Full WW2 control tower details and photos for this wartime airfield are coming soon. Please check back later as this is work progress. If you would like to contribute information or photos please get in touch.
RAF Bottesford sat on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire borderland, placed to serve Bomber Command’s night offensive while remaining within reach of major rail and road networks for construction and supply. The station opened in September 1941 and quickly became part of No. 5 Group’s expanding Lancaster force. Its wartime life is notable because it encapsulates two very different air wars: the RAF’s heavy bomber campaign over occupied Europe, and the USAAF’s airborne build-up for D-Day.
The first operational squadron to arrive was No. 207 Squadron RAF. They initially flew the Avro Manchester, an aircraft plagued by the unreliability of its Vulture engines; crews and ground staff battled constant technical problems that restricted operations. The station’s fortunes changed in March 1942 when 207 Squadron became one of the early units to receive the Avro Lancaster, allowing a sharper operational tempo and heavier bombloads on raids against Germany. Bottesford’s technical site and dispersals would have been dominated by the Lancaster’s distinctive silhouette, with hardstand servicing, bomb trolleys, and the nightly rhythm of briefings, take-offs, and anxious waits for returning crews.
In November 1942 Bottesford gained a strong Commonwealth association when No. 467 Squadron RAAF arrived with Lancasters. Although ‘Australian’ in designation under the Empire Air Training Scheme, it was initially a mixed-Commonwealth unit and only became predominantly Australian later in the war. From Bottesford the squadron flew its first operation on the night of 2/3 January 1943 and then joined the main Bomber Command effort: mining sorties off the coast, and deep raids against industrial targets in Germany and occupied Europe. The squadron developed a reputation for accurate bombing and would later be selected for demanding targets such as major canals and heavily defended infrastructure, but its Bottesford year remains the formative period when crews, routines, and tactics were hardened by combat. The squadron moved on in November 1943, but the memory of the Lancaster era remained embedded in the station’s identity.
In early 1944 Bottesford changed hands and purpose. The USAAF took over as AAF-481 (station code ‘AQ’) under Ninth Air Force troop carrier control, first receiving the 50th Troop Carrier Wing headquarters and functioning as a reception base for C-47/C-53 Skytrain groups arriving from the United States. The 436th Troop Carrier Group arrived in the opening days of 1944, bringing four squadrons (79th, 80th, 81st and 82nd) and the busy, utilitarian feel of transport operations: aircraft loading drills, formation practice, and the maintenance regime required for reliable mass lift. In March 1944 the 436th moved south to RAF Membury, and the 440th Troop Carrier Group (95th, 96th, 97th and 98th squadrons) arrived shortly after. Bottesford then supported glider repair and modification work – an unglamorous but essential part of preparing airborne forces for the invasion, ensuring tow gear, fittings and airframes were ready for combat conditions.
By July 1944 the USAAF had departed and Bottesford returned to RAF control. Later wartime and immediate post-war use included training and support functions before the station finally closed in 1948. Today, large elements of the airfield survive in altered form – runway lines, parts of the perimeter, and the familiar outline of the technical site – making Bottesford one of those places where the physical layout still hints at both its Lancaster nights and its airborne spring of 1944.