RAF Shipdham

RAF Shipdham USAAF Station 115
Located Near Dereham, Norfolk, England
Shipdham Airfield - 31 January 1946
Coordinates	52°37′N 0°55′E / 52.62°N 0.92°E / 52.62; 0.92
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	SJ
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Controlled by	Royal Air Force  United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1942 (1942)
In use	1942-1957 (1957)
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Twelfth Air Force  Eighth Air Force
Occupants	319th Bombardment Group (Medium)  44th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Royal Air Force station Shipdham or more simply RAF Shipdham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles south of Dereham, Norfolk, England.

The airfield now operates as Shipdham Airfield.

RAF Shipdham was the first US heavy bomber base in Norfolk and was also the continuous host to Consolidated B-24 Liberators longer than any other Eighth Air Force combat airfield in Britain - from October 1942 to late 1945. It was constructed 1941-42 and was assigned USAAF designation Station 115 (SJ).

From 13 September 1943 though 13 June 1945, Shipdham served as headquarters for the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, 2d Air Division, VIII Bomber Command (later Eighth Air Force).

The 319th Bombardment Group (Medium) was a Twelfth Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group which arrived at Shipdham on 12 September 1942 from Harding Army Air Field, Louisiana.

The personnel of the group used the base as a staging and assembly point before moving in early October for RAF Horsham St Faith in Norfolk. From there the unit moved to Algeria in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in November as part of the Operation Torch invasion forces.

With the departure of the 319th BG, Shipdham was assigned to the 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma on 10 October 1942.