Royal Air Force Rackheath, more commonly known as RAF Rackheath, is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Rackheath, approximately north-east of Norwich, in the county of Norfolk in England.
History
Laid out on agricultural land between the two settlements of Rackheath Parva and Rackheath Magna, construction on the airfield began in , for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force (8th AF). Constructed to the Air Ministry requirements for a class A airfield, it followed the typical layout of other heavy bomber bases, with a main runway of and two auxiliary runways of each. The perimeter track was in length, and this and the runways had a concrete screed finish. Mark II airfield lighting was installed, two T2 hangars were erected for major aircraft maintenance, and dispersed temporary building accommodation provided for some 2400 personnel in the wooded countryside of the estate to the south-west of the airfield. A dispersed weapon storage area was constructed to the north of the airfield. During construction, of soil were excavated, of soak-away drains installed, and of concrete laid. A major overhead power line had to be put underground to clear the aircraft flying approaches.
USAAF use
The airfield was given USAAF designation Station 145.
467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) The airfield was opened on , and was used by the 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 'The Rackheath Aggies', of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), arriving from Wendover AAF at Utah. The 467th was assigned to the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a 'Circle-P'. Flying Consolidated B-24 Liberators, its operational squadrons were: 788th Bombardment Squadron (X7) 789th Bombardment Squadron (6A) 790th Bombardment Squadron (Q2) 791st Bombardment Squadron (4Z)
The group flew the Consolidated B-24 Liberator as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. The 467th began operations on 10 April 1944, with an attack by thirty aircraft on an airfield at Bourges in central France.
In combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organisation, attacking the German navy harbour at Kiel, chemical plants at Bonn, textile factories at Stuttgart, power plants at Hamm, steel works at Osnabrück, the aircraft industry at Brunswick, and other objectives.
In addition to strategic operations, it was engaged occasionally in support and interdiction missions. It bombed shore installations and bridges near Cherbourg on D-Day, 6 June 1944. It struck enemy troop and supply concentrations near Montreuil on 25 July 1944 to assist the Allied drive across France.
In September, over two weeks the bombers flew petrol from Rackheath to a forward base at Clastres in France for use by the US mechanised forces. Attacked German communications and fortifications during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 to January 1945. To assist the Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945 it attacked enemy transportation.
The group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945, and then returned to the US to Sioux Falls AAF in South Dakota during June and July 1945. Subsequently, the 467th was re-designated as the 467th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan. The 467th was inactivated on 4 August 1946.
RAF use
The airfield was returned to the Royal Air Force, and a number of units were posted here: No. 94 Maintenance Unit RAF (27 January 1948 - 16 August 1954) No. 231 Maintenance Unit RAF
Current use
With the end of the war, the airfield was closed permanently in late , and the airfield site was returned to farming use. Save for a very small section of the main runway, small sections of perimeter track, and a solitary pair of former dispersed aircraft hardstandings on the south-west of the airfield which still exist; the remainder of the former airfield concrete infrastructure has been removed and broken up for re-use as construction aggregate. Muck Lane, which was previously closed when the airfield was constructed, was subsequently restored and re-opened to vehicular traffic, and alongside a small race track created for remote control car racing used by Norfolk Buggy Club.