Mepal Airfield
Encyclopedia
Mepal Airfield, previously RAF Mepal, was an airfield near the village of Mepal
, Cambridgeshire
, England
. It was an "expansion" airfield whose construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943.
Mepal first hosted No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF
flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters.
It was used towards the end of the Second World War to prepare Avro Lancaster
bombers squadrons such as No. 44 (Rhodesia) squadron
for use in Tiger Force
which was to bomb Japan.
Mepal
Mepal is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Mepal is part of the East Cambridgeshire district, and is located just north of the A142 road between Ely and Chatteris.-History:...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was an "expansion" airfield whose construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943.
Mepal first hosted No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF
No. 75 Squadron RAF
No. 75 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated as a bomber unit in World War II, before being transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1945.-First World War, Royal Flying Corps, Home Defence Squadron :...
flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters.
It was used towards the end of the Second World War to prepare Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
bombers squadrons such as No. 44 (Rhodesia) squadron
No. 44 Squadron RAF
No. 44 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is no longer operational. For most of its history it served as a heavy bomber squadron.-History:...
for use in Tiger Force
Tiger Force (air)
Tiger Force, also known as the Very Long Range Bomber Force, was the name given to a World War II British Commonwealth long-range heavy bomber force, formed in 1945, from squadrons serving with RAF Bomber Command in Europe, for proposed use against targets in Japan...
which was to bomb Japan.