| Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey Rapier Barracks USAAF Station 349 |
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|---|---|
| Located Near Lincoln, UK | |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Location code | KL |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1940--present |
| Controlled by | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
| Garrison | RAF Fighter Command Eighth Air Force |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 Map showing the location of RAF Kirton in Lindsey within Lincolnshire.
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RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a Royal Air Force airfield in Lincolnshire. The field is located 15 miles north of Lincoln.
It hosts No.1 Air Control Centre (1ACC), the RAF’s only deployable ground-based early warning and air control radar unit, parented by RAF Scampton.
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The Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force airfield at Kirton in Lindsey was used during the First World War from December 1916 to June 1919. The airfield was used by detachments of 33 Squadron from nearby Gainsborough until the squadron moved was based from June 1918, 33 Squadron was a home defence squadron equipped with the Bristol Fighters and Avro 504s.
With the end of the war, the airfield was returned to agricultural use.
Kirton in Lindsey was opened on a new site in May 1940 as a Fighter Command Station covering the NE of England during World War II. Many Defiant and Spitfire Squadrons rested here for a short time during the Battle of Britain.
The airfield was home of Number 71 Squadron of the RAF's Fighter Command. 71 Squadron was composed of mostly Americans and was one of the "Eagle Squadrons" of American volunteers who fought in World War II prior to the American entry into the war. 71 Squadron was assigned the squadron code XR.
The squadron arrived at the station in November 1940. By January the squadron was declared combat ready and began flying convoy escort over the North Sea. On 9 April No. 71 was moved to RAF Martlesham Heath.
| Unit | Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | No. 43 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | I | Short stay in September before the squadron moved to North Africa |
| 1941 | No. 65 Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA | February to September operating coastal patrols before moving south |
| 1940–1941 | No. 71 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | I | Eagle Squadron |
| 1940 | No. 74 Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA | Short stay August/September 1940 |
| 1940 | No. 85 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | I | Short stay October/November 1940 |
| 1941 | No. 121 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | I and IIB | Eagle Squadron formed May 1941 before moving to RAF North Weald |
| 1941–1942 | No. 133 Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA then VA and VB | |
| 1941 | No. 136 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | IIA and IIB | Squadron formed August 1941 before moving to the Far East |
| 1942 | No. 169 Squadron RAF | North American Mustang | I | Detachments from Doncaster |
| 1940 | No. 222 Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | I | Two short stays |
| 1940 | No. 253 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hurricane | I | May to July |
| 1940–1941 | No. 255 Squadron RAF | Boulton Paul Defiant Hawker Hurricane |
I I |
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| 1940 | No. 264 Squadron RAF | Boulton Paul Defiant | I | |
| 1943 | No. 302 (Polish) Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | VB | |
| 1942 1942-1943 |
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | VB | |
| 1942 | No. 306 (Polish) Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | VB | |
| 1940 | No. 307 (Polish) RAF | Boulton Paul Defiant | I | Formed September 1940 |
| 1941–1942 | No. 409 Squadron RCAF | Bristol Beaufighter | IIF | Detachment from Coleby Grange |
| 1941 | No. 452 Squadron RAAF | Supermarine Spitfire | I and IIA | |
| 1942 | No. 457 Squadron RAAF | Supermarine Spitfire | VB | Short stay before move to Australia. |
| 1942 | No. 486 Squadron RNZAF | Hawker Hurricane | II | Formed March 1942 |
| 1940–1941 | No. 616 Squadron RAF | Supermarine Spitfire | I |
Kirton in Lindsey was allocated to the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force in 1942. It was assigned USAAF Station number 349, code "KL"
Beginning in June 1942, the 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group at RAF Goxhill used the station for training with Lockheed P-38 Lightings. The squadron remained until October.
In October 1942, the 91st Fighter Squadron of the 81st Fighter Group used the station for training. The squadron arrived in Europe from Muroc AAF California flying Bell P-39 Airacobras. The squadron remained until December then departed for French Morocco as part of Twelfth Air Force.
In May 1943, the station was transferred back to RAF control for use as a Fighter Operational Training Unit with Spitfires of 53 OTU from Llandow, Caistor and Hibaldstow used as satellite airfields. Kirton in Lindsey remained a front-line RAF base during the Cold War and afterwards, with the following units assigned:
In 1966, control of Kirton in Lindsey was transferred to the Royal Artillery and was renamed "Rapier Barracks".
Due to the Royal Artillery association, the Army Cadet Force detachment which is housed there has the Royal Artillery cap badge.
In 2004, the station was returned to RAF control and now is the home of No.1 Air Control Centre (1ACC), the RAF’s only deployable ground-based early warning and air control radar unit having relocated from RAF Boulmer in 2004-05.
Kirton also provides accommodation and messing for personnel based at, and is administered by, RAF Scampton.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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