RAF Snailwell
Former RAF station in Cambridgeshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Royal Air Force Snailwell or more simply RAF Snailwell is a former Royal Air Force station located near to the village of Snailwell, Cambridgeshire, located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Newmarket, Suffolk, England.
CodeSW
OwnerAir Ministry
| RAF Snailwell USAAF Station 361  | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snailwell, Cambridgeshire in England | |||||||||||
 Aerial photograph of Snailwell airfield, 26 July 1942 | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||
| Code | SW | ||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Army Cooperation Command 1941-43 RAF Fighter Command 1943-44 RAF Technical Training Command 1944- | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  RAF Snailwell Shown within Cambridgeshire | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°16′28″N 000°25′11″E | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940/41 | ||||||||||
| In use | March 1941 – 1946 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 21 metres (69 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
History
- USAAF 347th Fighter Squadron[2]
Operational Royal Air Force units and aircraft
- No. 56 Squadron RAF (1942) – Hawker Typhoon IA and IB.[3]
- No. 137 Squadron RAF (1942) – Westland Whirlwind I.[4]
- No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF (1941) – Supermarine Spitfire IIA.[5]
- No. 168 Squadron RAF (1942) – Curtiss Tomahawk II.[6]
- No. 170 Squadron RAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.[7]
- No. 181 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.[7]
- No. 182 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.[8]
- No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.[8]
- No. 184 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane IV.[8]
- No. 247 (China-British) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.[9]
- No. 268 Squadron RAF (1941) – Curtiss Tomahawk IIA.[10]
- No. 268 Squadron RAF (1942) – North American Mustang I.[10]
- No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (1943) – North American Mustang I.[11]
- No. 527 Squadron RAF (1944) – Hawker Hurricane IIB.[12]
- No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAuxAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.[13]
- Units
- No. 2 Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit[2]
- No. 3 Group Communication Flight RAF[2]
- No. 5 (RCAF) Casualty Air Evacuation Unit[2]
- No. 22 Elementary Flying Training School RAF[2]
- No. 417 Repair & Salvage Unit[2]
- No. 2720 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 2751 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 2759 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 2794 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 2809 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 2876 Squadron RAF Regiment[2]
- No. 3207 Servicing Commando[2]
- RAF (Belgian) Training School RAF[2]
Current use
The site has now returned to agriculture and paddocks.
