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 Bentwaters in Suffolk was one of the last RAF airfields to be activated during the Second World War, reflecting how quickly airfield planning had to adapt as the conflict evolved. Construction began in 1942 for a station originally known as RAF Butley, intended for Bomber Command use. In January 1943 it was renamed RAF Bentwaters, and by April 1944 it was ready for operational flying.
In late 1944 the airfield’s purpose shifted decisively. Control passed to the Air Ministry and, after Bomber Command declined the station, Bentwaters was taken over on 22 November 1944 by No. 11 Group, RAF Fighter Command. This placed Bentwaters in a forward-facing role at a time when the RAF was supporting operations over the Continent and preparing for the final push into Germany.
The station hosted a sequence of fighter squadrons flying the North American Mustang, an aircraft whose range and performance made it particularly valuable in the late-war air environment. Units recorded at Bentwaters included No. 64 Squadron, No. 65 Squadron, No. 118 Squadron, No. 126 Squadron, No. 129 Squadron and No. 165 Squadron, with aircraft movements reflecting the rapid redeployment typical of late 1944-45. Several of these squadrons operated Mustang III or Mustang IV variants, while some transitioned between Mustangs and Spitfire IXs as requirements changed. The concentration of Mustang units underlines Bentwaters’ role as a practical fighter base during the final months of the war.
Alongside the front-line squadrons, Bentwaters supported conversion and servicing organisations. No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit was among the units based there, helping to bring pilots up to speed on aircraft and operational procedures. RAF Regiment squadrons were also present to provide airfield ground defence, a reminder that late-war stations still planned against attack, sabotage and the threat of low-level strikes.
Although Bentwaters’ Second World War operational period was relatively brief, its later history became famous in the Cold War era as part of the ‘Twin Bases’ (Bentwaters and Woodbridge) used by the US Air Force. That later chapter can sometimes overshadow the wartime beginning. In reality, Bentwaters’ WWII story is a neat summary of late-war RAF priorities: build the infrastructure, activate it quickly, and use it to support fast-moving fighter operations as Allied air power pressed toward victory in Europe.
Late-war fighter stations often saw frequent unit movements as squadrons re-equipped, redeployed or prepared for post-war occupation duties, giving bases a constantly changing ‘order of battle’.
Mustang operations depended on efficient servicing and fuel supply, and the airfield’s concrete infrastructure reflected the need to operate reliably through winter weather.
Bentwaters’ later fame can distract from its WWII beginnings, but those beginnings are a useful case study in how quickly a new station could be activated and integrated into Fighter Command.
For visitors and researchers today, the most rewarding approach is to combine surviving site evidence (perimeter tracks, dispersal loops, building footprints) with squadron ORBs, logbooks and local testimony, which together recreate how the station worked day to day.