RAF Lakenheath Special Ammo Storage

As the Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union in Europe began in 1946 president Harry Truman ordered Strategic Air Command B-29 bombers to RAF Burtonwood and from there to various bases in West Germany as "training deployment". In 1947, additional B-29s were sent to the UK and Germany to keep up the presence of a training program. These deployments were a cover-up as the true aims of these B-29s were to have a strategic air force permanently stationed in Europe.

In 1947, RAF Bomber Command returned to Lakenheath and had the runways repaired, resurfaced and readied for operations by 1948.
President Truman decided to realign USAFE into a permanent combat-capable force. In 1948 B-29 Superfortresses of the SAC 2nd Bombardment Group were deployed to Lakenheath for a 90-day temporary deployment. In the same year operational control of RAF Lakenheath transferred from RAF to USAFE.

The first USAFE host unit at RAF Lakenheath was 7504th Base Completion Sqn. The squadron was elevated to Air Base Group (ABG) in 1950 and to a Wing (ABW) in 1950.

A succession of bombardment squadrons and wings, 33 in all, rotated through Lakenheath, the B-29s giving way to the improved B-50 Superfortresses and then, in June 1954, B-47 Stratojets.

In 1951, Lakenheath transferred from USAFE to SAC and placed under 3909th Air Base Group. By 1952, high security perimeter fencing was erected. 3909th moved to RAF Greenham Common in 1954 and was replaced by the 3910th Air Base Group.

Known SAC units which deployed to RAF Lakenheath were:
830th Bombardment Sqn (june - august 1949) B-50D
65th Bombardment Sqn (august - november 1949) (B-50D
33rd Bombardment Sqn (november 1949 - february 1950) (B-29
96th Bombardment Sqn (february - may 1950) B-50D
301st Bombardment Wing (june - november 1950) B-29
97th Bombardment Wing (march - april 1952) B-50D, KC-97
19th Bombardment Sqn (september - december 1951) (B-29

The increasing tension of the Cold War lead to a re-evaluation of the deployments and by 1953 SAC bombers began to move its heavy bomb groups further west, behind RAF fighter forces, to RAF Brize Norton, RAF Greenham Common, RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Fairford, while its shorter-range B-47 were sent to East Anglia.

43d Air Refueling Sqn (march - june 1953) KC-97
321st Bombardment Wing (december 1954 - march 1955) B-47, KC-97
40th Bombardment Wing (june - september 1955) B-47, KC-97
340th Bombardment Wing (september - november 1955) B-47, KC-97
98th Bombardment Wing (november 1955 - january 1956) B-47, KC-97
Lakenheath Task Force Provisional (may 1955 - unknwn) RB/ERB-47H Electronic Reconnaissance and Countermeasures
509th Air Refueling Sqn (january - april 1956) KC-97
307th Bombardment Wing (july - october 1956) B-47, KC-97

In 1956, 2 Lockheed U-2s were airlifted to RAF Lakenheath to form CIA Detachment A. The first U-2 flight was in may. The Central Intelligence Agency unit did not remain long, moving to Wiesbaden Air Base, West Germany in june.

A near nuclear accident occurred in july 1956 - when a B-47 bomber crashed into a storage igloo at Lakenheath containing 3 MK-6 nuclear weapons while on a routine training mission. Although the bombs involved in the accident were not armed, each of them carried about 8,000 pounds of high explosives as part of the trigger mechanism. The crash and fire did not ignite the explosives and no detonation occurred. The damaged weapons and components were returned to the Atomic Energy Commission. The B-47 involved in the accident, which killed 4 crewmen, was part of the 307th Bombardment Wing.

In 1960 USAF began a redeployment of its North American F-100-equipped units from France., 48th TFW aircraft arrived at Lakenheath and when the first F-100D touched down on RAF Lakenheath’s runway, the landing symbolized a return for the Statue of Liberty Wing. Almost 16 years had passed since the World War II Ninth Air Force 48th Fighter Group’s arrival at RAF Ibsley, England, for the D-Day invasion.

In conjunction with this, control of RAF Lakenheath was transferred from Strategic Air Command back to USAFE. As SAC elements began their departure, the 3910th Air Base Group began its transition of handing RAF Lakenheath's facilities and real estate over to the 48th’s Combat Support Group elements. The tactical components of the 48th TFW upon arrival at Lakenheath were 492nd, 493rd and 494th Tactical Fighter Sqns

Between 1972 and 1977 a five-year aircraft conversion took place. Beginning in late 1971 the 48th TFW started conversion to the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, with the aircraft being transferred from the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters. This conversion took several years, with the last F-100 departing in August 1974. With the arrival of the Phantoms, the F-4s adopted a common tail code "LK". This tail code lasted only a few months as in august 1972 the 48th TFW further recoded to "LN".

The F-4's service with the 48th TFW was short, as operation "Ready Switch" transferred all F-4D assets to Nellis AFB, Nevada. The 474th sent their General Dynamics F-111As to 347th TFW at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and the 347th sent their F-111Fs to Lakenheath in early 1977.

A 4th fighter squadron, 495th Tactical Fighter Sqn was activated with the 48th TFW in april 1977, 33 years to the day since the squadron’s inactivation. The 495th's mission - functioning as a replacement training unit for the other 3 fighter squadrons - . made the 495th and the 48th TFW unique, as the only WSO ´s (Weapons System Operators) training unit for USAFE. F-111´s from 48th TFW participated in Operation EL DORADO CANYON (raid on Lybia) in 1986.

Lakenheath received its first McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagles in 1992. With the departure of the F-111s, the 495th FS was inactivated in december 1991. In december 1992, the last F-111 departed the base. Along with its departure, 493rd FS was deactivated.

With the pending closure of Bitburg Air Base, Germany in 1994, it was decided to reactivate the 493rd as F-15C/D squadron. Aircraft were transferred from 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida and the 493rd was reactivated in january. The 493d’s arrival meant that the 48th became the largest F-15E/F-15C composite unit in the USAF.

In 2003, the 48th FW received the first of 10 new F-15E Strike Eagles. The aircraft were part of the final batch of F-15s ordered by the USAF.

RAF Lakenheath(EGUL) has 60 Protective Aircraft Shelters (PAS) on the base. All are the large version (37.5x23 m). 33 of these are equipped with WS3 vaults for nuclear weapon storage with a max capacity of 132 weapons. The vaults were completed in 1994. In 2003 it was estimated that a total of 110 B61 bombs were stored at the base for delivery by U.S. F-15E of the 492nd and 494th fighter squadrons of the 48th Fighter Wing.
see: U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe. A review of post-Cold War policy, force levels, and war planning.
In 2008 the USAF Munition Support Sqn was deactivated and the remaining bombs were transferred back to the USA.

Check this website to read about this event
http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2008/06/us-nuclear-weapons-withdrawn-from-the-united-kingdom.php

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