RAF North Pickenham

RAF North Pickenham USAAF Station 143
Near North Pickenham, Norfolk in England
North Pickenham Airfield - 31 January 1946
RAF North Pickenham Shown within Norfolk
Coordinates	52°37′37″N 000°43′59″E / 52.62694°N 0.73306°E / 52.62694; 0.73306Coordinates: 52°37′37″N 000°43′59″E / 52.62694°N 0.73306°E / 52.62694; 0.73306
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	NP
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1942 (1942)
In use	1944-1967 (1967)
Airfield information
Elevation	57 metres (187 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22 1,710 metres (5,610 ft) Concrete 12/30 1,230 metres (4,035 ft) Concrete 18/36 1,230 metres (4,035 ft) Concrete

Royal Air Force North Pickenham or more simply RAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles (4.8 km) East of Swaffham, Norfolk, England.

It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1967.

North Pickenham was constructed in 1942/1943 as an "A" class heavy bomber station. It was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force in April 1944. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 143.

The first USAAF group to use North Pickenham was the 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico on 18 April 1944. The 492d was assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-U". Its operational squadrons were:

The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.

The 492d Bomb Group entered service in May 1944, and suffered tremendous losses in July. In the words of one veteran, "the whole group was wiped out." In the three months it was operational it had flown a total of sixty-four missions losing fifty-one aircraft to enemy action and six by other causes. Subsequently, due to its heavy losses the organization was transferred to RAF Harrington on 5 August for special operations duty less personnel and equipment and the surviving personnel transferred to other B-24 units.

With the departure of the 492d BG, North Pickenham was assigned to the 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy), relocating from RAF Metfield in Suffolk, in August 1944. The 491st was assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-Z". Its operational squadrons were:

The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.

The 491st Bomb Group, less the air echelon, was transferred without personnel and equipment to North Pickenham initially in February 1944 briefly before being transferred to RAF Metfield in March. With the withdrawal of the 492d Bomb Group from operational missions in August the group was transferred back to North Pickenham .