RAF Bentwaters

Second World War

Bentwaters airfield's origin dates to 1942 when construction began on a Royal Air Force station called Royal Air Force Butley for use by RAF Bomber Command. On 28 January 1943 the station was renamed Royal Air Force Bentwaters. It was opened for operational use in April 1944. In December it was transferred to No. 11 Group, RAF Fighter Command . During the Second World War, RAF squadrons at Bentwaters were:

• No. 64 Squadron RAF between 29 December 1944 and 15 August 1945 with North American Mustang III moved to RAF Horsham St Faith.^[2]
• No. 65 Squadron RAF between 15 May 1945 and 13 August 1945 with Mustang IV moved to RAF Fairwood Common.^[2]
• No. 118 Squadron RAF between 15 December 1944 and 11 August 1945 with re-equipped Mustang III moved to RAF Fairwood Common.^[3]
• No. 126 Squadron RAF between 30 December 1944 and 5 September 1945 with Mustang III then upgrading to Mustang IV in August 1945.^[4]
• No. 129 Squadron RAF between 11 December 1944 and 26 May 1945 with Mustang III, swapping to Supermarine Spitfire IXE in May 1945.^[5]
• No. 165 Squadron RAF between 15 December 1944 and 29 May 1945 with Mustang III until May 1945 then the Spitfire IXE.^[6]
• No. 234 Squadron RAF.^[7]
• No. 245 Squadron RAF.^[8]

Two other units were also based at Bentwaters, these were No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF and No. 7 Fighter Command Servicing Unit.^[9]

In addition to its RAF use, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters flew escort missions for RAF Bomber Command from Bentwaters beginning on 4 May 1945. The USAAF designation for Bentwaters was AAF Station 151.

During the postwar years, the RAF retained Bentwaters for flying various aircraft, including first-generation jet aircraft. before finally closing the facility on 26 August 1949 when it was placed into 'care and maintenance' status.

The squadrons were:

• No. 56 Squadron RAF reformed here on 1 April 1946 and stayed until 16 September 1946 with the Gloster Meteor F.3 moving to RAF Boxted.^[10]
• No. 74 Squadron RAF between 2 June 1946 and 9 June 1945 with Meteor F.3s moved to RAF Colerne.^[11]
• No. 124 Squadron RAF between 5 October 1945 and 18 February 1946 with Meteor F.3s moving to RAF Fairwood Common. The squadron returned on 20 March 1946 and stayed until 1 April 1946 still with the Meteor F.3 before being renamed 56 Squadron.^[4]
• No. 2707 Squadron RAF Regiment.^[9]
• No. 2791 Squadron RAF Regiment.^[9]
• No. 2839 Squadron RAF Regiment.^[9]

USAF use

Control of Bentwaters was transferred to the United States Air Force on 16 March 1951 by the Ministry of Defence, and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) designated it a primary installation of HQ USAFE on 7 September 1951. Bentwaters was to play a key role in the defence of Western Europe during the Cold War when large numbers of USAF aircraft were assigned as part of the air arm of NATO.

On 16 March 1951, the USAF 7506th Air Support Group was assigned to Bentwaters. Their mission was to bring the facility up to NATO standards. During most of 1951 and 1952 USAF construction upgraded the operational facilities, as well as the construction of support facilities. Early USAF units at Bentwaters were as follows:

• 9th Air Rescue Squadron (July 1951 – November 1952) (Boeing SB-29 'Super Dumbo'). This unit flew air-sea rescue missions with aging B-29 aircraft adapted to drop airborne lifeboats. It received its nickname from earlier "Dumbo" missions that picked airmen up when they crashed at sea. The unit departed in November 1952 for RAF Burtonwood.
• 7554th Target Tow Flight (March – December 1952) (Stinson L-5E, Douglas TB-26C). This unit flew aerial targets for gunnery practice by NATO aircraft.

81st Tactical Fighter Wing

North American F-86A-5-NA Sabre, AF Serial No. 48-0276 of the 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

The 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing became the new host unit at Bentwaters in September 1951. The 81st, in various designations, remained at RAF Bentwaters for over 40 years during the Cold War era. The 81st FIW was a North American F-86A "Sabre" equipped unit, being activated at Moses Lake AFB, Washington in May 1950. In August 1951 the 81st flew initially into RAF Shepherds Grove, then in September transferred its headquarters to RAF Bentwaters.

