Post war USAF/USAFE Airfields in the UK

Strictly speaking, Macrihanish was a NATO air base rather than being allocated to a particular country.
Add Twinwoods Farm?

Slightly late to this thread, but is it worth adding Framlingham and Ridgewell to the list, as T2 hangars at each site were used post war for storage by the USAF (for Bentwaters and Wethersfield respectively). Indeed, the hangar at Framlingham still has the MOD signs at either end.

Does anyone know what exactly the USAF were going to use airfields such as East Fortune for?

And I know that Cottesmore was earmarked for KC135 use should the balloon have gone up, and IIRC Leeming was earmarked for USAF F4s.

Michael J.F Bowyer states in his excellent book,"Force for Freedom" that under project "Galloper" of 1950 it was intended to reinforce the UK with four Fighter wings of either F84s or F86 Sabres.East Kirkby,Spilsby,Sturgate and Wigsley were found to be suitable for development but as a temporary measure it was intended to base Sabres at East Fortune,but the runway was too short and they were not deployed there.
I have a copy of the above book which I no longer require and would be prepared to sell

Thanks.

canberra wrote:

Does anyone know what exactly the USAF were going to use airfields such as East Fortune for?

And I know that Cottesmore was earmarked for KC135 use should the balloon have gone up, and IIRC Leeming was earmarked for USAF F4s.

Leeming wasn't 'upgraded' for fighters until the early '80s' I was there for a course in 1979 and it was still flying training.

F35s could still use what is left of North Luffenham, they don't need public roads to operate from.

On the subject of Leeming, yes it wasnt upgraded until the mid to late eighties. However it was earmarked for USAF F4s, that was one of the reasons why an ANG F4 squadron deployed there in the early eighties.

And the original plan for the F3s was for them to go to Middleton St George. No Im not making that up. I read about that in a book on the F3.

canberra wrote:

On the subject of Leeming, yes it wasnt upgraded until the mid to late eighties. However it was earmarked for USAF F4s, that was one of the reasons why an ANG F4 squadron deployed there in the early eighties.

And the original plan for the F3s was for them to go to Middleton St George. No Im not making that up. I read about that in a book on the F3.

MSG became Teeside Airport in about '64, long before Tornados were even on the drawing board; you sure the reference wasn't to Lightning F3s (real Lightinings not the new ones) rather than Tornado F3?
They had Lightings there before the RAF moved out.

No Im not getting mixed up with the Lightning F3, although I should have said Tornado F3.

In the book a former Leeming station commander(Group Captain Phil Roser), says that when he was at MOD he submitted a paper on what was called in the early eighties the "fighter gap" between Leuchars and Binbrook. He proposed that the RAF should enter in to a "joint user" agreement with Teesside airport and base the Tornado ADV there. The lord alone knows how much that would have cost! Im susrprised he also didnt suggest moving the Leuchars Phantoms to Turnhouse.

Im curious as to why the USAF would have wanted to use East Fortune, surely Turnhouse or Leuchars would have been a better choice?