SOE Airfield???

[von Poop]

Query from a good mate:

"Anyone know anything about a possible temporary grass-track airfield possibly used by the SOE. The National Trust own an estate in Norfolk and claim that it includes the site of a former secret WW2 airfield. The estate is centered on the hamlet of Horsey, in the parish of the same name, just to the north-west of Somerton. I have drawn a blank so far with the usual sources and think it unlikely to show up on OS mapping or aerial photography."

Any suggestions or information would be very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Adam.

[the_historian]

Adam,
There was an airfield used for Lysander operations into Occupied Europe, but I can't remember where it was.
If they were using Lysanders for SOE drops, all they would have needed was a clear grass field; these planes were famous for their short take-off abilities. You might even find that flights took off from Emergency Landing Grounds already set up for existing airfields, that way an extra flight wouldn't necessarily have attracted attention.
If you go to the ww2 network forums and ask Martin Bull, he'll know for sure.

[lancesergeant]

I think you might mean Tempsford. The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Tempsford

Apparently there are still traces of the airfield if you know where to look. There is an old shed(don't know if it is still there, which was the last building remanining on the site. Even the locals didn't know what it was being used for!! I know it's not in Norfolk, before anyone comments!!!

[Peter Clare]

I think Tempsford would be too far away from Horsey. The nearest listed airfields to Horsey were, Great Yarmouth, Ludham, Coltishall and Bacton. Horsey being about half way between Great Yarmouth and Bacton, on the coast.

[von Poop]

Cheers chaps, good tip about MB, I'll post it over there too.
This one has to be in that specific area I'm afraid (if it was there at all) but the Tempsford one may have some clues to identifying it on the ground.
Cheers again.
Adam.

[Harry Ree]

The principal SOE airfields were Newmarket, (early in the war),Tempsford and
Tangmere.

Tempsford which was a dedicated SOE airfield housed the only special operations squadrons, No 138 and 161 Squadrons which flew a variety of multi engined aircraft such as the Halifax,Whitley, Hudson etc.Tempsford was their home for the better of the last three years of the war.

For some operations Bomber Lancasters along with their crews were seconded to special operations.This tended to be at their hight in 1944 to cover the intense operational activities that were put on these two squadrons.Nevertheless,secondment was only agreed after direct requests to Churchill were made by the SOE.

Both Nos 138 and 161 Squadrons were equipped with the Lysander Mark 111 which operated as far south as Perigueux and east as the Jura. All outbound and inbound operations were at Tangmere for France.These aircraft were used to ferry to and fro,in and out of France, the individual special agents of SOE as well as Free French representatives.

Both these squadrons were derived from No 1419 Flight which was based at Stradishall near Nermarket which flew and dropped Polish agents near to Warsaw in 1940as a the first special operation.A remarkable feat in moonlight for they overflew the breadth of Germany.The first flights to Denmark were made from here to drop the first Danish Resistance agents.


Flight No 1419 was relocated later to Newmarket (racecourse) and reformed as No 138 Squadron and in turn formed the nucleus of the newly formed No 161 Squadron which absorbed the King's Flight.By December 1941,No 138 Squadron had found its wartime dedicated airfield at Tempsford.No 161 Squadron followed them from Newmarket to Tempsford in February 1942

[spidge]

Well done Harry.

Very informative.

[von Poop]

Cheers again, I've got a feeling that he's following something more 'ethereal', if a Lysander just needs a strip of grass then I can't see there being any real evidence of that??? I'll pass the replies on and see if he can give me a little more info on what he's looking for...and why.

[jacobtowne]

Wing Commander John Nesbitt-Dufort of the 'Moon Squadron,' one of the first of the "pick-up pilots," (so named for their mission of extracting SOE agents from occupied countries) mentions flying Westland Lysanders out of Tangmere.

More later - there's a photo of him at Tangmere in 1967, although I've no idea whether this bears upon the original question.

JT

[jacobtowne]

Here are Nesbitt-Dufort (left) and Wing Commander Roman Garby-Czerniawski at Tangmere, 1967, talking over the good old days.
In mid-1940 Czerniawski was setting up espionage networks in France.

JT