The airfield is located 7 miles (11 km) south west of Norwich, Norfolk, England and is now owned by Lotus Cars.

USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Hethel were:[1] Regular Army Station Units included: The 320th Bombardment Group (Medium) was a Twelfth Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder group which arrived at Hethel on 12 September 1942 from Drane Army Airfield, Florida.

With the completion of the facility, Hethel was assigned to the 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Lowry AAF, Colorado on 11 June 1943.

Its operational squadrons were: The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.

The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the detachment's participation in the famed low-level attack against oil refineries at Ploesti on 1 August 1943.

Refusing to turn back although petrol was streaming from his flak-damaged plane, Lt Hughes flew at low altitude over the blazing target area and bombed the objective.

The unit deployed again temporarily to Tunisia during September and October 1943 with the group supporting Allied operations at Salerno and hit targets in Corsica, Italy, and Austria.

Resumed operations from England in October 1943 the group concentrated primarily on strategic objectives in France, the Low Countries, and Germany.

Also flew support and interdictory missions on several occasions, bombing gun batteries and airfields in support of the Normandy invasion in June 1944, striking enemy positions to aid the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July 1944, hitting storage depots and communications centres during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 − January 1945), and dropping food, ammunition, petrol, and other supplies to troops participating in the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.

With the end of military control, Hethel found a new life in civilian hands becoming the manufacturing and testing site for Lotus Cars.

The location of the factory is on the old technical site and the manufacture of vehicles, originally started in the old hangars and workshops, now takes place in several modern buildings.

On the end wall of this chapel, behind where the altar formerly stood, is a crucifix painted by the American "Bud" Doyle who was assistant to the Roman Catholic chaplain, Father Beck.