World War II

RAF Castle Camps was listed as being in 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...

 as it is close to its namesake Cambridgeshire village. It is very near the Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 border and the airfield straddled the Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

 and 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...

 county border. Construction of the station was started in September 1939. It opened as a satellite of RAF Debden

RAF Debden

RAF Debden is a former RAF airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Saffron Walden and approximately 1 mile north of the village of Debden in North Essex.-RAF Fighter Command:...

 in June 1940 and became a satellite of RAF North Weald in July 1943.

The airfield was used by numerous squadrons throughout World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It closed in January 1946.

Present day

The site has reverted to agricultural use. However the outlines of portions of the runways in the fields (when viewed on Google Earth), can still be seen and some of the perimeter roads are even now in use as farm tracks.

Some of the airfield buildings are still present and being used by local farms and industry.

Operational Units and Aircraft

Unit	From	To	Aircraft	Version
No. 85 Squadron RAF No. 85 Squadron RAF No. 85 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently served as No. 85 Squadron based at RAF Church Fenton.-In World War I:...	23 May 1940 03 Sep 1940	19 Aug 1940 05 Sep 1940	Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...	? ?
No. 73 Squadron RCAF	05 Sep 1940	06 Nov 1940	Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...	?
No. 157 Squadron RAF No. 157 Squadron RAF No. 157 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was active as a night fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No. 157 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 14 July 1918 at RAF Upper Heyford and was eventually equipped with Salamander aircraft for ground support duties,...	18 Dec 1941	15 Mar 1943	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	?
No. 605 Squadron RAF No. 605 Squadron RAF No 605 Squadron was formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. Initially formed as a bomber unit, it was one of the most successful participants of the Battle of Britain. It also had the distinction of being active during World War II at two fronts at a time, when the squadron was split up between...	15 Mar 1943	06 Oct 1943	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	FB. VI
No. 456 Squadron RAAF No. 456 Squadron RAAF No. 456 Squadron RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force night fighter squadron, active over Europe during World War II.-History:No. 456 Squadron was formed on 30 June 1941 at RAF Valley, Isle of Anglesey, Wales in the United Kingdom under the Empire Air Training Scheme as a night fighter squadron,...	29 Mar 1943	17 Aug 1943	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"... De Havilland Mosquito	Mk. II Mk. VI
No. 527 Squadron RAF No. 527 Squadron RAF No. 527 Squadron RAF was a radar calibration unit of the Royal Air Force between 1943 and 1958.-Formation:No. 527 Squadron was formed from various calibration flights at RAF Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire on 15 June 1943 for radar calibration duties with Bristol Blenheims and Hawker Hurricanes...	15 Jun 1943	28 Feb 1944	Bristol Blenheim Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter... Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... De Havilland Hornet Moth	Mk. IV Mk. I ?
No. 91 Squadron RAF No. 91 Squadron RAF No 91 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force but is no longer operational. The name acknowledges the contribution made by Nigeria to the cost of the squadron's aeroplanes.-World War I:...	29 Feb 1944	17 Mar 1944	Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...	Mk. XIV
No. 486 Squadron RNZAF No. 486 Squadron RNZAF 486 Squadron was a fighter squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. It was formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served in Europe under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.Second World War....	06 Mar 1944 29 Mar 1944	21 Mar 1944 29 Apr 1944	Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied... Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...	Mk. IB Mk. IB
No. 410 Squadron RCAF No. 410 Squadron RCAF 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron, nicknamed the "Cougars", is a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft squadron currently located at Canada's primary training base for the CF-18 , at Cold Lake, Alberta...	30 December 1943	29 Apr 1944	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	Mk. XIII
No. 68 Squadron RAF No. 68 Squadron RAF The name No. 68 Squadron has been used by the Royal Air Force for two quite different units.No. 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps was formed at Heliopolis, Egypt in 1916. For a while it was known to the British military as "No. 68 Squadron RFC" - according to some accounts in order to avoid...	23 Jun 1944	28 Dec 1944	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	Mks. VIII
No. 151 Squadron RAF No. 151 Squadron RAF -World War I:No. 151 squadron was founded at Hainault Farm in Essex on 12 June 1918, and was equipped with Sopwith Camel aircraft.During the five months in which 151 Squadron had taken part in hostilities overseas, the total number of hours flown by night was 1443 hrs 26 mins.Sixteen enemy aircraft...	08 Oct 1944	19 Nov 1944	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	Mk. XXX
No. 25 Squadron RAF	27 Oct 1944	14 Jul 1945	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	Mk. III
No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron was a Polish night fighter squadron formed in Great Britain on 24 August 1940 as a result of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom...	27 Jan 1945	31 May 1945	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	NF. 30

External links

• Castle Camps Village: Webpage
• Hawker Tempest Page: History Hawker Tempest at RAF Castle Camps
• 605 Squadron Website: History of 605 Squadron
• Polish Squadrons Remembered: No. 307 Squadron History