RAF Chelveston
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RAF Chelveston was a military air base located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
During World War II the base was occupied by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force. It was given USAAF designation Station 105.
During the Cold War, Chelveston housed some flying units, however its main role was that of a readiness station to receive USAF units from the United States in case of an emergency.
In the mid-1970s, the majority of the base was sold by the Ministry of Defence to private landholders, with the exception of a military housing area currently occupied by American servicemembers assigned to RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth.
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[edit] Origins
Construction of Chelveston began in 1940 with short grass runways and three hangars grouped together. The airfield opened in August 1941 as a RAF base. It was utilized initially for the Central Gunnery School, then the Experimental Airborne Establishment took over with their gliders.
However, the grass landing strips were deemed unsuitable for heavy 4-engine bombers, so concrete runways were constructed along with taxiways and hardstands.
[edit] World War II Use
[edit] 60th Troop Carrier Group
In early 1942, Chelveston was turned over to the American Eighth Air Force. The first USAAF unit to occupy Chelveston was the 60th Troop Carrier Group. The 60th consisted of the 10th, 11th, 12th and 26th squadrons, equipped with 53 C-47 aircraft.
The 60th arrived in early July, but its stay was brief, moving to RAF Aldermaston at the end of the month. After its training in the UK, the unit moved on to the 12th Air Force for operations in the Mediterranean theater.
[edit] 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy)
On 9 August 1942, the 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) took up residence on the base. The 301st was assigned to the 1st Combat Wing at RAF Brampton. It's operational squadrons were:
- 32d Bomb Group (B-17F)
- 352d Bomb Group (B-17F)
- 353d Bomb Group (B-17F)
- 354th Bomb Group (B-17F)
- 419th Bomb Group (B-17F)
The unit was the second heavy USAAF bomber group to arrive in England. It flew its first operational mission on 5 September 1942 to the Rouen marshaling yards in northern France. During its stay at Chelveston, the unit attacked submarine pens, airfields, railroads, bridges, and other targets on the Continent, primarily in France.
The 301st BG was allocated to Operation Torch, and on 26 November 1942 it departed for the 12th Air Force, being moved to Tafaraoui, Algeria.
[edit] 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The next group to use Chelveston was the 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), moving in from RAF Grafton Underwood in December 1942.
The 305th BG was assigned to the 40th Combat Wing at RAF Thurleigh. The group tail code was a "Triangle G". It's operational squadrons were:
- 364th Bomb Group (B-17F/G) (WF)
- 365th Bomb Group (B-17F/G) (XK)
- 366th Bomb Group (B-17F/G) (KY)
- 422d Bomb Group (B-17F/G) (JJ)
The 305th Bomb Group was one of the most decorated USAAF bomb groups in the European Theater.
During the winter of 1942/43, the 305th was commanded by Colonel Curtis LeMay and pioneered many of the techniques of daylight bombing used by the USAAF over Nazi-controlled Europe. These fundamental procedures and techniques were later adapted to the B-29 Super Fortresses which fought the war to its conclusion in the Pacific.
The 305th BG bombed the navy yards at Wilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943 when heavy bombers of Eighth AF made their first penetration into Germany. Through mid-1943, the group attacked strategic targets as submarine pens, docks, harbors, shipyards, motor works, and marshaling yards in France, Germany, and the Low Countries.
The 305th BG received the Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission on April 1943 when an industrial target in Paris was bombed with precision in spite of pressing enemy fighter attacks and heavy flak.
During the second half of 1943, the unit began deeper penetration into enemy territory to strike heavy industry. Significant objectives included aluminum, magnesium, and nitrate works in Norway, industries in Berlin, oil plants at Merseburg, aircraft factories at Anklam, shipping at Gdynia, and ball-bearing works at Schweinfurt.
A second Distinguished Unit Citation was awarded to the 305th for withstanding severe opposition to bomb aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January 1944. The unit participated in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 February 1944.
In addition to bombardment of strategic targets, the 305th BG often flew tactical interdictory missions and supported infantry units. Prior to the Normandy invasion in June 1944, it helped to neutralize enemy installations such as V-weapon sites, airfields, and repair shops. On D-Day, 6 June, the unit bombed enemy strongholds near the battle area. During the Battle of Normandy the 305th attacked enemy positions in advance of ground forces at St Lo in July 1944 and struck antiaircraft batteries to cover the airborne invasion of Holland in September.
The 422nd Bomb Squadron became a specialist unit in the summer of 1943, taking part in experimental night bombing missions with the B-17 and carrying out leaflet dropping sorties in the darkness. In 1944, the squadron extended its activities to pathfinder techniques using the H2X airborne radar.
The 305th took part in the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945, by bombing military installations in the battle zone, and supported the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. After V-E Day, the 305th moved to St Trond Air Base, Belgium in July, 1945 and Chelveston was returned to the RAF in October 1945.
[edit] Medal of Honor
1st Lt William R Lawley Jr and 1st Lt Edward S Michael, pilots in the 364th Bomb Squadron, each received the Medal of Honor for similar performances on 20 February and 11 April 1944, respectively.
