RAF Chelveston
Encyclopedia
RAF Station Chelveston was a military
airfield 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 airfield 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
.
station. 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 bomber
s, so concrete
runways were constructed along with taxiway
s and hardstands. The airfield was upgraded to Class A airfield
standards before being used by the U.S. Eighth Air Force
as a heavy bomber airfield.
. 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.
. It's operational squadrons were the 32d
, 352d, 353d, 354th and 415th Bomb Squadrons, each equipped with B-17Fs.
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 Twelfth Air Force, being moved to Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria
.
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 (and fuselage codes) were the 364th(WF), 365th (XK), 366th (KY) and 422d (JJ) Bomb Squadrons, each initially equipped with B-17Fs, then upgraded to the B-17G in 1944.
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 Saint-Lô
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
, December 1944-January 1945, by bombing military installations in the battle zone, and supported the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
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.
Legacy
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. The 305th Bomb Group became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
, performing occupation duty at Lechfeld Air Base, Germany, December 1945 - 25 December 1946. The group was inactivated in Germany on 25 December 1946.
During the Cold War
The United States Air Force
305th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1951 as a Strategic Air Command
Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses", later B-47 Stratojet
bomber wing. In 1952, the wing was bestowed the linage, honors and history of the World War II USAAF 305th Bombardment Group. In 1970, the unit was reequipped with Boeing KC-135 "Stratotankers" and was redesignated as the 305th Air Refueling Wing.
In 1992, the 305th was realigned to Air Mobility Command
and redesignated as the 305th Air Mobility Wing. It was equipped with the Lockheed C-141B Starlifter. The 305th retired the last USAF C-141B in September 2004, and was reequipped with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
.
The 305th AMW is currently on active duty at McGuire AFB New Jersey
with over 55 years of service.
20th Century Fox
film crews shot the opening sequence of the film "Twelve O'Clock High
" at Chelveston. In these scenes, an American AAF veteran
played by Dean Jagger
returns to "Archbury" (Chelveston), the home station for his bomb group. The airfield is mostly deserted, except for the occasional cow, but the control tower, huts and hangar
s still remain as ruined yet evocative reminders of what was once his home away from home.
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 station's main mission was to be a reserve airfield, 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 airfield.
Starting in November 1955 the airfielf was transferred to the SAC 7th 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 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 Defence exercises. Mostly though, the station was maintained by a small RAF skeleton support staff. In August 1968, the station was put on alert during the Czechoslovakian Crisis
, but no units were deployed there.
Throughout USAF jurisdictions, servicemen were encouraged and assisted to pursue hobbies and use base workshops. Chelveston and Alconbury servicemen often built and raced stock-cars, and especially in the 1960s were famous around English race tracks for their building and racing skills and for their access to American-built V-8 engines.
In the early 1970s 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 ground station 52°18′04"N 000°32′11"W, with large numbers of nissen huts and other building erected during World War II and during the 1950s were also all demolished, including the removal of streets and other infrastructure. Although unused since the early 1960s, most of these structures were in relatively good condition at the time of their removal. Other parts of the base were sold to private agricultural interests, with the exception of some housing units 52°18′05"N 000°32′31"W retained by the USAF for families of personnel assigned to RAF Molesworth
and a small school. These homes may have been sold by the MOD in recent years, due to the reduced number of American military personnel in the areas. The large J-Type hangar was retained by the 10th TRW at RAF Alconbury for storage of War Reserve Material (WRM) assets until the late 1980s. It was razed after the closure of the Alconbury flightline.
An RAF signals facility was retained on the former airfield site, with a large array of antennas (part of UK STCICS). This site incorporated a microwave relay mast linking the site with the MOD in London and RAF Strike Command
in High Wycombe
. One mast was of 600W power that transmitted RAF VOLMET on 5.450 MHz USB and 11.253 MHz USB. The site was disposed of by the MOD in 2004.
Almost nothing of the former airfield remains, although some evidence of the wartime airfield can still be seen in aerial imagery.
In late 2005, RAF Station Chelveston were sold by Defence Estates to a businessman who is in the process of developing it into Chelveston Renewable Energy Park. In May 2007 a new memorial to the men that served at the RAF station during the Second World War was unveiled in their memory by some of their comrades.
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
airfield located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, near the village of Chelveston
Chelveston
Chelveston is a small village in Northamptonshire, England and is part of the East Northamptonshire district. To the south is the hamlet of Caldecott and the settlement of Chelston Rise which together comprise the civil parish called Chelveston-cum-Caldecott....
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, United Kingdom.
