RAF Goxhill

The closure was a direct result of military downsizing and strategic realignment following World War II. With the end of the war, the vast number of airfields built across the UK became surplus to the requirements of the peacetime Royal Air Force. Goxhill, having served its primary purpose as a wartime training base, was deemed redundant and was eventually decommissioned and sold.

The site of the former RAF Goxhill is now a diverse mix of agricultural and industrial land. While the main runways are largely gone or have been broken up, sections of the perimeter track and some taxiways are still visible and used as access roads for the Goxhill Airfield Industrial Estate. Several original wartime buildings, including T2 hangars and various Nissen huts, still stand and are used by local businesses for storage and light industry. A significant portion of the land is used for farming, including large-scale poultry operations. Additionally, a large solar farm has been constructed on part of the former airfield, contributing to renewable energy production. A memorial stone stands at the site to commemorate the American and British personnel who served there.

RAF Goxhill holds a unique and significant place in military aviation history. Originally constructed between 1940 and 1941 as a satellite airfield for RAF Kirton in Lindsey, it initially hosted RAF Fighter Command squadrons, including those flying Hawker Hurricanes on night fighter duties.

Its most notable role began on August 10, 1942, when it became the very first airfield in the United Kingdom to be handed over to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), where it was designated 'USAAF Station 345'. It served as a crucial Combat Crew Replacement Center (CCRC) for the Eighth and later the Ninth Air Force. American fighter pilots, fresh from training in the US, were sent to Goxhill to acclimate to European weather conditions, fly operational aircraft like the P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt, and receive final combat training before being assigned to front-line squadrons. This vital transitional training made Goxhill a critical stepping stone for thousands of US fighter pilots entering the war in Europe.

After being returned to RAF control in January 1945, it was used by RAF Maintenance Command for the storage and scrapping of surplus aircraft, including Halifax bombers, until its final closure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening RAF Goxhill as an airport. The extensive industrial, agricultural, and renewable energy developments on the site, combined with the degradation of the original runway infrastructure, make any such proposal economically and logistically unfeasible.