RAF Greenham Common - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

RAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, England. The airfield is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south-southwest of Thatcham

Thatcham

Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...

; about 50 miles (80.5 km) west of London.

Opened in 1942, it was used 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 United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

during World War II and 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...

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...

. After the Cold War ended, it was closed in 1993.

The airfield was also known for the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp

Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp

Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was a peace camp established to protest at nuclear weapons being sited at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. The camp began in September 1981 after a Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth, arrived at Greenham to protest against the decision of the British...

held outside its gates in the 1980s.

Today the airfield has been dismantled from its military past and is now returned to natural park land.

Pre-military history

Greenham Common was a piece of common land

Common land

Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...

. It was used for troop movements during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

and in the nineteenth century.

World War II

Greenham Common airfield was one of several wartime airfields in the Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...

area and was originally intended for use as an RAF Bomber Command

RAF Bomber Command

RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...

Operational Training Unit. It was built to the 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...

standard, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern connecting to an enclosing perimeter track, of a standard width of 50 feet.

The land for the airfield was acquired in May 1941 and the runways were built in early 1942 with one main and two secondary runways with assorted loop and pan dispersal hardstands connecting to an enclosing perimeter track, of a standard width of 50 feet.

The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen hut

Nissen hut

A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...

s of various sizes. The support station was where the group and ground station commanders and squadron headquarters and orderly rooms were located. Also on the ground station were where the mess facilities; chapel; hospital; mission briefing and debriefing; armoury; life support; parachute rigging; supply warehouses; station and airfield security; motor pool and the other ground support functions necessary to support the air operations of the group. These facilities were all connected by a network of single path support roads.

The technical site, connected to the ground station and airfield consisted of at least two T-2 type hangars and various organizational, component and field maintenance shops along with the crew chiefs and other personnel necessary to keep the aircraft airworthy and to quickly repair light and moderate battle damage. Aircraft severely damaged in combat were sent to repair depots for major structural repair. The Ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens.

Seven domestic accommodation sites were constructed dispersed mostly off the eastern end of the airfield, but within a mile or so of the technical support site, also using clusters of Maycrete or Nissen huts. The huts were either connected, set up end-to-end or built singly and made of prefabricated corrugated iron with a door and two small windows at the front and back. They provided accommodation for 2,400 personnel, including communal and a sick quarters.

During airborne operations, when large numbers of airborne parachutists were moved to the airfield, tents would be pitched on the interior grass regions of the airfield, or wherever space could be found to accommodate the airborne forces for the short time they would be bivouacked at the station prior to the operation.

The airfield was opened in June 1942 as a satellite for 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:...

, with operational control later being transferred to RAF Andover

RAF Andover

Andover Airfield is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station. The ICAO code for the airfield is EGWA and the IATA code is ADV...

in late 1942. In the absence of American units during the first nine months of 1943, the airfield was made available to RAF trainer units. Airspeed Oxford

Airspeed Oxford

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...

s were often to be seen landing and taking off from its runways, until the airfield reverted to USAAF control in October.

USAAF use

In late 1943, Greenham Common airfield was turned over to the USAAF Ninth Air Force

Ninth Air Force

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....

. An American advance party soon arrived to ready the airfield for the incoming units. Greenham Common was known as USAAF Station AAF-486 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and it was referred to by this name instead of by location. Its USAAF Station Code was "GC".

The first arrival while the airfield was still under construction was the 51st Troop Carrier Wing Headquarters, arriving in September 1942. The 51st TCW was a non-flying organisation, controlling the three troop carrier groups at RAF Keevil

RAF Keevil

RAF Keevil is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles east of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.The airfield was built on a site previously ear-marked for the purpose in the mid 1930s...

(62nd TCG), RAF Aldermaston

RAF Aldermaston

(60th TCG) and RAF Ramsbury

RAF Ramsbury

RAF Station Ramsbury is a former World War II airfield in Wiltshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Marlborough; about west of London. Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily...

(64th TCG) as part of Twelfth Air Force. The Wing Headquarters was located in requisitioned Bowdown House, a mansion on the northeast end of the airfield, and made use of the runways for its communication and courier flights.

The 51st TCW HQ followed its groups to North Africa as part of 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....

in November 1942.

354th Fighter group

As troop carrier groups began arriving in the UK in late 1943 and deployed in the Greenham Area, Greenham Common was one of the airfields used by the Ninth Air Force for fighter groups arriving from the United States.