During World War II the airfield was occupied by both the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and the United States Army Air Force. It was given USAAF designation Station 105.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, 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
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
to private landholders, with the exception of a military housing area currently occupied by American servicemembers assigned to RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
and RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
.
Origins
Construction of Chelveston began in 1940 with short grass runways and three hangars grouped together. The airfield opened in August 1941 as a RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station. It was utilized initially for the Central Gunnery School, then the Experimental Airborne Establishment took over with their gliders
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
.
However, the grass landing strips were deemed unsuitable for heavy 4-engine bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s, so concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
runways were constructed along with taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
s and hardstands. The airfield was upgraded to Class A airfield
Class A airfield
Class A airfields were military installations originally built for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. Several were transferred to the U.S...
standards before being used by the U.S. Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
as a heavy bomber airfield.
60th Troop Carrier Group
In early 1942, Chelveston was turned over to the American Eighth Air ForceEighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. 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
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
aircraft.
The 60th arrived in early July, but its stay was brief, moving to RAF Aldermaston
RAF Aldermaston
RAF Aldermaston was a World War II airfield. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Eighth and Ninth Air Force as a troop carrier group base, and was assigned USAAF station No 467.-Origins:...
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.
301st Bombardment Group (Heavy)
On 9 August 1942, the 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) took up residence on the station. The 301st was assigned to the 1st Combat Wing at RAF BramptonRAF Brampton
RAF Brampton is a Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. Formerly the home of RAF Support Command, it now houses several elements of Defence Equipment & Support , which itself was a result of a merger between the Defence Logistics Organisation and the Defence Procurement Agency...
. It's operational squadrons were the 32d
32d Air Refueling Squadron
The 32d Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. It operates the KC-10 Extender aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.-History:...
, 352d, 353d, 354th and 415th Bomb Squadrons, each equipped with B-17Fs.
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
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
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
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, and on 26 November 1942 it departed for the Twelfth Air Force, being moved to Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
305th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
RAF Grafton Underwood
RAF Grafton Underwood is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles NE of Kettering in Northamptonshire.-RAF use:...
in December 1942.
The 305th BG was assigned to the 40th Combat Wing at RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh was a Royal Air Force station located five miles north of Bedford, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942, designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.-Origins:...
. The group tail code was a "Triangle G". It's operational squadrons (and fuselage codes) were the 364th(WF), 365th (XK), 366th (KY) and 422d (JJ) Bomb Squadrons, each initially equipped with B-17Fs, then upgraded to the B-17G in 1944.
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
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968....
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
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
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
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
.
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
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. 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
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
.
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
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 6 June, the unit bombed enemy strongholds near the battle area. During the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
the 305th attacked enemy positions in advance of ground forces at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
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
H2X radar
H2X radar was an American development of the British H2S radar, the first ground mapping radar to be used in combat. It was used by the USAAF during World War II as a navigation system for daylight overcast and nighttime operations...
airborne radar.
The 305th took part in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944-January 1945, by bombing military installations in the battle zone, and supported the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
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 HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
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.
Legacy
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. The 305th Bomb Group became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, performing occupation duty at Lechfeld Air Base, Germany, December 1945 - 25 December 1946. The group was inactivated in Germany on 25 December 1946.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
305th Bombardment Wing was activated in 1951 as a Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses", later B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
bomber wing. In 1952, the wing was bestowed the linage, honors and history of the World War II USAAF 305th Bombardment Group. In 1970, the unit was reequipped with Boeing KC-135 "Stratotankers" and was redesignated as the 305th Air Refueling Wing.
In 1992, the 305th was realigned to Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
and redesignated as the 305th Air Mobility Wing. It was equipped with the Lockheed C-141B Starlifter. The 305th retired the last USAF C-141B in September 2004, and was reequipped with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
.
The 305th AMW is currently on active duty at McGuire AFB New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with over 55 years of service.
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.20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
film crews shot the opening sequence of the film "Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King ...
" at Chelveston. In these scenes, an American AAF veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
played by Dean Jagger
Dean Jagger
Dean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor...
returns to "Archbury" (Chelveston), the home station for his bomb group. The airfield is mostly deserted, except for the occasional cow, but the control tower, huts and hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
s still remain as ruined yet evocative reminders of what was once his home away from home.
Cold War use by USAF
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
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
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(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 station's main mission was to be a reserve airfield, kept in a state of high readiness to receive USAF units from the CONUS in the event of an emergency. The B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
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
Lineage (evolution)
An evolutionary lineage is a sequence of species, that form a line of descent, each new species the direct result of speciation from an immediate ancestral species. Lineages are subsets of the evolutionary tree of life. Lineages are often determined by the techniques of molecular systematics.-...
of the two World War II B-17 Bombardment groups assigned to the airfield.
