next generation fighter, which helped secure Wattisham's future as a major fighter base.[25][26] 257 Sqn had an American C.O., Major Howard E Tanner in 1955, the Station Commander was Group Captain Edwards, another Bader figure with artificial legs, the Wing Commander was one of the four Sowerey brothers, all of which held senior RAF posts.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} There was also a Station Flight which received and serviced visiting aircraft and had aircraft for other purposes. These included a de Havilland Vampire, a de Havilland Dragon Rapide and the COs Hunter.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} In 1955, with pilots returning from the Korean War with battle and aerobatic expertise, following another renovation, the Royal Air Force's display team, the Black Arrows, was added to Wattisham's roster, flying the Hunters. Air displays were a regular feature from 1959.[16] In the late 1950s, the Cold War began to develop and so the RAF began to develop Britain's air defence. So, in 1960, the station was equipped with the very latest in British fighter aircraft: the English Electric Lightning. The combination of the capabilities of this plane and Wattisham's location near the East Anglian coast was very suitable for countering the threats faced from the east. The airfield quickly became one of, if not the front-line airbase in the UK. So throughout the Cold War Wattisham operated its 'QRA' or Quick Reaction Alert Sheds where live armed jets were on standby at all times and it was also a major 'Blacktop' diversion runway.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} In 1974 McDonnell Douglas Phantoms arrived to replace the Lightnings. They continued the role of playing a major part in defending Britain's airspace which largely involved intercepting the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 Bear aircraft. The Phantoms served through to 1992 and the end of the Cold War.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} “Phantoms were landing at Wattisham in 1966/67 as I witnessed from Newton Green as they passed over slightly north of the church. They were on a north easterly heading and made far more noise than the Lightning as they seemed to need a lot of thrust to stay airborne at low speed. As there were other USAAF airfields around they might not have been stationed there but using it for ‘circuits and bumps’.” Squadrons at Wattisham between 1949 and 1992
ClosureWattisham's future hung in the balance as a major air force base and it was decided that with the Cold War threat gone it was no longer needed by the RAF. Wattisham stood down as a fighter base on 31 October 1992. The station was transferred to the control of the British Army in September 1993.[37] The Army Air Corps soon moved in and it rapidly became a major Army airfield. The Royal Air Force returned to operate Westland Sea King Search and Rescue helicopters on the site of the former QRA hangars. See also{{Portal|Royal Air Force|United States Air Force|Military of the United States|World War II}}
References{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}Citations1. ^1 2 {{Harvnb|Bowyer|1979|p=205.}} 2. ^{{cite web|title=Bomber Command - No. 2 Group|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h2gp.html|publisher=Royal Air Force|accessdate=14 February 2013|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121160844/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h2gp.html|archivedate=21 January 2013|df=dmy-all}} 3. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=28.}} 4. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=29.}} 5. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=30.}} 6. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=33.}} 7. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=51.}} 8. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=57.}} 9. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=73.}} 10. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=75.}} 11. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=95.}} 12. ^{{Harvnb|Lake|1999|p=37.}} 13. ^{{Harvnb|Lake|1999|p=38.}} 14. ^1 {{cite web|url=http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/wattisham |title=Wattisham |publisher=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust|accessdate=14 February 2013}} 15. ^1 2 3 {{Harvnb|Freeman|2001|p=230.}} 16. ^1 {{Harvnb|Bowyer|1979|p=206.}} 17. ^1 2 3 4 5 {{Harvnb|Maurer|1980|p=351.}} 18. ^{{Harvnb|Maurer|1980|p=403.}} 19. ^1 2 {{cite book|title=Mighty Eighth|year=2013|publisher=Key Publishing Ltd|location=Stamford, Lincolnshire, England|pages=90}} 20. ^1 {{Harvnb|Maurer|1980|p=352.}} 21. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=81.}} 22. ^{{Harvnb|Lake|1999|p=18.}} 23. ^{{Harvnb|Lake|1999|p=19.}} 24. ^1 {{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=63.}} 25. ^1 {{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=79.}} 26. ^1 {{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=80.}} 27. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=32.}} 28. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=34.}} 29. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=39.}} 30. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=43.}} 31. ^1 {{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=48.}} 32. ^1 {{cite web|url=http://www.controltowers.co.uk/W-Z/Wattisham.htm |title=RAF Wattisham airfield |publisher=Control Towers|accessdate=23 September 2012}} 33. ^{{Harvnb|Lake|1999|p=215.}} 34. ^{{Harvnb|Jefford|2001|p=56.}} 35. ^{{cite web|title=The Wattisham chronicles|url=http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/wattisham/wattisham.htm|publisher=Air Scene UK|accessdate=16 April 2009}} 36. ^{{cite web|title=Wattisham Mk. 2 Bloodhound Missile Site|url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/w/wattisham/index4.html|publisher=Subterranea Britannica|accessdate=16 April 2009}} 37. ^{{Cite book|title=Brace by Wire to Fly-By-Wire – 80 Years of the Royal Air Force 1918–1998|last=March|first=Peter R.|publisher=Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises|year=1998|isbn=1-899808-06-X|location=RAF Fairford|pages=160}} Bibliography
External links{{Commons category|RAF Wattisham}}
5 : Airfields of the VIII Fighter Command in the United Kingdom|Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk|Airports in England|Military units and formations established in 1939|Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom |
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