On 4 November the 354th Fighter Group arrived from Portland AAF

Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

and they were informed they were to fly the North American

North American Aviation

North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...

P-51B Mustang. This was a change of equipment for the group, as they had trained with Bell P-39 Airacobras. The Mustang was a far more capable aircraft, with excellent performance that was required to escort the heavy bomb groups of the 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....

.

The 354th FG stayed at Greenham Common for only a few days, being transferred to RAF Boxted

RAF Boxted

RAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...

in Essex on 13 November. Headquarters of Ninth Air Force

Ninth Air Force

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....

's 70th Fighter Wing

70th Fighter Wing (World War II)

The 70th Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with thr United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Neubiberg Air Base, Germany...

of IX Tactical Air Command

IX Tactical Air Command

The IX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Camp Shanks, New York...

arrived from Paine AAF

Paine Field

Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport is a public airport located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between Mukilteo and Everett, Washington...

, Washington at Greenham Common on 29 November, staying just a few days before also moving on to RAF Boxted

RAF Boxted

RAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...

on 6 December.

368th Fighter group

A few weeks later on 13 January 1944, the 368th Fighter Group

368th Fighter Group

The 368th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XII Tactical Air Command stationed at Fliegerhorst Straubing , Germany. It was deactivated on 20 August 1946....

arrived from Farmingdale

Farmingdale, New York

The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States...

, New York, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

P-47 Thunderbolt

Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...

s. They had the following fighter squadrons and fuselage codes:

395th Fighter Squadron (A7)
396th Fighter Squadron (C2)
397th Fighter Squadron (D3)

The 368th was a group of Ninth Air Force

Ninth Air Force

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....

's 71st Fighter Wing

71st Fighter Wing (World War II)

The 71st Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Missouri Air National Guard. It was inactivated on 31 October 1950.-Lineage:* Organized as 71st Fighter Wing on 11 Ocg 1943-Assignments:...

, IX Tactical Air Command

IX Tactical Air Command

The IX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Camp Shanks, New York...

.

On 14 March, after two months at the base, 48 of the group's aircraft took off on their first combat mission, flying a fighter sweep over the coast of France. The group headquarters had previously been alerted to prepare to move to another base, as IX Troop Carrier Command

IX Troop Carrier Command

The IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...

finally required Greenham Common for a troop carrier group. The 368th FG moved to RAF Chilbolton

RAF Chilbolton

RAF Station Chilbolton is a former World War II airfield in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southeast of Andover; about southwest of London...

the next day.

438th Troop Carrier group

Literally as the 368th FG was moving out, the 438th Troop Carrier Group was flying into Greenham Common from RAF Langar

RAF Langar

RAF Station Langar is a former military airfield on the border of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire near the village of Langar in England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...

. Flying Douglas

Douglas Aircraft Company

The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...

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...

s, they had the following Troop Carrier squadrons and fuselage codes:

87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)

The 368th was a group of Ninth Air Force

Ninth Air Force

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....

's 53rd Troop Carrier Wing

53d Troop Carrier Wing (World War II)

The 53d Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Troop Carrier Command, based at Camp Shanks, New York. It was inactivated on 12 August 1945....

of IX Troop Carrier Command

IX Troop Carrier Command

. The squadrons had 18 aeroplanes apiece, mostly C-47s but also a few C-53s. In addition to the airfield, the heathland immediately to the east, Greenham Common, was earmarked as an assembly point for WACO

Waco Aircraft Company

The Waco Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio, USA. Between 1919 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes....

CG-4A Assault Gliders

Waco CG-4

The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4 by the United States Army Air Forces, and named Hadrian in British military service....

which were received from the US in packing crates. When assembled, the gliders were towed to the airfield runways for dispersal to other airfields.

Glider assembly averaged about fifteen per day by early 1944, increasing to 50 per day by September 1944. As at all troop carrier bases where the use of gliders was envisioned, some 800 feet (243.8 m) of pierced steel planking

Marsden Matting

Marsden Matting is standardized, perforated steel matting material originally developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the rapid construction of temporary runways and landing strips...

runway strips was laid at each of the main runway ends to allow the marshalling of gliders.

At Greenham Common the 438th TCG trained for and participated in airborne operations, flew resupply and reinforcement missions to combat zones, evacuated casualties, and hauled freight.

D-Day operations

For its superior flying skills exhibited in extensive daylight and night training, the 438th TCG was selected to lead the IX Troop Carrier Command

IX Troop Carrier Command

force in the American airborne landings in Normandy

American airborne landings in Normandy

The American airborne landings in Normandy were the first United States combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944. Around 13,100 paratroopers of the U.S. 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on...

