RAF Goxhill opened as a balloon barrage station to protect the Port of Hull and the River Humber. In Jun 1941 it was transfered to 1 Gp of Bomber Command. In Dec 1941 12 Group Fighter Command took over with 616 Sqn moving in. It was handed to United States forces in order to receive new Fighter Group personnel from USA for training. 78th Fighter Group arrived on 1 Dec 1942, although American units had already been using Goxhill for theatre indocrination training since Aug 1942. Flight operations began after 15 Dec 1942 on the arrival of the Group's first P-38G aircraft. After the 78th FG departed to North Africa in support of Operation TORCH in North Africa (from Jan 1943) it re-equipped to the P-47 Thunderbolt and moved to RAF Duxford.
RAF Goxhill was known to the USAAF as 8th Air Force Station No F-345. The station was unofficially known amongst US units based here as "GoatHill".
Fighter Command took over again in Jan 1945 and flying ceased in May 1945. 233 MU Bomb Storage, RAF Maintenance Command took over the site until December 1953. The airfield was sold off in Jan 1962. The 'J'type and 2 'T' type hangars plus some of the wartime buildings survive into the 21st century used now by local industry. The airfield can still be plainly seen in Google Earth.
The scenery is supplied c/w AI P-38 Lightnings by kind permission of David C. Copley. Repainted in 554TFS livery by Frank Safranek.
Get it here: http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=2291
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