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RUST BUCKETS

Abandoned RAF base where military vehicles go to DIE with tanks that once carried Britain to WWII victory left to rot

The base was used for the D-Day invasion in 1944

AN abandoned RAF base which stores the tanks that liberated Europe has been left to rot.

RAF Folkingham in Lincolnshire is home to the rusting remains of combat vehicles from WWII and the Cold War.

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A decaying tractor inside the abandoned RAF base
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A decaying tractor inside the abandoned RAF baseCredit: Alamy
It is now a graveyard home to the rusting remains of vehicles
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It is now a graveyard home to the rusting remains of vehiclesCredit: Alamy
Old motors have been slowly decaying since 1963
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Old motors have been slowly decaying since 1963Credit: Alamy

The graveyard has been untouched since 1963 and now tanks, beach-landing vehicles, and trucks are slowly falling apart.

Vehicles line the 6000ft runway and are slowly being swallowed by bushes as the site goes to waste.

Most have also been gutted with their parts used for replacements.

Urban explorer Steve Vernon, 36, said going to the runway was "eerie" and the vehicles were stretched along the runway as far as he could see.

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He told the : "Seeing all those old trucks and tractors lined up next to each other in the middle of the countryside is bizarre.

"It is in the middle of nowhere and it was very cold. I wasn't sure I was supposed to be there so I was very careful not to disturb the vehicles."

The airfield opened in 1940 and was initially used as a dummy airfield with fake planes and personnel to distract from RAF Spitalgate just a mile away.

It was then used by the RAF and US Air Force for airborne units, including a take-off point for soldiers being dropped into Italy and D-Day in 1944.

Following the war it became a ballistic missile base until it was closed and sold to private ownership in 1963.

Vernon found WWII-era vehicles lining the runway including a DUKW amphibious truck, mobile pump engines, and various military trucks.

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Other pieces of agricultural machinery including tractors, bulldozers, JCBs, and earth-movers.

The vehicles are all owned by Nelson M Green and Sons Ltd, who store the decommissioned vehicles for sale of the spare parts.

Most vehicles have been gutted as their parts are used for replacements
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Most vehicles have been gutted as their parts are used for replacementsCredit: Alamy
An urban explorer said going to the runway was 'eerie'
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An urban explorer said going to the runway was 'eerie'Credit: Alamy
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