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 Oulton, in Norfolk, belongs to the east-coast wartime landscape where fighter readiness, dispersal and training capacity were enduring priorities. Norfolk’s coastline faced the North Sea routes used by reconnaissance aircraft and intruders, and the county hosted a dense cluster of fighter and bomber stations. Smaller fields and satellites like Oulton helped the RAF manage that density by providing additional runway space for training circuits, dispersal parking and safe diversion options when weather or congestion made recoveries hazardous at primary stations.
Airfields used as satellites typically operated in close relationship with a larger ‘parent’ station, and their unit identity could therefore be fluid: detachments arriving for short periods, aircraft dispersing during alerts, and visiting squadrons using the field for circuit training or temporary deployments. This kind of use was not a sign of minor importance. In wartime, the RAF fought two battles simultaneously: the battle against the enemy and the battle against friction – weather, congestion, accidents and mechanical wear. Satellite fields reduced that friction by spreading traffic and by providing safe alternatives.
When fighter squadrons used satellites, the operational rhythm remained familiar: aircraft needed to be ready, pilots needed regular flying to maintain combat sharpness, and ground crews needed to turn fighters around quickly. Even training circuits had to be run with discipline, because the accident risk in repetitive flying could be severe. A satellite field therefore required professional flying control, reliable meteorology, crash and fire readiness and solid maintenance support. It also needed transport and stores capacity to move fuel, ammunition and spares efficiently.
As the war progressed, the east coast also supported offensive tasks: armed reconnaissance, patrols and, later, preparation for invasion-era tactical work. A network of satellites allowed units to deploy forward temporarily and to adjust basing according to wind, weather and mission. Oulton’s contribution sits within that flexible network approach. Even without a single famous ‘resident’ squadron identity, it mattered as part of the structure that kept the RAF’s east-coast fighter posture sustainable over years.
- Primary wartime role: east-coast satellite/support airfield in Norfolk, providing dispersal, training circuit capacity and diversion options for nearby fighter and operational stations.
- Typical activity: circuits and landings practice, temporary detachments and dispersals, readiness support, and diversion landings in poor weather.
- Why it mattered: reduced congestion and avoided losses by providing redundancy – helping preserve aircraft and trained pilots while maintaining a persistent defensive posture on the North Sea approaches.
RAF Oulton’s Second World War significance is therefore best understood through the network lens. It represents the supporting infrastructure that allowed larger stations to keep flying. In a war of sustained tempo, that supporting layer – extra runways, safe recovery options and the ability to spread risk – was strategically real.
For a Norfolk satellite, a practical way to include unit context is to reference its relationship to nearby parents (such as Coltishall-era fighter activity in the region) and the rotational detachments that used satellites for dispersal and training. Satellite use can look ‘messy’ on paper, but it is a real and important wartime pattern.