RAF Snailwell

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 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Newmarket, Suffolk, England.

RAF Snailwell USAAF Station 361
Snailwell, Cambridgeshire in England
Aerial photograph of Snailwell airfield, 26 July 1942
RAF Snailwell Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates	52°16′28″N 000°25′11″E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	SW
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Controlled by	RAF Army Cooperation Command 1941-43 RAF Fighter Command 1943-44 RAF Technical Training Command 1944-
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)/41
In use	March 1941 – 1946 (1946)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	21 metres (69 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Grass 00/00  Grass 00/00  Grass

Photograph of segment of taxiway remaining on the site of RAF Snailwell in December 2005, taken at grid reference TL 652 668 looking roughly North East

History

• USAAF 347th Fighter Squadron^[2]

Operational Royal Air Force units and aircraft

• No. 56 Squadron RAF (1942) – Hawker Typhoon IA and IB.^[3]
• No. 137 Squadron RAF (1942) – Westland Whirlwind I.^[4]
• No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF (1941) – Supermarine Spitfire IIA.^[5]
• No. 168 Squadron RAF (1942) – Curtiss Tomahawk II.^[6]
• No. 170 Squadron RAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.^[7]
• No. 181 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.^[7]
• No. 182 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.^[8]
• No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.^[8]
• No. 184 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane IV.^[8]
• No. 247 (China-British) Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Typhoon IB.^[9]
• No. 268 Squadron RAF (1941) – Curtiss Tomahawk IIA.^[10]
• No. 268 Squadron RAF (1942) – North American Mustang I.^[10]
• No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (1943) – North American Mustang I.^[11]
• No. 527 Squadron RAF (1944) – Hawker Hurricane IIB.^[12]
• No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAuxAF (1943) – North American Mustang I.^[13]

Units

• No. 2 Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit^[2]
• No. 3 Group Communication Flight RAF^[2]
• No. 5 (RCAF) Casualty Air Evacuation Unit^[2]
• No. 22 Elementary Flying Training School RAF^[2]
• No. 417 Repair & Salvage Unit^[2]
• No. 2720 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 2751 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 2759 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 2794 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 2809 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 2876 Squadron RAF Regiment^[2]
• No. 3207 Servicing Commando^[2]
• RAF (Belgian) Training School RAF^[2]

Current use

The site has now returned to agriculture and paddocks.

References

Citations

1. Falconer 1998, p. 79.
2. "Snailwell". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 43.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 60.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 62.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 65.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 66.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 77.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 81.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 85.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 96.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 100.

Bibliography

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