RAF Saltby

RAF Saltby USAAF Station AAF-538
Located Near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Saltby Airfield, photographed on 18 April 1944 oriented with west upwards, taken while hosting the 314th Troop Carrier Group about two months before D-Day. Note the technical site and station on the northwest side of the airfield, with two additional T-2 hangars on the southwest south of the 07 runway, and one on the northeast side, just south of the 25 runway end.
Map showing the location of RAF Saltby within Leicestershire.
Coordinates	52°49′45″N 000°42′37″W / 52.82917°N 0.71028°W / 52.82917; -0.71028Coordinates: 52°49′45″N 000°42′37″W / 52.82917°N 0.71028°W / 52.82917; -0.71028
Type	Military airfield
Code	SY
Site information
Owner	Private
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force
Condition	Gliding airfield
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1942-1955
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Ninth Air Force RAF Bomber Command
Occupants	314th Troop Carrier Group

Royal Air Force Saltby or more simply RAF Saltby is a former Royal Air Force station in Leicestershire, England. The airfield is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray; about 90 miles (140 km) north-northwestof London.

Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a transport airfield. After the war it was closed in 1945 and kept in reserve until 1955.

Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property and, now known as Saltby Airfield, is used primarily for gliding.

Saltby was known as USAAF Station AAF-538 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "SY".

Although a US ground party arrived in December 1943, it was not until the following February that a C-47 group moved in. This was the 314th Troop Carrier Group with Douglas C-47 and C-53 Skytrain transports which flew in from Sicily. Having earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its operations in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations since May 1943 with Twelfth Air Force. Operational squadrons and fuselage codes of the 314th were:

The 314th TCG was part of the IX Troop Carrier Command 52nd Troop Carrier Wing.

At the end of February 1945, a move was made to the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Poix, France (ALG B-44), the squadrons leaving Saltby in early March.