RAF Lissett
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43 Base substation 1943-45
RAF Lissett | |||||||||||
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| Lissett, East Riding of Yorkshire in England | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force satellite station 43 Base substation 1943-45 | ||||||||||
| Code | LT[1] | ||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command * No. 4 Group RAF | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  RAF Lissett Shown within East Riding of Yorkshire  RAF Lissett RAF Lissett (the United Kingdom) | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°00′19″N 000°16′23″W / 54.00528°N 0.27306°W | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940/43 | ||||||||||
| In use | February 1943 - 1947 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 7 metres (23 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Lissett or more simply RAF Lissett is a former Royal Air Force station located 6.1 miles (9.8 km) south west of Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Based units
Originally required as satellite airfield for RAF Catfoss the land was requisitioned in 1940. Although constrained by three roads and the Gransmoor Drain the builders constructed a standard three-runway bomber airfield. It had two hangars and 36 dispersals and three concrete runways.
Lissett opened in February 1943 and No. 158 Squadron RAF arrived from RAF Rufforth to be the resident squadron on 28 February. 158 Squadron was a heavy bomber squadron equipped with the four-engined Handley Page Halifax. The squadron flew the first operational mission on the night of 11/12 March 1943 when ten aircraft were flown to Stuttgart. One aircraft failed to return. The squadron carried out operations up to the end of the war from Lissett. Apart from a few weeks in early 1944 only 158 Squadron operated out of the station, which was unusual for an RAF base. Over the course of the 2 years 158 Squadron was stationed there they completed 250 missions, suffering the loss of 144 aircraft, either destroyed in combat or in accident. In addition, 851 of the squadron's airmen were lost in the war.[2]
In May 1945 with the war at an end the squadron re-equipped with transport aircraft and was transferred to RAF Transport Command. The squadron flew early-war four engine Short Stirling bombers before departing to RAF Stradishall in August 1945. With the departure of 158 Squadron the station was relegated to a care and maintenance status but by the end of the year the airfield was abandoned and the technical areas used for storage.
| Unit | Aircraft | Variant | From | To | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 158 Squadron RAF | Handley Page Halifax Short Stirling |
II/III/VI V |
28 February 1943 | 17 August 1945 | Stradishall | Four-engined heavy bombers |
| No. 1484 Flight RAF | Boulton Paul Defiant Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Miles Martinet |
I | 1944 | 1944 | January and February 1944, target towing and gunnery training | |
| No. 14 Maintenance Unit | N/A | 1945 | 1947 | Elvington | Sub site | |
| No. 91 Maintenance Unit | N/A | 1945 | 1947 | Acaster Malbis | Sub site |
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