RAF Wattisham
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RAF Wattisham was a Royal Air Force station in Suffolk, England.
Wattisham opened on 5 April 1939 as a medium bomber station, the squadrons there being equipped with Bristol Blenheim bombers. On 4 September 1939, just 29 hours after the declaration of war, bombers from Wattisham took off on the first attack of the war, against enemy shipping in Wilhelmshaven harbour.
In 1942 the Blenheims left to be replaced with Bristol Beaufighters, but some time after October 1942 the base was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces as a central supply base. The base was, by 1944, responsible for the maintenance of all American fighters in the UK. In May 1944 USAAF fighters in the form of P-38 Lightning and later P-51 Mustangs arrived.
In 1946 the base was returned to RAF hands. In 1949 new runways were laid, By 1950 Gloster Meteor fighters arrived, replaced in the mid-fifties by Hawker Hunters. In 1958, following another renovation, the Black Arrows display team was added to Wattisham's roster. In 1960 the English Electric Lightning arrived, and in 1974 McDonnell Douglas Phantoms, which served through to 1992, when Wattisham stood down as a fighter base.
Today Wattisham is used by the Army Air Corps, flying Westland Lynx and Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopters. An RAF Search and Rescue flight of Sea King helicopters from 22 Sqn also operates from here.
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