RAF Shepherds Grove

RAF Shepherds Grove
Near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in England
RAF Shepherds Grove Shown within Suffolk
Coordinates	52°18′55″N 000°55′13″E / 52.31528°N 0.92028°E / 52.31528; 0.9202852°18′55″N 000°55′13″E / 52.31528°N 0.92028°E / 52.31528; 0.92028
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1944-1966 (1966)
Airfield information
Elevation	64 metres (210 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19 1,845 metres (6,053 ft) Asphalt 08/26 1,220 metres (4,003 ft) Asphalt 14/32 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) Asphalt

Royal Air Force Shepherds Grove or more simply RAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force station located in Suffolk, active from 1943–44 to 1966. Shepherds Grove was host to units of the United States Army Air Force, 8th Air Force. During the Cold war it was also one of the 20 Thor IRBM missile bases in the UK, as part of Project Emily.

Units[]

The following units were here at some point:^[1]

• No. 30 Gliding School RAF
• No. 82 Squadron RAF
• No. 196 Squadron RAF
• No. 299 Squadron RAF
• No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF
• became the Central Signals Establishment

See also[]

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• United States Air Forces in Europe
• United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

References[]

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

• Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
• Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
• Menard, David W., Before Centuries. USAFE Fighters 1948-1959

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Shepherds Grove.

• The Grover's Site
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos
• Shepherds Grove at www.controltowers.co.uk
• The 1954 Shepherds Grove Album
• The 1958 Shepherds Grove Album
• Aerial photo from Multimap.Com
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos taken in 2006
• the UnOfficial 81st SPS RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge Site the UnOfficial gathering place for the men and women who served in the USAF 81st Security (Air) Police Squadron at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge.