Folkingham
Location:
Dates of Operation:
turn off A15 into Temple Road by the Robin
Hood & Little John public house through
the village towards the Forestry Commission
Temple Wood site. Drive 200 meters to a
gate from where you can view the former
airfield & remains of the Thor missile bunkers. This is a private site with no access.
1940 to 1942 – RAF decoy site
1943 to 1945 – 9th USAAF
base – Station 484
1945 to 1959 – Maintenance Command
1959 to 1963 – Thor missile base
The first aviation use was
in 1940 when a decoy site
was established for RAF
Spitalgate and reports
indicate that it was
bombed several times.
This role ceased in
August 1942 with
the decision to
build the airfield.
Squadrons / Units:
On completion
9th USAAF 52nd Troop
in late 1943
Carrier Wing (TCW)
Folkingham
313th Troop Carrier Group (TCG)
was
with 29th, 47th, 48th & 49th Troop
allocated
Carrier Squadrons (TCS)
to the 9th
RAF Maintenance Command
United
223 Squadron – Thor IRBM,
States
(Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles)
Army
Air
20
Force (USAAF) 52nd Troop
Carrier Wing (TCW) and
became known as Station 484.
The first units of the 313th
Troop Carrier Group (TCG)
arrived with their C-47s from
Sicily in January 1944. The
313th TCG comprised of the
29th, 47th, 48th & 49th Troop
Carrier Squadrons (TCS); the
last element arrived on 5th
March 1944.
The 313th TCG dropped
troops from their C-47’s on
D-Day as part of Operation
Overlord, for which they
were awarded their second
Distinguished Unit Citation.
They followed this operation in
the autumn by dropping troops
from the 1st Parachute Brigade
at Arnhem and Nijmegen,
quickly followed by glider
releases as part of the back-up
landings. 313th TCG left for
France in February 1945.