In each case a B-17 was severely damaged by fighters after it had bombed a target in Germany, crew members were wounded, and the pilot himself was critically injured; recovering in time to pull his aircraft out of a steep dive, and realizing that the wounded men would be unable to bail out, each pilot flew his plane back to England and made a successful crash landing.
[edit] Postwar Use
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Chevelston was placed into 'care and maintenance' status by the RAF and became a satellite field for the No. 25 Maintenance Unit.
In 1948 20th Century Fox film crews shot the opening sequence of the film "Twelve O'Clock High" at Chelveston. The scene depicts the base as "Archbury", the base where Dean Jagger, playing an American AAF veteran, returns to the airbase where his bomb group were stationed. The airfield is mostly deserted, except for the occasional cow, but the control tower, huts and hangars still remain as ruined yet evocative reminders of what was once his home from home.
[edit] Cold War Use By USAF
With the Korean War and the growing threat of the Soviet Union, the US and UK agreed to an expanded US military presence in the United Kingdom. On 1 December 1952, Chelveston returned to American control.
RAF Chelveston was allocated to the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and a completely new jet runway (11,000') was constructed on the base to accommodate intercontinental bombers. Also, wartime buildings that were in a state of disrepair were replaced with new facilities.
No permanent USAF wing was assigned to Chelveston. The base's main mission was to be a reserve base, kept in a state of high readiness to receive USAF units from the CONUS in the event of an emergency. The B-47 Stratojet was a familiar sight at Chelveston as wings deployed on 90-day rotations. Two of the SAC B-47 Wings which deployed to Chelveston were the 301st Bombardment Wing and the 305th Bombardment Wing, direct descendents of the two World War II B-17 Bombardment groups assigned to the base.
Starting in November 1955 the base was transferred to the SAC Seventh Air Division as a standby facility. In 1958 the church of St James in Thrapston received the pews which had previously been installed in the Chelveston based chapel.
Chelveston was turned over to USAFE in August 1959. Shortly thereafter, it became the home for RB-66C's of the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from RAF Alconbury's 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. In March 1962, the active runway at Chelveston was closed and the B-66's were transferred to Toul-Rosieres Air Base France.
After the B-66s departed the base was returned to a reserve status. The RAF used Chelveston for Civil Defense exercises. Mostly though, the base was maintained by a small British skeleton support staff. In August 1968, the base was put on alert during the Czechoslovakian Crisis, but no units were deployed there.
[edit] Chelveston Today
In the early 1970's due to budget cutbacks, the MOD decided to close Chelveston. The concrete runways, taxiways and hardstands were broken up and removed in 1977, with large quantities of aggregate being supplied to various construction projects in the Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire markets.
The large J-Type hangar was used by the 10th TRW at RAF Alconbury for storage of War Reserve Material (WRM) assets until the late 1980's. It was razed after the closure of the Alconbury flightline. A USAF (later Defence Communications Services Agency (DCSA)} signals facility was retained on the former airfield site, with a large array of antennas erected. In 2004, the site was disposed of by the DCSA.
In late 2005, RAF Chelveston were sold by Defence Estates to a businessman who is in the process of developing it into Chelveston Renewable Energy Park. Other parts of the base were sold to private agricultural interests, with the exception of some housing units retained by the USAF for families of personnel assigned to RAF Molesworth.
Almost nothing of the former airbase remains.
[edit] RAF Chelveston USAAF/USAF Emblems
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[edit] References
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to Present [1]
[edit] See also
- List of RAF stations
- United States Air Forces in Europe
- United States Air Force in the United Kingdom
- USAAF Eighth Air Force - World War II
[edit] External links
- 301st Bombardment Group
- 305th Bombardment Group
- IMDB Entry for "Twelve O'Clock High"
- Photographs Of 1950's Chelveston
- United States Army Air Forces - Chelveston
- Historic Chelveston Photo Gallery
- RAF Chelveston Buildings/Aircraft
- RAF Chelveston Airmen & Staff
- Satellite Image of RAF Chelveston From Google Earth
- Aerial Photo of RAF Chelveston From Multimap.Com
- Viewing War from the Nose
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| ACTIVE BASES: | RAF Alconbury (USAFE) • RAF Croughton (USAFE) • RAF Fairford (USAFE) • RAF Feltwell (USAFE) • RAF Lakenheath (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Menwith Hill (USAFE) • RAF Mildenhall (SAC/USAFE/AMC) • RAF Molesworth (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Upwood (USAFE) • RAF Welford (USAFE) |
| INACTIVE BASES: | RAF Bentwaters (USAFE) • RAF Burtonwood (AFMC) • RAF Chelveston (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Chicksands (USAFSS) • RAF Greenham Common (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Manston (USAFE) • RAF Sculthorpe (SAC) • RAF Shepherds Grove (USAFE) • RAF Upper Heyford (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Wethersfield (USAFE) • RAF Woodbridge (USAFE) |
| ACTIVE ORGANIZATIONS: | United States Air Forces in Europe • HQ Air Command Europe • 48th Fighter Wing (USAFE) • 100th Air Refueling Wing (USAFE) • 501st Combat Support Wing (USAFE) |
| PAST ORGANIZATIONS: | Third Air Force • Sixteenth Air Force |
