Dates: 1943 - 1968
RAF Fiskerton was located in the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton, 5 miles east of Lincoln. It was one of many new bomber airfields built in the early part of WWII. The airfield was situated north of the village.
The airfield was opened in January 1943 as part of 5 Group, Bomber Command as 52 Sub-Base Station controlled by Scampton, HQ 52 Base. On the 19th January 1943 49 Squadron of 5 Group moved in with their Lancasters and commenced operations soon after. In January 1944 No 1514 Beam Approach Flight operated Airspeed Oxfords from the airfield until they were disbanded one year later.
Fiskerton was closed to operations from the 10th September 1944 to the 24th October 1944 whilst the runways were resurfaced and the airfield was equipped with FIDO, a fog dispersal system. This worked by burning vaporised petrol which ran along pipes either side of the runway. The flames and heat generated were quite effective in dispersing fog and improving visibility for some distance and height enabling aircraft to land in bad weather conditions. 15 airfields in the UK were fitted with this system and many hundreds of successful landings were made in what would have otherwise been very difficult circumstances. 49 Squadron departed on the 17th October 1944 and Fiskerton was briefly put on a care and maintenance basis and transferred to 1 Group.
31 October 1944, 576 Squadron moved from RAF Elsham Wolds to Fiskerton and were joined the following day by 150 Squadron which had been reformed after previous service in Italy. 150 Squadron enjoyed only a short stay before moving to Hemswell, 11 November 1944. 576 Squadron continued to operate from the airfield until the end of the war and was disbanded there September 1945.
Very little now remains of the old airfield. A memorial to 49 Squadron and 576 Squadron can be found on the side of the road near the old main runway.
