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Wartime role
RAF Tibenham was a wartime airfield at south Norfolk, between Norwich and Diss. During the Second World War it served as a USAAF Eighth Air Force Liberator base, flying heavy bomber missions with the B-24. USAAF use primarily 1943-45 during the peak strategic bombing period.
Like most British wartime stations, RAF Tibenham functioned as a small, self-contained town. Beyond the runways were technical areas for maintenance and armament, dispersed hardstandings to reduce losses during raids, and domestic sites where airmen, WAAFs or naval personnel lived, trained, and waited for the next tasking. On operational nights or intensive training days the routine revolved around briefings, meteorology, aircraft servicing, and a tight rhythm of take-off and recovery windows.
Units and aircraft
Aircraft commonly associated with wartime flying here: Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
Records for RAF Tibenham show a mix of operational and support activity. Some units were long-term residents with a stable identity, while others arrived as detachments – often for conversion training, gunnery work-ups, dispersal, or to cover a specific operational requirement. That pattern is typical of the RAF’s wartime system: stations were constantly re-tasked as the air war shifted from defence to offence, from the Battle of the Atlantic to the bomber offensive, and later to preparations for the invasion of Northwest Europe.
- 445th Bomb Group (Heavy)
- Bomb squadrons: 700th, 701st, 702nd and 703rd Bomb Squadrons
- Extensive ground support sections for hardstandings, fuel, bomb dumps and aircraft servicing
Operations and highlights
From Tibenham, the 445th BG flew raids on marshalling yards, industrial centres, airfields and coastal defences as part of Eighth Air Force mass operations.
The group’s tempo mirrored the bomber offensive: quick turnarounds, heavy maintenance demands, and ever-improving tactics as escort cover increased.
Wider context: the RAF and its Allies depended on layered infrastructure. Training stations produced crews, conversion units taught them to survive in heavier or faster aircraft, and operational bases launched combat sorties. Even a ‘quiet’ airfield could be strategically important as a diversion, a dispersal site, or a specialist hub for ferrying, target-towing, glider operations, or meteorology.
After the war
Tibenham’s history is strongly tied to the Liberator era; runway fragments and perimeter traces offer clues to the scale of the hardstanding network.
Landscape and flying conditions: RAF Tibenham’s geography influenced operations. Prevailing winds dictated runway selection, while local terrain and weather shaped training and safety. In winter, short daylight and low cloud increased the workload; in summer, longer hours enabled intensive training programmes and high sortie rates. These practical factors are often reflected in accident reports and ORBs, which mention crosswinds, icing, fog, and diversion landings.
People and local impact: wartime stations drew in thousands of personnel and contractors. Nearby villages saw billets, transport convoys, blackout rules, and the sudden arrival of foreign accents – from Commonwealth aircrew to American units. Many airfields formed strong links with local communities through dances, sports, and fundraising, but also through tragedy when aircraft crashed or when raids hit technical sites and domestic camps.