. Prior to the launch, both General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

and Lt Gen Lewis H. Brereton

Lewis H. Brereton

Lewis Hyde Brereton was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force...

, Ninth Air Force Commanding General, visited Greenham Common to watch preparations and speak with the troops of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Eighty-one aircraft, divided into two serials of 36 and 45 aircraft and led by the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X), took off from the main runway in 15 minutes, starting at 23:48 hours on 5 June. Despite radio black-out, overloaded aircraft, low cloud cover and lack of marked drop zones, they carried 1,430 men of the US 101st Airborne Division

101st Airborne Division

The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...

's 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, who were dropped soon after midnight in the area northwest of Carentan

Carentan

Carentan is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France near the port city of Cherbourg-Octeville. Carentan has a population somewhat over 6,000 and is now administratively organized as a commune in the Manche department...

. Glider-borne reinforcement missions followed, and for its determined and successful work the group received a Distinguished Unit Citation.

Losses amounted to one C-47 and a C-53, both lost to flak on 7 June.

Operation Dragoon

On 20 July the air echelons of the 87th, 88th and 89th Troop Carrier Squadrons departed for Canino

Canino

Canino is a town and comune of Italy, in the province of Viterbo in the internal part of Maremma Laziale. It is 15 km W of Valentano and 44 km NW of Viterbo....

airbase in Italy in preparation for the August invasion of Southern France, Operation Dragoon

Operation Dragoon

Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...

. In the invasion, the squadrons dropped paratroops and towed gliders that carried reinforcements. The group also hauled freight in Italy.

The 90th TCS stayed in the UK and operated from RAF Welford

RAF Welford

RAF Welford is an active Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northwest of Newbury; about west-southwest of London...

until the rest of the groups aircraft returned from Italy on 24 August.

In the absence of the 438th, the 316th Troop Carrier Group used Greenham Common as a forward base.

Operation Market Garden

In September the 438th group helped to supply the Third Army in its push across France, and transported troops and supplies when the Allies launched the airborne operation in Holland

Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....

.

As part of Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....

90 aircraft from the 438th dropped 101st Airborne paratroopers near Eindhoven without loss on 17 September. The next day, 80 aircraft towed gliders again without loss of aircraft, although two gliders aborted and 11 C-47s suffered flak damage. However, when 40 C-47s towing 40 CG-4A Horsa Gliders left Greenham Common on 19 September, things did not go so well in adverse weather. Only half of the gliders were released in the landing zone area, and one C-47 was shot down and several gliders lost.

A further glider mission by a similar number of aircraft fared no better and another C-47 was lost. Re-supply missions were flown on 20 and 21 September to Overasselt and Son.

During 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), the group, again headed by the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron, flew air supply missions to battle areas, including the first two flights into beleaguered Bastogne

Bastogne

Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...

. In February 1945 the groups of the 53d TCW were moved to France, the 438th going to A-79 Advanced Landing Ground at Pronses.

On the continent, the 438th TCG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:

A-79 Pronses, France February 1945
B-48 Amiens/Glisy, France May – 3 August 1945

The group evacuated Allied prisoners of war after V-E Day. It returned to Baer AAF Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

on 16 September 1945.

Post-war RAF use

With the departure of the USAAF troop carrier squadrons, glider assembly continued on and off until April 1945; two of the airfield hangars were used for this work. In total, over 4,000 gliders were assembled at Crookham Common and flown out of Greenham.

The airfield continued to be used by Ninth Air Force

Ninth Air Force

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....

until the RAF took control in June 1945. The RAF used the Greenham Common airfield as an RAF basic training centre until being closed in June 1946, with the facility being put into care and maintenance status.

The airfield was inactive for the next five years, and would probably have remained so but for the sudden escalation in tension between the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

and its World War II Allies

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

in what later became known as the Cold War

Cold War

In response to the perceived threat by the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, especially after the 1948 Berlin Blockade

Berlin Blockade

The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...

and the 1950 invasion of South Korea

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...

by the Korean People's Army

Korean People's Army

The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...

, on 23 April 1951, RAF Greenham Common was made available to the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

by the British 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....

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...

base, with joint operations with the Royal Air Force units.

