Royal Air Force Stations in Lincolnshire

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RAF Scampton / Brattleby

Airfield Code: EGXP; Grid reference centred: SK 96606 797. Operational







Home Defence Flight Station Brattleby was opened on the site of the current RAF Scampton in late 1916. The aerodrome covered 287 acres consisting of a landing ground and six single-span end-opening General Service Flight Sheds arranged in pairs with their doors at 90-degrees to the landing ground. The first operational unit was 'A' Flight, 33 Squadron RFC (33(HD) Squadron), which flew FE2bs defending against the Zeppelin threat. training aerodrome, supporting No. 60 Training Squadron, followed by No. 81 and No. 11 Training Squadrons, flying the Sopwith Camel, Pup and Dolphin. The station was renamed as Scampton in 1917 following which it was designated as 34 Training Depot Station and continued with its operational programme until it was closed in April 1919.
The name of Scampton will always be synonymous with The Dam Busters.

The site was one of a number of WWI locations to be surveyed as possible airfield sites under the expansion schemes in the mid-1930s. The airfield was built to the standard Expansion Period design. A grass-surfaced flying field was fronted by four ‘C’ Type hangars, beyond which was the technical site with its permanent brick-built structures. To the east and south of the technical site, but still within the camp, barrack blocks, messes, dining rooms and semi-detached married quarters were constructed, and on 27 August 1936, RAF Scampton, opened as a bomber airfield under 3 Group.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Scampton transferred to 5 Group RAF in Bomber Command, playing host to the Hampdens of 49 Squadron and 83 Squadron. On 3 September 1939, six hours after the declaration of war, RAF Scampton launched the first offensive by the Royal Air Force when six Hampdens of 83 Squadron, led by (the then) Flying Officer Guy Gibson and three 49 Squadron Hampdens, one piloted by Flying Officer Roderick Learoyd, were despatched to conduct a sweep off Wilhelmshaven. Further operations involving Scampton's squadrons concerned them with the hazardous task of low level minelaying (code named 'Gardening').
For a time in 1942, the station was home to 49 Squadron and 83 Squadron operating the Avro Manchester. This was a brief liaison with the squadrons subsequently converting to the Avro Lancaster, at the same time creating 83 CF and 49 CF (Conversion Flight) both squadrons were fully equipped with the Lancaster by the end of June. The first departure was that of 83 Squadron which left in August 1942, transferring to RAF Wyton in order to become part of the fledgling Pathfinder Force. 83 CF moved to RAF Wigsley where it was disbanded into 1654 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit). Both squadrons were then replaced at Scampton by 57 Squadron.49 Squadron departed for RAF Fiskerton with 49 CU disbanding, subsequently becoming 'C' Flight of 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Waddington. By early January 1943 this left 57 Squadron as the sole occupier of the base.

Following the development of 'Upkeep' the bouncing bomb, 617 Squadron, originally referred to as "Squadron X", was formed at Scampton in order to carry out the proposed raid, code-named Operation Chastise. More commonly referred to as the "Dambusters Raid", the raid would go down as the most famous and widely remembered in the history of the Royal Air Force.
At the end of August 1943, 57 Squadron and 617 Squadron moved to RAF East Kirkby and RAF Coningsby respectively, so that Scampton's runways could be upgraded. With the increased all up weight of the Lancaster it was apparent that the load bearing of hardened runways would have to be increased. The work took fourteen months resulting in a typical Class "A" Bomber airfield and area of land which the base occupied had now increased to 580 acres.
The station passed from 5 Group to 1 Group with a new arrival following the upgrade being 1690 Bomber Defence Training Flight (BDTF) which arrived on 13 July 1944. The BDTF consisted of Spitfires, Hurricanes and Martinets, the flight undertaking fighter affiliation against bombers. This unit stayed at the station until September 1944, when it moved to RAF Metheringham. Replaced by 1687 BDTF which arrived in early December 1944, and departed for RAF Hemswell in April 1945. Two Lancaster squadrons, 153 Squadron (153 Squadron), and later 625 Squadron, of 1 Group RAF also arrived at Scampton. The last bombing mission of the Second World War launched from RAF Scampton was on 25 April 1945, when aircraft from 153 Squadron and 625 Squadron were despatched as part of a raid on the Obersalzberg.

From July 1948, Scampton housed Boeing B-29 Superfortresses of the USAF 28th Bombardment Group, as part of a network of Emergency War Plan Airfields. With its main runway less than 6,000 ft in length and a chronic shortage of suitable hardstandings, Scampton was far from ideal and RAF Scampton was handed back to the Royal Air Force.
During the Cold War period Scampton was supporting four Canberra squadrons; 10, 18, 21 and 27 Squadron before being selected as one of ten airfields which were to accommodate part of the RAF V-force, in the case of Scampton, the Avro Vulcan. This required extensive new ground facilities, including a high security area for the storage and maintenance of nuclear weapons and heavy-duty hardstandings for the aircraft, and the runway lengthened to 9,000 feet. The base is still operational and currently (2019) is home to the Red Arrows display team. (abridged from wikipedia)

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