Royal Air Force Oulton or more simply RAF Oulton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located west of Aylsham, Norfolk and northwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.

The airfield was built over 1939 and 1940 as a bomber airfield with T2 type hangars and grass runways, the facility operating as a satellite airfield of nearby RAF Horsham St. Faith between July 1940 and September 1942 after which it operated as a satellite airfield of RAF Swanton Morley.

History

In September 1943, Oulton was transferred from 2 Group to 3 Group and closed to flying for re-construction as a heavy bomber base with concrete runways, taxiways and parking areas. The work was completed in April 1944 and the airfield transferred to No. 100 Group RAF. Flying operations ceased at the end of July 1945, after which it was taken over by RAF Maintenance Command which used it to store de Havilland Mosquitos until November 1947.

+RAF Oulton Order of Battle Squadron Aircraft Dates at RAF Oulton 114 Blenheim Mk.IV July 1940 to March 1941Air Pictorial October 1967, p. 373.Bowyer 1990, pp. 171–172. 18 Blenheim Mk.IV April 1941 to July 1941 and November to December 1941Bowyer 1990, p. 172. 139 Blenheim Mk.IV December 1941 to February 1942 1428 Hudson Conversion Flight Hudson Mk.III December 1941 to May 1942 236 Beaufighter Mk.IC July 1942 to September 1942 88 Boston Mk.III and IIIA September 1942 to March 1943 21 Ventura Mk.I and II April 1943 to September 1943 No. 1699 (Bomber Support) Flight RAF Fortress May 1944 to June 1945 214 Fortress May 1944 to July 1945 803rd Bomb Squadron Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator May 1944 to August 1944 223 Flying Fortress and Liberator August 1944 to July 1945

Additional Units No. 18 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section No. 274 Maintenance Unit RAF No. 1428 (Ferry Training) Flight RAF No. 2873 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2874 Squadron RAF Regiment

Current use

The site is now farmland.

Museum The RAF Oulton Museum is housed on the Blickling Hall estate, belonging to the National Trust.

See also List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

Bibliography Bowyer, J.F. Action Stations 1: Wartime military airfields of East Anglia 1939. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Limited, Second edition, 1990. . "Your Questions Answered...Oulton, Norfolk". Air Pictorial, October 1967. p. 373.

External links