RAF Wormingford

RAF Wormingford RFC Wormingford USAAF Station 159
Located Near Colchester, Essex, England
Wormingford Airfield - 10 May 1946
RAF Wormingford RFC Wormingford USAAF Station 159
Coordinates	51°56′24″N 0°47′31″E / 51.940°N 0.792°E / 51.940; 0.792
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	WO
Site information
Controlled by	Royal Flying Corps  United States Army Air Forces  Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1917, 1942
Built by	Richard Costain Ltd
In use	1917-1920, 1943-1962
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Ninth Air Force  Eighth Air Force
Occupants	362d Fighter Group  55th Fighter Group

Royal Air Force Station Wormingford or more simply RAF Wormingford is a former Royal Air Force station located 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Colchester, Essex, England.

During World War I Wormingford was a landing ground designated for use by aircraft operating against Zeppelins. Reopened as a military airfield in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). During the war it was used primarily as a fighter airfield. After the war, it was returned to agriculture.

Today a small section of the old runway is used by the Essex and Suffolk Gliding club.

The landing ground was used by the 37th Home Defence Squadron and a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 based here shot down Zeppelin number L.48 on 16/17 June 1917. The landing ground was known as RFC Wormingford.

Wormingford was originally earmarked for an Eighth Heavy Bomb Group, being built by Richard Costain Ltd. and helped by a number of sub contractors during the period 1942/1943. The airfield had a 2,000-yard main runway on an E-W axis and two intersecting runways of 1,400 yards each along with the USAAF standard fifty hardstands, two T2 hangars, one each side of the airfield, Mark II lighting and temporary building accommodation for 2,900 personnel. The technical area was on the southern side of the airfield and the camp sites dispersed to the south and east in and around the village of Fordham.

However Wormingford was surplus to Eighth Air Force requirements as a heavy bomber base and it was used instead as a fighter base although initially the Ninth Air Force used the airfield.

The airfield was assigned USAAF designation Station 159.

The 362d Fighter Group (362d FG) arrived at Wormingford from Mitchel Field, New York as part of the Ninth Air Force on 30 November 1943 with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts.