RAF Fersfield

RAF Fersfield (RAF Winfarthing) USAAF Station 140,554
Located Near Diss, Norfolk, England
Aerial photograph mosaic of RAF Fearsfield (Winfarthing) airfield, looking north, the bomb dump is at the top, the technical site- with T2 hangar- at the bottom, 29 August 1946.
RAF Fersfield
Coordinates	52°25′28.68″N 001°03′27.02″E / 52.4246333°N 1.0575056°E / 52.4246333; 1.0575056
Type	Military airfield
Code	WF
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Controlled by	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1943
In use	1944–1945
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II "Air Offensive, Europe" July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	562d Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group
Occupants	USAAF, United States Navy Special Attack Unit (SAU-1)

Royal Air Force Fersfield or more simply RAF Fersfield (originally known as RAF Winfarthing) is a former Royal Air Force station located 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Built in 1943/1944, the airfield was originally a satellite of RAF Knettishall. It was constructed to Class A bomber specifications, with a main 6,000 ft (1,800 m) runway (08/26), and two secondary runways (02/20, 14/32) of 4,200 ft (1,300 m). Accommodation for about 2,000 personnel were in Nissen huts along with an operations block and two T-2 hangars.

The facility was originally named Winfarthing when it was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. Assigned to the VIII Bomber Command, it was renamed Fersfield when used by the Americans. Winfarthing was assigned USAAF station number 140; Fersfield was reassigned 554.

Not used by the USAAF, it was transferred to the United States Navy for operational use. The airfield is most notable as the operational airfield for Operation Aphrodite, a secret plan for remote controlled Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers (redesignated as BQ-7s) to be used against German V-1 flying bomb sites, submarine pens, or deep fortifications that had resisted conventional bombing.

From July 1944 to January 1945, approximately 25 high-time Fortresses (mainly B-17Fs) were assigned to the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group stationed at RAF Knettishall, along with two Consolidated B-24 Liberators from the United States Navy (PB4Y-1), to be used in Aphrodite missions. Originally RAF Woodbridge was going to be used, however Fersfield was chosen as a better location due to its relative remoteness. The plan was to use these stripped down war weary bombers as explosive packed, radio controlled flying bombs. Pilots would take-off manually and then parachute to safety leaving the bomber under the control of another aircraft and then flown to its target in Europe.