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Royal Air Force Shepherds Grove or more simply RAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force station located in Suffolk, active from 1943–44 to 1966. Shepherds Grove was host to units of the United States Army Air Forces, Eighth Air Force. During the Cold war it was also one of the 20 Thor IRBM missile bases in the UK, as part of Project Emily.

RAF Shepherds Grove
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in England
RAF Shepherds Grove Shown within Suffolk
Coordinates	52°18′55″N 000°55′13″E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command 1944-45 RAF Fighter Command 1945
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)/44
In use	April 1944 - July 1963 (1963)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	61 metres (200 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19 1,845 metres (6,053 ft) Concrete 08/26 1,220 metres (4,003 ft) Concrete 14/32 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) Concrete

Units

The following units were here at some point:[2]

• No. 30 Gliding School RAF
• 81st Fighter Interception Wing
• No. 82 Squadron RAF
• No. 196 Squadron RAF
• No. 299 Squadron RAF
• No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF
• No. 1677 (Target Towing) Flight RAF
• Radio Warfare Establishment became the Central Signals Establishment

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• United States Air Forces in Europe
• United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Falconer, J (1998). RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2175-9.
• 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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Shepherds Grove.

• The Grover's Site
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos
• Shepherds Grove at www.controltowers.co.uk
• The 1954 Shepherds Grove Album
• The 1958 Shepherds Grove Album
• Aerial photo from Multimap.Com
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos taken in 2006
• the UnOfficial 81st SPS RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge Site the UnOfficial gathering place for the men and women who served in the USAF 81st Security (Air) Police Squadron at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge.

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