Between 1951 and 1953, major construction work was performed on the base, as post-war jet bombers required a much greater runway length for take off versus those of World War II, and the Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

spent over £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

2 million building a new 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft)-long runway that extended onto Greenham Common and across the A339. To give the desired 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) run, the A339

A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme

List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain starting west of the A3 and south of the A4 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four-digit roads :-Four-digit roads :...

was diverted, and a new length of roadway was built to the south through Sandleford Common. In addition to the runway, massive new hard-standings were built, and extensive rebuilding also occurred for ramp areas and new structures.

Two 300 metres (984.3 ft) overshoots were added to the runway in 1958. To the south-west of the runway, a new munitions area was built. Eight 1 million gallon underground fuel tanks were also constructed at the base.

Strategic Air Command

In the post-World War II years, the United States Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

was based at three major airfields in eastern England: RAF Lakenheath

RAF Lakenheath

RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...

, RAF Marham

RAF Marham

Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....

and RAF Sculthorpe

RAF Sculthorpe

RAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...

. The increasing tension of the Cold War

Cold War

led to a re-evaluation of these deployments and a move further west, behind RAF fighter forces, to RAF Greenham Common, RAF Brize Norton

RAF Brize Norton

RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....

, RAF Upper Heyford

RAF Upper Heyford

RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training...

and RAF Fairford

RAF Fairford

RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...

.

The airfield came under Strategic Air Command's 7th Air Division

7th Air Division (United States)

The 7th Air Division served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way....

, with the 3909th Combat Support Group as its administrative unit on the base, responsible for all non-flying activities as well as maintenance and logistical support of the flying units attached to RAF Greenham Common.

The initial bomber wing deployed was the 303d Bombardment Wing with 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...

s, arriving on 17 March 1954 from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....

in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. The 303d stayed just over a month, returning on 28 April 1954. This was the first of the short-term temporary duty deployments from home bases in the US that continued intermittently over the next 10 years. Other known SAC deployments were:

Greenham Common Task Force (Provisional) (1 November 1955 – UNK) (ERB-29Aa and RB-50G/Es) (Electronic Reconnaissance and Countermeasures) (TDY From 97th Bombardment Wing, Schilling AFB
Salina Municipal Airport
Salina Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Salina, a city in Saline County, Kansas, United States. It is owned by the Salina Airport Authority....

, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

)
97th Air Refueling Squadron (5 May 1956 – 13 July 1956)(KC-97)
(TDY From 97th Bombardment Wing, Schilling AFB, Kansas)
310th Bombardment Wing (3 October 1956 – 9 January 1957) (B-47, KC-97)
(TDY Forbes AFB, Kansas)
40th Bombardment Wing (1 July 1957 – 1 October 1957) (B-47, KC-97)
(TDY Forbes AFB, Kansas)

In April 1958 the 90-day detachments were replaced by a three-week Reflex Alert rotation, during which the bombers did not fly, reducing the noise considerably. The runways and dispersals were further strengthened for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber, but none were based at Greenham.

From August 1960 the B-52 made periodic training visits, and a Convair B-58 Hustler

B-58 Hustler

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command during the 1960s...

arrived briefly in October 1963. Reflex operations by B-47 and KC-97s continued until1 April 1964.

Many SAC Squadrons had aircraft at RAF Greenham Common on a transitory basis without any recorded deployment to the base.

The Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

(SAC) departed Greenham Common on 30 June 1964, much to the relief of the local residents; the thundering jet bombers of SAC came no more, and for several years it was used for USAF storage and as a relief base.

United States Air Forces in Europe

The closure of US bases in France forced the reopening of RAF Greenham Common for air transport operations (Operation FRELOC) to handle materiel

Materiel

Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....

and personnel overflow beginning in early January 1967. In late 1967, Greenham Common was used for NATO Reforger

Exercise REFORGER

Exercise Reforger was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact.The Reforger exercise itself was first conceived in 1967...

exercises, again as a result of the withdrawal of France from the NATO integrated military alliance.

On 1 November 1968 control of RAF Greenham Common was transferred from SAC to 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...

, with the 7551st Combat Support Group having administrative control of the base. However, the base was little used, primarily being utilised as a United States Military Postal Mail

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

sorting facility, with aircraft flying mail in from the United States, being sorted at Greenham Common, then distributed to American bases in the UK and Europe. Mail from American forces in Europe was also sent to Greenham Common and sorted there, before being flown to the United States.

Beginning in 1973 the base became the home of the International Air Tattoo, a large scale international military airshow

Airshow

An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....

, since relocated to RAF Fairford

RAF Fairford

, approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) away.

