RAF Leicester East

This article is about the military base. For civilian use, see Leicester Airport.

RAF Leicester East
Stoughton, Leicestershire in England
RAF Leicester East Shown within Leicestershire
Coordinates	52°36′28″N 001°01′55″W
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	LE
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1943-44 RAF Transport Command 1944-
Site history
Built	1942 (1942)/43
In use	October 1943 - December 1947 (1947)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: EGBG
Elevation	139 metres (456 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22 490 metres (1,608 ft) Asphalt 06/24 335 metres (1,099 ft) Grass 10/28 940 metres (3,084 ft) Asphalt 15/33 495 metres (1,624 ft) Asphalt 16/34 418 metres (1,371 ft) Grass
Sources: UK AIP at NATS

Royal Air Force Leicester East, more commonly known as RAF Leicester East (ICAO: EGBG), is a former Royal Air Force station, near the village of Stoughton, 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) east southeast of Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

It was constructed in 1942 and formally opened in October 1943. The airfield is now Leicester Airport.

History

The following units were posted to the airfield at some point:

• No. 190 Squadron RAF (1944), flying Short Stirling IV
• No. 196 Squadron RAF (1943–44), flying Short Stirling III & IV
• No. 620 Squadron RAF (1943–44), flying Short Stirling III
• No. 93 Group Screened Pilots School
• No. 107 (Transport) Operational Training Unit RAF
• No. 216 Maintenance Unit RAF (MU)
• No. 255 MU
• No. 1333 (Transport Support) Conversion Unit RAF

On 10 August 1944, at the formation of the First Allied Airborne Army, General Eisenhower visited RAF Leicester East to review 12,000 troops of the 82nd Airborne Division who were camped nearby and at other locations around Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. He was accompanied by Brigadier General James M. Gavin, who had recently taken Command of the Division, Major General Matthew Ridgway, who had recently taken Command of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps and Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton who would take Command of the First Allied Airborne Army, having previously Commanded the US 9th Army Air Force. Also present were small contingents of the five Groups that made up the US 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, the Wing mostly responsible for delivering the 82nd Airborne Division to combat in WWII.

On 19 February 1945, a Dakota of No. 107 OTU returning to Leicester East with personnel who had attended training at RAF Zeals, Wiltshire, crashed soon after taking off with the loss of 21 RAF, RAAF and RCAF lives.

In March 1945 all operational military aircraft left Leicester East, and the airfield was placed on Care and Maintenance until its closure on 31 December 1947.

Current use

Today, the former RAF Leicester East is now known as Leicester Airport, and was previously known as Stoughton Aerodrome.

The airfield, control tower, and other smaller buildings are now used by the Leicestershire Aero Club.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Bibliography

• Falconer, J (1998). RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2175-9.