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RAF Mepal

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Coordinates: 52°23′44″N 000°07′11″E / 52.39556°N 0.11972°E / 52.39556; 0.11972
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RAF Mepal
Mepal, Cambridgeshire in England
RAF Mepal is located in Cambridgeshire
RAF Mepal
RAF Mepal
Shown within Cambridgeshire
RAF Mepal is located in the United Kingdom
RAF Mepal
RAF Mepal
RAF Mepal (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates52°23′44″N 000°07′11″E / 52.39556°N 0.11972°E / 52.39556; 0.11972
TypeRoyal Air Force Station
CodeMP[1]
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Bomber Command
* No. 3 Group RAF
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
In useJune 1943 - 1963 (1963)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation24 metres (79 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
05/23  Concrete
08/26  Concrete
14/32  Concrete
Other airfield
facilities		Runway information[2]

Royal Air Force Mepal or more simply RAF Mepal is a former Royal Air Force station located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of Mepal, Cambridgeshire, England and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943.[2][3]

History

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Mepal first hosted No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters.[4]

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.[5]

Thor missiles

From 1957 PGM-17 Thor missiles were based at the airfield in the north east corner.[2][6]

The following units were also here at some point:[4]

Current use

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Very little remains of the original site, most of it razed to the ground after the USAF and the Thor missiles left. The site is now the Elean business park and is home to the world's only straw burning power station and a few manufacturing and warehousing operations. A small memorial plaque is in place at the entrance to the site.

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 141.
  2. ^ a b c "Bomber Command – Mepal". Ministry of Defence – Royal Air Force. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Mepal". Control Towers. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Mepal". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  5. ^ "RAF Mepal". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  6. ^ "RAF Mepal Thor Missile Site". English Heritage – Pastscape. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

Bibliography

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  • Falconer, Jonathan (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
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Media related to RAF Mepal at Wikimedia Commons

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