RAF Snailwell explained

RAF Snailwell USAAF Station 361
Location:	Snailwell, Cambridgeshire
Country:	England
Type:	Royal Air Force station
Pushpin Map:	Cambridgeshire
Pushpin Map Caption:	Shown within Cambridgeshire
Pushpin Label:	RAF Snailwell
Ownership:	Air Ministry
Operator:	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Controlledby:	RAF Army Cooperation Command 1941-43 RAF Fighter Command 1943-44 RAF Technical Training Command 1944-
Code:	SW
Built:	/41
Used:	March 1941 –
Battles:	European theatre of World War II
Elevation:	21m (69feet)
R1-Number:	00/00
R1-Surface:	Grass
R2-Number:	00/00
R2-Surface:	Grass
R3-Number:	00/00
R3-Surface:	Grass

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 north of Newmarket, Suffolk, England.

History

• USAAF 347th Fighter Squadron

Operational Royal Air Force units and aircraft

• No. 56 Squadron RAF (1942) – Hawker Typhoon IA and IB.
• No. 137 Squadron RAF (1942) – Westland Whirlwind I.
• No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF (1941) – Supermarine Spitfire IIA.
• No. 168 Squadron RAF (1942) – Curtiss Tomahawk II.
• No. 170 Squadron RAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.
• No. 181 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.
• No. 182 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.
• No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.
• No. 184 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane IV.
• No. 247 (China-British) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.
• No. 268 Squadron RAF (1941) – Curtiss Tomahawk IIA.
• No. 268 Squadron RAF (1942) – North American Mustang I.
• No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (1943) – North American Mustang I.
• No. 527 Squadron RAF (1944) – Hawker Hurricane IIB.
• No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAuxAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.

Units:

Current use

The site has now returned to agriculture and paddocks.

References

Bibliography

• Book: Falconer. J. RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2 . 1998 . Ian Allan Publishing. UK. 0-7110-2175-9.
• Book: Jefford . C G . RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 . 1988 . Airlife . . 1-85310-053-6 .