Starting in November 1955 the airfielf was transferred to the SAC 7th Air Division as a standby facility. In 1958 the church of St James in Thrapston
Thrapston
Thrapston is a small town in Northamptonshire, England. It is the headquarters of the East Northamptonshire district, and in 2001 had a population of 4,855. By 2006, this was estimated to be over 5,700....
received the pews which had previously been installed in the Chelveston chapel.
Chelveston was turned over to USAFE in August 1959. Shortly thereafter, it became the home for RB-66C's
B-66 Destroyer
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Baugher, Joe. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft: Third Series of USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers, 2001. Retrieved: 27 July 2006....
of the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
'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
Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
France.
After the B-66s departed the base was returned to a reserve status. The RAF used Chelveston for Civil Defence exercises. Mostly though, the station was maintained by a small RAF skeleton support staff. In August 1968, the station was put on alert during the Czechoslovakian Crisis
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
, but no units were deployed there.
Throughout USAF jurisdictions, servicemen were encouraged and assisted to pursue hobbies and use base workshops. Chelveston and Alconbury servicemen often built and raced stock-cars, and especially in the 1960s were famous around English race tracks for their building and racing skills and for their access to American-built V-8 engines.
Chelveston today
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
being supplied to various construction projects in the Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
markets. The ground station 52°18′04"N 000°32′11"W, with large numbers of nissen huts and other building erected during World War II and during the 1950s were also all demolished, including the removal of streets and other infrastructure. Although unused since the early 1960s, most of these structures were in relatively good condition at the time of their removal. Other parts of the base were sold to private agricultural interests, with the exception of some housing units 52°18′05"N 000°32′31"W retained by the USAF for families of personnel assigned to RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
and a small school. These homes may have been sold by the MOD in recent years, due to the reduced number of American military personnel in the areas. The large J-Type hangar was retained by the 10th TRW at RAF Alconbury for storage of War Reserve Material (WRM) assets until the late 1980s. It was razed after the closure of the Alconbury flightline.
An RAF signals facility was retained on the former airfield site, with a large array of antennas (part of UK STCICS). This site incorporated a microwave relay mast linking the site with the MOD in London and RAF Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. One mast was of 600W power that transmitted RAF VOLMET on 5.450 MHz USB and 11.253 MHz USB. The site was disposed of by the MOD in 2004.
Almost nothing of the former airfield remains, although some evidence of the wartime airfield can still be seen in aerial imagery.
- The imprint of the 11,000' postwar jet runway (03/21), is clearly visible in aerial imagery. Numerous small pieces of concrete in the grass can also be seen along the outlines of the former SAC runway. The World War II runways, taxiways, hardstands and perimeter track, much of which was abandoned but still in existence during Chelveston's postwar use by SAC and USAFE were also completely removed and no evidence of them can be seen. The 1977 removal of these facilities was very complete and thorough. The postwar SAC taxiway 52°18′23"N 000°31′22"W was reduced from 100' wide to approximately 20' to create an access road for the RAF signals facility. The EOR taxiway turnoff on the 03 runway end can still be seen as an imprint in the grass.
- The foundation of the J-type hangar, 52°18′06"N 000°32′00"W used by RAF Alconbury for storage can be seen. A large pile of rubble is piled in the southeast corner and what the concrete foundation and remaining taxiway ends of concrete have various objects being piled on them.
- One of the foundations of a former T-2 hangar 52°18′15"N 000°32′02"W is also visible, just to the southwest being an intact wartime building along the access road.
- The foundation of the wartime control tower can be seen as a disturbance on the grass at 52°18′14"N 000°31′48"W
- Remains of the bomb dump are at 52°18′52"N 000°31′12"W
- A wartime building is intact at 52°17′59"N 000°31′30"W; additional foundations are just to the southwest of the USAF housing area at 52°18′06"N 000°32′40"W
In late 2005, RAF Station Chelveston were sold by Defence Estates to a businessman who is in the process of developing it into Chelveston Renewable Energy Park. In May 2007 a new memorial to the men that served at the RAF station during the Second World War was unveiled in their memory by some of their comrades.
RAF Chelveston USAAF/USAF Emblems
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See also
- List of RAF stations
- YieldenYieldenYielden is a village in Bedfordshire, near the borders with Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It lies on the River Til which feeds into the Great Ouse valley and is about 70m above sea level. It is approximately 14 miles north of Bedford, 3.75miles south-east of Higham Ferrers and 6.75 miles...