The 20th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Upper Heyford

RAF Upper Heyford

established "Operating Location A" at Greenham Common for its F-111 fighters in 1976, using the airfield occasionally for dispersal exercises.

In 1977 the USAF announced plans to reactivate the base to house KC-135 aerial refuelling tankers, due to a lack of capacity at the KC-135's main UK base, RAF Mildenhall

RAF Mildenhall

RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...

. This led to widespread local opposition, and in 1978 the British Defence Secretary vetoed the plan.

501st Tactical Missile Wing

The Soviet deployment of the SS-20 missile from 1975 caused major concern in the NATO alliance. The longer range, greater accuracy, mobility and striking power of the new missile was perceived to alter the security of Western Europe. It was feared that the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

could launch a nuclear strike against Western Europe with a reduced threat of nuclear retaliation (i.e. compared to an attack on the continental United States). After discussions, NATO agreed to a two part strategy:

To pursue arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union to reduce their and the American INF arsenals.
To deploy in Europe from 1983 up to 464 USAF BGM-109G Gryphon
Gryphon
-Businesses:* Gryphon Airlines, an American-owned airline based in Vienna, Virginia* Gryphon Audio Designs, a Danish maker of audio components* Golden Gryphon Press, an American independent publishing company...

Ground Launched Cruise Missile
Ground Launched Cruise Missile
The Ground Launched Cruise Missile, or GLCM, was a ground-launched cruise missile developed by the United States Air Force in the last decade of the Cold War.-Overview:...

or GLCMs (based on the US Navy BGM-109 Tomahawk
Tomahawk
Tomahawk usually refers to:* Tomahawk , a type of axe made and used by Native Americans* Tomahawk , a cruise missile built in the United StatesIt may also mean:- Military and transportation :...

cruise missile), as well as 108 US Army Pershing II
Pershing missile
Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The Pershing systems lasted over 30 years from the first test...

ballistic missiles. (See also SLCM and ALCM).

The UK's share of this total was 160 missiles, 96 based at Greenham Common with four spares, and 64 at 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...

. When in June 1980 it was announced that RAF Greenham Common was to become the first site for cruise missiles, there was an outcry from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...

.

Once more a massive new construction was undertaken as the GAMA (GLCM Alert and Maintenance Area) site was built in the southwest corner of the base.
GAMA was a maximum security QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) area with 6 large above ground shelters in which fully operational cruise missiles were stored.
These shelters were specially designed and constructed to protect the GLCMs and crews against nuclear and conventional strikes. They were about 10 m high, with a reinforced 2 m thick concrete ceiling. Below was a massive titanium

Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

plate, 3 m of sand and a reinforced concrete plate. The shelters were completely covered with tons of clay.
Each shelter was equipped with three hydraulic nuclear blast proof doors at both ends to assure a quick entry or exit.
They were designed to withstand the blast of an air-bursting nuclear explosion above the base or a direct hit from a 2500 lb (1,134 kg) conventional bomb.

Each shelter contained 2 LCC Launch Control Center

Launch Control Center

The Launch Control Center is a four-story building located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida used for the supervision of launches from Launch Complex 39. In practice, this means that the LCC handles all American manned space flights...

s and 4 TEL transporter erector launcher

Transporter erector launcher

A transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles...

s. Each unit was mobile and supposed to leave the base in convoys to their secret preset dispersal sites. This would happen within minutes after the alert and the movement was via the local roads through the surrounding villages.

The first squadron of the 501st Tactical Missile Wing

501st Combat Support Wing

The 501st Combat Support Wing is a United States Air Forces in Europe unit based at RAF Alconbury, England. The wing traces its history to a World War II bombardment group which served in the Pacific, mostly bombing mainland Japan, in 1944–45...

received its weapons in November 1983; they were flown onto the base by C-5As

C-5 Galaxy

The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...

.

A series of meetings held during August and September 1986 culminated in a summit between United States President Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

and the General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...

in Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, Iceland, on 11 October 1986. To the surprise of both men's advisers, the two agreed in principle to removing INF systems from Europe and to equal global limits of 100 INF missile warheads.

The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. Signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987, it was ratified by the United States Senate on May 27, 1988 and...

in 1987, which led to the removal of all nuclear missiles from the base. The last GLCMs at RAF Greenham Common were removed in March 1991, and the 501st TMW inactivated on 4 June 1991.

The base's last operational commander, Group Captain

Group Captain

Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...

