RAF Digby entered the war with some of its squadrons operating from nearby satellite fields under its control at RAF Coleby Grange and RAF Wellingore.
The first squadron scrambled from Digby was No.
46 Squadron on 3 September; told there was an incoming German raid they found nothing and returned.

October 1939 saw a number of arrivals at the station.
On 10 October No.
611 Squadron RAF flying Supermarine Spitfires and No.
229 Squadron RAF operating Bristol Blenheims arrived at Digby.
Initially, No.
611 Squadron flew affiliation exercises with the other two squadrons and with other new arrivals No.
44 Squadron RAF and No.
144 Squadron RAF, who were both equipped with Hampden light bombers.
At the end of October a Bristol Blenheim fighter and escort Squadron arrived, No.
29 Squadron RAF.
With the squadron came the soon-to-be-famous officer Guy Gibson, who would be awarded a Victoria Cross as the commander of the Dambusters.
It was Gibson's second tour at Digby as he had learned to fly at the station while attending No.
2 FTS in 1936.
Gibson was still based at Digby in 1940 when he was married in Penarth, South Wales.

As 1939 came to a close King George VI made the first of three formal visits to RAF Digby.
In addition to inspecting No.
46 Squadron, he presented decorations to fighter pilots from Digby and several neighbouring stations.
The recipients included Guy Gibson who received his first DFC.

For six weeks in May and June 1940 the station was home to No.
222 Squadron RAF on a rotational rest and recuperation break from fighting the Battle of Britain from RAF Duxford.
The squadron's most famous flight commander was the legless fighter ace Flight Lieutenant Douglas Bader.
With the station's complement of pilots expanding nearby Wellingore Hall was requisitioned as a second officers' mess.

In late August 1940 a single German Junkers Ju 88 bomber appeared suddenly out of the mist and dropped its load of bombs on the station, all of them missing the runways and buildings to explode harmlessly on open ground.
In February 1941 the first of the Canadian fighter squadrons arrived at Digby.
No.
1 (Canadian) Squadron and No.
2 (Canadian) Squadron immediately renumbered as No.
401 Squadron RAF and No.
402 Squadron RAF respectively; both squadrons were equipped with Hurricanes.
The Canadian Digby wing was formed on 24 April 1941 when the station received three further squadrons, 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron flying Boulton Paul Defiants, No.
411 Squadron RCAF and No.
412 Squadron RAF both flying Supermarine Spitfires.

RAF Digby received several German bomber raids during 1941 and extensive damage was suffered.
It was decided to relocate the 12 Group Sector Operations Centre away from further danger and it moved to a luxurious setting in the west wing of Blankney Hall where it stayed for the remainder of the war.
Several RAF squadrons arrived to serve alongside the Canadians during 1941; No.
92 Squadron RAF and No.
609 Squadron RAF both arrived from RAF Biggin Hill on rotational rest and recuperation leave.
There were now so many airmen at RAF Digby that even the two officers' messes could not accommodate them all.
Several squadrons commandeered the nearby Ashby Hall as their officers' mess and the hall remained in this role until the end of the war when it fell into disrepair and its estate was broken up.

American-born pilot and poet John Gillespie Magee flying for the Canadian air force was killed at the age of 19 on 11 December 1941 while stationed at RAF Digby with No 412 (Fighter) Squadron, RCAF.
Magee took off in a Spitfire from the satellite field at RAF Wellingore and, while descending through cloud over Roxholm village just south of Digby, was involved in a mid-air collision with an Airspeed Oxford climbing out of RAF Cranwell.
Magee is buried at the war graves section of Scopwick churchyard along with 49 other aviators from local airfields and five German aircrew.
On his grave are inscribed the first and last lines from his poem High Flight:
"Oh!
I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth –
Put out my hand and touched the Fac
RAF Digby entered the war with some of its squadrons operating from nearby satellite fields under its control at RAF Coleby Grange and RAF Wellingore. The first squadron scrambled from Digby was No. 46 Squadron on 3 September; told there was an incoming German raid they found nothing and returned.
October 1939 saw a number of arrivals at the station. On 10 October No. 611 Squadron RAF flying Supermarine Spitfires and No. 229 Squadron RAF operating Bristol Blenheims arrived at Digby. Initially, No. 611 Squadron flew affiliation exercises with the other two squadrons and with other new arrivals No. 44 Squadron RAF and No. 144 Squadron RAF, who were both equipped with Hampden light bombers. At the end of October a Bristol Blenheim fighter and escort Squadron arrived, No. 29 Squadron RAF. With the squadron came the soon-to-be-famous officer Guy Gibson, who would be awarded a Victoria Cross as the commander of the Dambusters. It was Gibson's second tour at Digby as he had learned to fly at the station while attending No. 2 FTS in 1936. Gibson was still based at Digby in 1940 when he was married in Penarth, South Wales.
As 1939 came to a close King George VI made the first of three formal visits to RAF Digby. In addition to inspecting No. 46 Squadron, he presented decorations to fighter pilots from Digby and several neighbouring stations. The recipients included Guy Gibson who received his first DFC.
For six weeks in May and June 1940 the station was home to No. 222 Squadron RAF on a rotational rest and recuperation break from fighting the Battle of Britain from RAF Duxford. The squadron's most famous flight commander was the legless fighter ace Flight Lieutenant Douglas Bader. With the station's complement of pilots expanding nearby Wellingore Hall was requisitioned as a second officers' mess.
In late August 1940 a single German Junkers Ju 88 bomber appeared suddenly out of the mist and dropped its load of bombs on the station, all of them missing the runways and buildings to explode harmlessly on open ground. In February 1941 the first of the Canadian fighter squadrons arrived at Digby. No. 1 (Canadian) Squadron and No. 2 (Canadian) Squadron immediately renumbered as No. 401 Squadron RAF and No. 402 Squadron RAF respectively; both squadrons were equipped with Hurricanes. The Canadian Digby wing was formed on 24 April 1941 when the station received three further squadrons, 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron flying Boulton Paul Defiants, No. 411 Squadron RCAF and No. 412 Squadron RAF both flying Supermarine Spitfires.
RAF Digby received several German bomber raids during 1941 and extensive damage was suffered. It was decided to relocate the 12 Group Sector Operations Centre away from further danger and it moved to a luxurious setting in the west wing of Blankney Hall where it stayed for the remainder of the war. Several RAF squadrons arrived to serve alongside the Canadians during 1941; No. 92 Squadron RAF and No. 609 Squadron RAF both arrived from RAF Biggin Hill on rotational rest and recuperation leave. There were now so many airmen at RAF Digby that even the two officers' messes could not accommodate them all. Several squadrons commandeered the nearby Ashby Hall as their officers' mess and the hall remained in this role until the end of the war when it fell into disrepair and its estate was broken up.
American-born pilot and poet John Gillespie Magee flying for the Canadian air force was killed at the age of 19 on 11 December 1941 while stationed at RAF Digby with No 412 (Fighter) Squadron, RCAF. Magee took off in a Spitfire from the satellite field at RAF Wellingore and, while descending through cloud over Roxholm village just south of Digby, was involved in a mid-air collision with an Airspeed Oxford climbing out of RAF Cranwell. Magee is buried at the war graves section of Scopwick churchyard along with 49 other aviators from local airfields and five German aircrew. On his grave are inscribed the first and last lines from his poem High Flight:
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth –
Put out my hand and touched the Fac
RAF Digby