RAF Saltby

Royal Air Force Station Saltby USAAF Station AAF-538
Located Near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Saltby Airfield, photographed on 18 April 1944 oriented with west upwards, taken while hosting the 314th Troop Carrier Group about two months before D-Day. Note the technical site and station on the northwest side of the airfield, with two additional T-2 hangars on the southwest south of the 07 runway, and one on the northeast side, just south of the 25 runway end.
Map showing the location of RAF Saltby within Leicestershire.
Coordinates	52°49′45″N 000°42′37″W / 52.82917°N 0.71028°W / 52.82917; -0.71028
Type	Military airfield
Code	SY
Site information
Owner	Private
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force
Condition	Gliding airfield
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1942-1955
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Ninth Air Force RAF Bomber Command
Occupants	314th Troop Carrier Group

62d Troop Carrier Squadron C-47

62d Troop Carrier Squadron C-47 with Waco Gliders

62d Troop Carrier Squadron C-47

RAF Saltby was a World War II airfield in Leicestershire, England. The airfield is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray; about 90 miles (140 km) north-northwestof London.

Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a transport airfield. After the war it was closed in 1945 and kept in reserve until 1955.

Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property and, now known as Saltby Airfield, is used primarily for gliding.

USAAF use

Saltby was known as USAAF Station AAF-538 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "SY".

314th Troop Carrier Group

Although a US ground party arrived in December 1943, it was not until the following February that a C-47 group moved in. This was the 314th Troop Carrier Group with Douglas C-47 and C-53 Skytrain transports which flew in from Sicily. Having earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its operations in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations since May 1943 with Twelfth Air Force. Operational squadrons and fuselage codes of the 314th were:

The 314th TCG was part of the IX Troop Carrier Command 52nd Troop Carrier Wing.

At the end of February 1945, a move was made to the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Poix, France (ALG B-44), the squadrons leaving Saltby in early March.

349th Troop Carrier Group

The USAAF returned to Saltby in May 1945 when a detachment of 349th Troop Carrier Group from RAF Barkston Heath with Curtiss C-46 Commandoes to carry British paratroops to Norway. These aircraft remained until the end of the month.

RAF Bomber Command use

Activities were gradually run down and the airfield was disposed of in 1955.

Civil use

Upon its release from military use, much of the airfield was returned to agriculture, although today, a large amount of the airfield still exists. Almost the entire main runway remains, along with the south-west (20) half of the 02/20 secondary runway. Only a small section of the NW/SE 31/13 runway remains, although the runway is clearly visible as disturbed earth in aerial photography where it is being used for agriculture. The perimeter track and loop dispersal pads are all removed, with some of the track being used as single-lane agricultural road. The technical site and associated buildings has long since been dismantled, although evidence of its existence remains with some single lane roads.

Flying continues today as Buckminster Gliding Club operates 7 days a week from Saltby Airfield using about half of the main runway (07/25) The club specializes in gliding, motor gliding and glider aerobatics.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0-900913-80-0
Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Saltby.

Photographs of RAF Saltby from the Geograph British Isles project

USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II

Stations

Palestine (Mand)	Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean

Egypt	Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish

Libya	Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz

Tunisia	Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane

United Kingdom	Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford

Europe	Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.

Units

Commands

Wings

Bombardment	97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment

Fighter	8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter

Troop carrier	50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier

Groups

Bombardment	12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment

Fighter	36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter

Troop carrier	61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional)

Reconnaissance	10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance

Squadrons

Liaison	14th Liaison 47th Liaison

Night fighter	422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter

United States Army Air Forces

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