Andrew Brookes

Andrew Brookes is an English aerospace analyst, author of aviation books and aviation journalist.He is a former Royal Air Force pilot, and flew 3,500 hours on strategic reconnaissance Victors and Canberras, and also the Vulcan bomber...

, RAF went on to become an aviation author.

Greenham Common Peace Camp

From 1981 "women's peace camp

Peace camp

Peace camps are a form of physical protest camp that is focused on anti-war activity. They are set up outside military bases by members of the peace movement who oppose either the existence of the military bases themselves, the armaments held there, or the politics of those who control the bases...

s" were established in protest at the deployment of the cruise missiles. They came to be known as "The Greenham Women" or "peace women", and their 19-year protest drew worldwide media and public attention, often by cutting through the fences.

USAF departure and closure

On 11 September 1992, the USAF returned Greenham Common airbase to 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....

. On 9 February 1993 the Greenham Common airbase was declared surplus to requirements by the Secretary of State for Defence

Secretary of State for Defence

The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...

and the facility was closed and put up for sale.

With the departure of the cruise missiles and the subsequent closure of the base by the MOD in 1993, the peace camps remained at the site until September 2000 to ensure the base was closed and the land returned to the public. However, the protesters no longer attracted the attention of the media as they did during the 1980s when there were some 40 camps spread around the base perimeter.

Alleged nuclear accident

On 28 February 1958 a B-47E of the 310th Bomb Wing developed problems shortly after takeoff and jettisoned its two 1,700 gallon external fuel tanks. They missed their designated safe impact area and one hit a hangar whilst the other struck the ground 65 feet (19.8 m) behind a parked B-47E. The parked B-47E, which was fuelled, had a pilot on board, and was carrying a 1.1 megaton (4.6 PJ) B28 nuclear bomb

B28 nuclear bomb

The B28, originally Mark 28, was a thermonuclear bomb carried by U.S. tactical fighter bombers and bomber aircraft. From 1962 to 1972 under the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, American B28s also equipped six Europe-based Canadian CF-104 squadrons known as the RCAF Nuclear Strike Force...

, was engulfed by flames. The conflagration

Conflagration

A conflagration or a blaze is an uncontrolled burning that threatens human life, health, or property. A conflagration can be accidentally begun, naturally caused , or intentionally created . Arson can be accomplished for the purpose of sabotage or diversion, and also can be the consequence of...

took sixteen hours and over a million gallons of water to extinguish, partly because of the magnesium alloys used in the aircraft. Although two men were killed and eight injured, the US and UK governments kept the accident secret – as late as 1985, the British Government claimed that a taxiing aircraft had struck a parked one and that no fire was involved.

Two scientists, F.H. Cripps and A. Stimson, who both worked for the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston

Aldermaston

Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...

, alleged in a secret 1961 report, released by the CND in 1996, that the fire detonated the high explosives in the nuclear weapon, that plutonium and uranium oxides were spread over a wide area – foliage up to 8 miles (13 km) away was contaminated with uranium-235 – and that they had discovered high concentrations of radioactive contamination around the air base.

However, a radiological survey commissioned in 1997 by Newbury District Council

West Berkshire

West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...

and Basingstoke and Deane

Basingstoke and Deane

Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....

found no evidence of a nuclear accident at Greenham Common, suggesting that Cripps and Stimson's claims were false. The 7-month long survey was carried out by the Geosciences Advisory Unit of Southampton University and combined a helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

-mounted gamma ray

Gamma ray

Gamma radiation, also known as gamma rays or hyphenated as gamma-rays and denoted as γ, is electromagnetic radiation of high frequency . Gamma rays are usually naturally produced on Earth by decay of high energy states in atomic nuclei...

detector survey with a ground-based survey. The team analysed nearly 600 samples taken from soil, lake sediment, borehole water, house dust, runway tarmac and concrete, looking for uranium and plutonium isotope

Isotope

Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...

s. No evidence of an accident involving nuclear weapons damage was found at the former air force base, although the ground survey did detect some low-level uranium contamination around the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston thought to be derived from that facility, and the helicopter survey found some anomalies around Harwell Laboratory.

External links

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Pre-military history

World War II

USAAF use

354th Fighter group

368th Fighter group

438th Troop Carrier group

D-Day operations

Operation Dragoon

Operation Market Garden

Post-war RAF use

Cold War

Strategic Air Command

United States Air Forces in Europe

501st Tactical Missile Wing

Greenham Common Peace Camp

USAF departure and closure

Alleged nuclear accident

See also

External links