An A-10 forward operating location was established at Sembach Air Base West Germany on 1 September 1978 when Det. 1, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing was activated. Revetments and a dozen hardened aircraft shelters were built and A-10A Single-seat attack fighters began operations at Sembach during May 1979. Additional detachments were subsequently established at Leipheim, Alhorn and Norvenich Air Bases in West Germany and at two additional unmanned reserve Forward Operating locations which remain classified; one in the north of Germany and one in the south, both in rear of the other four named bases/airfields. A-10's and support resources routinely rotated to these Forward Operating Locations from RAF Bentwaters for training and Tactical Evaluations. The C-130 rotating to the detachments was affectionately called "The Klong". In the event of war in the 1980s, the Bentwater A-10's were to fight from Germany, and Bentwaters would host F-16's from Nellis AFB and from Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina.

Post Cold War

With the end of the Cold War, the USAF presence at Bentwaters was gradually phased down. It was announced that the station would be closed and the 81st TFW would be inactivated. The Bentwaters-based squadrons were phased-down as follows:

• 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron was transferred to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base Germany on 4 January 1993. On 1 February 1994 it was inactivated at Spangdahlem, but it was reactivated on 23 March 1994 as a Block 40 F-16C/D squadron at Aviano Air Base Italy.
• 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 31 March 1993. Its aircraft were sent back to the United States to various Air National Guard squadrons.

The last A-10 aircraft departed Bentwaters on 23 March 1993, and the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated on 1 July 1993. With the inactivation, the USAF returned control of Bentwaters to the Ministry of Defence.

Currently, Bentwaters airfield is inactive as a military facility.

Bentwaters Cold War Museum

The ATC tower at the former RAF Bentwaters

War Operation Room

In 2003, work commenced on the Bentwaters Cold War Museum (BCWM).^[12] The museum opened on Sunday 27 May 2007. The museum is located in the former USAF hardened command post, believed to be the only such building open to the public in the UK. The main "war operations room" and "Battle cabin" have been restored to their original condition; the BT telephone exchange room, decontamination showers, and airlock have been similarly restored. Other rooms within the building have been turned into exhibition rooms, covering the history of RAF Bentwaters from the Second World War until the station closed in 1993.

Included in this are histories of the units that operated from the airfield, particularly the 81 TFW. Another room is dedicated to the history of the other airfield which was part of the "twin base" complex, RAF Woodbridge, again covering the period from the Second World War until the present day. Other exhibition rooms featuring information on the "Special Operations/Rescue Squadrons" that were based at RAF Woodbridge, and also the "Aggressor" Squadron based at Bentwaters.

The museum is run by volunteers from Bentwaters Aviation Society.

Television and media

In 2001 many of the missions in the paintballing game show X-Fire took place in and around the facilities at Bentwaters.

Later series of Channel 4's consumer motoring programme Driven were based in one of the hangars.

In 2005 Bentwaters was used for the Space Cadets TV programme, where it played the part of a fake Russian space training and launch base.

In 2008 an episode of the History Channel's UFO Hunters entitled "Military vs. UFOs", was aired. The episode focused on RAF Bentwaters' 1956 and 1980 UFO incidents.^[13]

It is the site used for the BBC television programme "Dog Borstal", and more recently for some "Top Gear" stunts.

The site is also used for the Dave television programme "Driving Wars".

The site was recently used for the filming of Fast & Furious 6

In August 2012 it was used as the set for Derren Brown's "Apocalypse" episodes.

RAF Bentwaters was also one of the main filming sites for the 2013 movie The Numbers Station.

In June 2014 the station was used a wedding venue by the BBC for Don't Tell The Bride.

In 2016 the station was used in an episode of Amazon's The Grand Tour.

Citations

Bibliography

• Jefford, C.G, MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• 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
• Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
• Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
• Bentwaters Aviation Society History of RAF Bentwaters