BOMBER COMMAND BASES
LITTLE STAUGHTON
The airfield was not built until 1942, as a standard bomber station. It was only
to exist for less than three years but saw plenty of action as a repair base for
damaged American B-17s until February 1944 and then as a Pathfinder station with
Lancasters and Mosquitos.
The new Lancaster squadron, No 582 officially formed on 1st April 1944 and they were joined the next day by the Mosquito crews of No 109 squadron from Marham in Norfolk who saw action over Cologne only three days later; many more sorties were to be flown by them The Lancasters were to go into action on the 9th and took part in many intensive raids in France and Belgium. Both squadrons were very active on 5th/6th June, the eve of D-Day and continued afterwards with many successful and heroic missions. Mosquito type XVI, crewed by Flying Officers A.C. Austin and P. Moorehead dropped the last bombs of the war at 02:14 hours on 21st April 1945.
At the end of 1945 the airfield was placed under care and maintenance but was effectively closed to service flying and is now in very limited use by a small number of private aircraft.
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