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| RAF Bungay | |
|---|---|
| Name | RAF Bungay |
| Ensign | Royal Air Force Roundel.svg |
| Location | Bungay, Suffolk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Coordinates | 52.4510°N 1.5020°E |
| Used | 1942–1946 |
| Battles | World War II |
| Occupants | United States Army Air Forces 446th Bombardment Group |
RAF Bungay was a Second World War airfield in Bungay, Suffolk that served as a base for United States Army Air Forces heavy bombardment operations from 1943 to 1945. The station supported strategic missions over Europe, hosted large formations of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and became a focal point for transatlantic cooperation involving units from Eighth Air Force, VIII Bomber Command, and adjacent bases such as RAF Hethel and RAF Hardwick. After 1945 the site passed through phases of disposals, civilian reuse, and preservation driven by local groups and national heritage bodies.
Construction began under Air Ministry directives in 1942 as part of the rapid expansion of Royal Air Force stations to accommodate United States Army Air Forces deployment to the United Kingdom. The station opened in 1943 and was allocated to the Eighth Air Force; it became home to the 446th Bombardment Group (Heavy), which conducted sorties against targets in Germany, France, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. RAF Bungay personnel cooperated with nearby USAAF bases including RAF Shipdham and RAF Snetterton Heath during major campaigns such as the Combined Bomber Offensive and supported operations tied to Operation Overlord and the Battle of the Bulge. Following V-E Day the airfield hosted demobilisation activity and returned to Air Ministry control before being sold off and gradually repurposed for agriculture, industry, and community use.
The airfield was constructed with three concrete runways in the standard triangular layout used across Class A airfields built for the United States Army Air Forces in Britain, with perimeter tracks, hardstands, a technical site, and two T2 hangars. Support buildings included operations block, control tower, administration blocks, and extensive accommodation dispersed across Nissen huts and standardized brick married quarters similar to designs at RAF Deopham Green and RAF Flixton. Defensive facilities featured Anti-Aircraft Command emplacements and perimeter lighting, while fuel and bomb storage were sited in revetted dumps compliant with Air Ministry wartime regulations. Postwar demolition removed much of the aviation infrastructure; surviving elements include sections of runway, the station watch office, and various ancillary buildings repurposed for industrial use.
Primary occupant was the 446th Bombardment Group (Heavy), comprising the 704th, 705th, 706th, and 707th Bombardment Squadrons, which flew strategic bombing missions under the authority of VIII Bomber Command and later 1st Bombardment Division. Missions included precision and area bombing against V-weapon sites, aircraft factories such as those associated with Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf, oil refineries like Ploiești-related targets, and transportation hubs in support of Operation Market Garden. The group flew alongside and coordinated with units from 91st Bomb Group, 351st Bomb Group, and other Eighth Air Force formations on large raids over targets including Berlin, Hamburg, and Leipzig. RAF Bungay-based crews also conducted support sorties for Operation Overlord and interdiction missions during the Battle of the Bulge.
The station predominantly hosted the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber; airframes were maintained with spares, powerplants such as Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, and avionics consistent with USAAF standards. Ground equipment included petrol bowsers, bomb trolleys, de-icing gear, and armament stores for .50 caliber machine guns and bomb racks like the British AN-M65 and US-pattern units. Maintenance activities were carried out in technical workshops using jacks, A-frame winches, and specialist test beds akin to those at RAF Bassingbourn and RAF Alconbury, with periodic ferrying to depot units for depot-level overhaul. Training and conversion flights used operational training units and satellite fields, and instrument landing aids of the period were installed to assist operations in poor weather.
Operational tempo and Luftwaffe opposition resulted in crew losses and aircraft write-offs; recorded casualties from missions flown out of the airfield include crews lost over Germany and during daylight raids in 1943–1944. Ground accidents, training incidents, and non-combat losses also contributed to the human cost attributed to the station’s wartime activity. Commemoration has been maintained by surviving veterans’ associations, local councils, and heritage organisations such as Royal Air Force Museum affiliates and Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, with memorials erected on site and plaques in Bungay town centre honoring the 446th Bomb Group and allied airmen. Annual remembrance ceremonies attract delegations from former USAAF squadrons, local civic leaders, and representatives of organisations like American Legion-affiliated groups.
After decommissioning, parts of the site were sold to private landowners and local authorities; sections were converted to agricultural use, light industry, and warehousing, while other areas reverted to rough grassland and scrub typical of many former Class A airfields. Preservation efforts have focused on restoring the station watch office, documenting wartime layouts through aerial archaeology, and conserving extant hardstands and perimeter roads with support from organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund and local history societies. The airfield’s heritage is chronicled in oral histories, aviation books, and museum displays at regional institutions such as Imperial War Museum Duxford and the Suffolk Regiment Museum, ensuring RAF Bungay’s wartime role remains accessible to researchers and the public.
Category:Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk Category:United States Army Air Forces airfields in the United Kingdom Category:World War II airfields in the United Kingdom