A brief history of RAF Bodney
Bodney was a grass-covered airfield without the usual concrete runways and opened in early 1940 as a 2 Group satellite station for nearby Watton. Several Watton-based squadrons were dispersed here and included Nos 21, 82 and 105 Squadrons with Blenheim IV medium bombers, 61 Squadron with Handley Page Hampden medium bombers and 90 Squadron with the new Boeing B-17 Fortress Mk.1 heavy bomber.
From January 1941 the Miles Master trainers of No.17 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit used Bodney as a satellite landing ground while based at Watton. On 14th March 1942, 21 Squadron was reformed at Bodney with Blenheim IV's that were coded YH. Soon Lockheed Venturas began to replace them with the last Blenheims leaving in July. The same month a few North American Mitchells arrived for 21 Squadron, two of them being FL169 and FL179 and both being Mk.I's. This type remained with the squadron for a month before they left for West Raynham. In October 21 Squadron left for Methwold and by the following spring the Master trainers of 17 (P)A.F.U. had left for Calveley.
The station was then transferred to the 8th Air Force, U.S.A.A.F. as a fighter base and a new control tower was built on the eastern side of the airfield. On 8th July 1943 the 352nd Fighter Group arrived, made up of the 328th, 486th and 487th Fighter Squadrons flying the P-47D Thunderbolt, keeping these until April 1944 when they were replaced by P-51 Mustangs. The Mustangs of the three squadrons carried the following code letters: PE(328th), PZ(486th), HO(487th); later the aircraft had their noses and spinners painted blue and their rudders painted in squadron colours: red (328th), yellow (486th) and blue (487th).
During D-Day operations, in the early morning of the 6th June 1944 in heavy drizzle, a Mustang flew into the control tower on take-off, killing the pilot.
In December 1944 the Group left for Asche in France and later moved to Chievres in Belgium, arriving back at Bodney on 13th April 1945. They departed for the States shortly after V.E. Day, leaving the airfield to run down and returned to agriculture.