RAF Bottesford
Former RAF base in Leicestershire, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about RAF Bottesford?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Royal Air Force Bottesford or more simply RAF Bottesford is a former Royal Air Force station located on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire county border, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) north west of Grantham, Lincolnshire and 7.6 miles (12.2 km) south of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire and about 107 miles (172 km) north-northwest of London, England.
RAF Bottesford USAAF Station AAF-481 | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bottesford, Leicestershire in England | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 52°57′50″N 000°46′54″W | ||||||||||
Type | Royal Air Force station Parent Station 1941-43 72 Base HQ 1944- | ||||||||||
Code | AQ[1] | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force 1941-43 & 1944- United States Army Air Forces 1943-44 | ||||||||||
Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command * No. 3 Group RAF * No. 5 Group RAF * Ho. 7 (HCU) Group RAF[1] | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1940 (1940)/41 | ||||||||||
Built by | George Wimpey & Co Ltd | ||||||||||
In use | September 1941 - 1948 (1948) | ||||||||||
Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||||
Elevation | 34 metres (112 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
|
Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). During World War II it was used primarily as a troop carrier airfield for paratroopers and as a bomber airfield before closing in 1948.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property with the technical site being used as an industrial estate.One of the runways is currently used by Cazoo for storing cars and the control tower used as an office.