Also known as Sculthorpe Training Area
The story of RAF Sculthorpe
The US Air Force refurbished the base during the 1949 Berlin Crisis. In 1952 the 47th Bombardment Wing arrived with B-45 Tornado jet bombers, each able to carry tactical nuclear weapons. RB-45 reconnaissance aircraft flew from here, and reconnaissance squadrons made ferret flights in the 1950s. By 1957 Sculthorpe had 10,000 personnel and was the largest USAF base in Europe. B-66 Destroyers replaced the B-45s from 1958. The wing was inactivated on 22 June 1962.
After that the base hosted visiting units on exercise. RAF Sculthorpe closed on 2 October 1992. The Ministry of Defence kept the runways as a training area, still used by US special operations aircraft. The domestic site became Wicken Green Village. The heritage centre opened there in 2019.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 342 (Lorraine) Squadron | 1943–1943 | Douglas Boston |
| No. 487 Squadron RNZAF and No. 464 Squadron RAAF | 1943 | Lockheed Ventura, de Havilland Mosquito |
| No. 214 Squadron | 1944–1944 | Boeing Fortress II |
| 47th Bombardment Wing, USAF | 1952–1962 | North American B-45 Tornado, Douglas B-66 Destroyer |
What survives
- Runways, taxiways and weapons storage area, kept as a military training area
- Former married quarters, now Wicken Green Village
- The control tower was demolished from February 2022
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Sculthorpe Heritage CentreFakenham, Norfolk | £2.50 | 2 | Sculthorpe: North Norfolk's atomic secret — 10,000 Americans and nuclear-alert B-45s in the 1950s — remembered in a heritage centre with… |