The history of the Air Bases in and around Ramsey, including the Pathfinders and Bomber Command

 

 

Compiled and researched by

 

James A. Halliday LICG (RAF 1958-1996)

 

June 2002

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cambridgeshire Libraries and Information Services:-

Huntingdon

Ramsey

Cambridgeshire Airfields in the Second World War by Graham Smith

Action Stations Revisited by Michael JF. Bowyer (N°1 Eastern England)

INTRODUCTION

In this the 60th anniversary year of Bomber Command this article is dedicated to the thousands of allied airman who flew from airfields around the United Kingdom, but in particular from our local airfields, to those who survived and to the many who failed to return.

Cambridgeshire’s flat terrain and its closeness to the east coast made it an ideal location for the allied air forces during the last war.  By 1944 there were 24 operations airfields from which RAF and USAAF bombers flew in increasing numbers into the smoke filled skies of occupied Europe and the German Fatherland.  An era when the skies of Cambridgeshire never ceased to throb with the drone of departing and returning aircraft.

The details of events, missions, squadrons and personnel are too numerous to mention for all the airfields operating within the county of Cambridgeshire.   So for the purposes of this article I have concentrated on the airfields local to Ramsey, Basingbourne being the only exception, for obvious reasons.  This area was mainly Bomber Command Stations so the text refers to these events, a concise account can be found to both Bomber and Fighter Command stations in Graham Smith’s reference above.

 

CAMBRIDGESHIRE’S WORLD WAR II AIRFIELDS

 

KEY TO MAP ABOVE

 

1.         Wittering                     11.       Alconbury                   21.       Caxton Gibbet

2.         Peterborough            12.       Molesworth                22.       Bourn

3.         Sibson                        13.       Kimbolton                   23.       Lord’s Bridge

4.         Glatton                        14.       Little Staughton         24.       Gransden Lodge

5.         Upwood                      15.       Graveley                     25.       Steeple Morden

6.         Warboys                     16.       Oakington                  26.       Bassingbourne

7.         Somersham               17.       Waterbeach               27.       Fowlmere

8.         Mepal                         18.       Snailwell                     28.       Duxford

9.         Witchford                    19.       Bottisham                   29.       Castle Camps

10.       Wyton                         20.       Cambridge                30.       Wratting Common

ALCONBURY

Initially provided as a Satellite Landing Ground (SLG) for RAF Upwood a site, to the east of Alconbury Hill, was chosen in 1938.  The first aircraft to use this facility, where the crews slept under canvas, were Fairey Battles of 63 Squadron.  Maintenance and repair being undertaken by the parent station Upwood, Alconbury was the guinea pig testing this dispersed aircraft concept, but with the onset of war most SLGs gained full station status.

Alconbury was under Wytons control and Blenheim IVs of 139 and 114 Squadrons used the airfield until XV and 40 Squadrons arrived from France.

XV Squadron, in 1940 re-equipped with Wellingtons and the commencement of runway, perimeter track and dispersal pans allowed the heavier Stirlings of XV Squadron to also use the airfield.  For a brief interlude Spitfires of Oakington began using the drome, due to its own airfield being waterlogged, and 40 Squadron were the main residents of Alconbury until November 1941, they later moved overseas, whereon 156 Squadron took its place. 

 

Late August 1942 saw the arrival of the Americans, 156 Squadron moved to Warboys as part of the new Pathfinder Force, and with new hangars, control tower and domestic sites Alconbury saw the arrival of a new aircraft type in Britain, the B-24D Liberators of the USAAF.

 

On the 13th November 1942 Alconbury received a visit from H.M. King George VI, the first time an Eighth Air Force base had been honoured by royalty.

 

During 1943 the 92nd Bomb Group flew in and took up operations flying the B17, dubbed “The Flying Fortress”, and ranked alongside the Lancaster as the most famous of wartime bombers.

 

A new group formed in August 1943 – the 482nd  – the only 8th bomb group to be activated in the UK.  It was to provide radar equipped aircraft to locate and mark targets for the main force, a task very similar to the RAF Pathfinder Force formed almost a year earlier.

 

Considerable site work began in late 1943 in an area close to Little Stukeley with a new Strategic Air Depot taking shape.  Perimeter track, hardstandings, technical, workshop and accommodation areas were in construction, completely independent from Alconbury.  Becoming operational on 1st March 1944 it was known as Station 547 or Abbots Ripton.

The 92nd Bomb Group was replaced in August 1943 by the 482nd whose task was to provide pathfinder operations for the main bombing group.  They remained at Alconbury until the end of the war carrying out a mixture of trials, training and some operations, finally leaving for the States in May/June 1945.

The station had suddenly become quiet, with the cessation of hostilities, and 264 MU Royal Air Force taking over the Abbots Ripton area along with a bomb disposal unit, which stayed until 1946.  A General Equipment Maintenance Unit also stayed until its closure in 1948 when the station went to Care and Maintenance to await an uncertain future.

 

In 1951 the US Congress agreed to fund the modernisation of the airfield, over a two year period, and built a 9,000 ft runway, Alconbury was to become a USAAF Air Depot.

 

In just under 8 years the Americans returned and so began the peacetime  occupation of Alconbury which was to see the many and varied types of aircraft owned and operated by the USAAF. 

Douglas B-66Bs, 1955-1965 – McDonnell RF-4C Phantom 11s, 1965-1987 – Some Phantoms being replaced by Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters, air freighted in by C5 transporters in 1976, remaining until 1988. 

 

 

 

During this period an array of hardened shelters had been established at the base to accommodate the R-4 Phantoms.

 

Later these would extend to also house the infamous U-2.

An aircraft known for its notoriety as a ‘Spy Plane’, the U-2 arrived in 1983 as an all black version, the Lockhead TR-1 Battlefield Surveillance, often seen by drivers along the old A604 climbing high into the early morning sky

 

Alconbury was fast becoming a plane spotters dream with so many sophisticated aircraft operating from its runways, for example 1987 saw the

 

formation of the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing with Fairchild A10A ‘Tank- Buster’ Aircraft.

With the cold war threat now receding, October 1991 saw the first wave of A10s to leave Alconbury with the last A10s leaving in March 1992 by which time only four TR-Is (renamed U2R in 1991) were still flying.

The 39th Special Operations Wing, transferred from Woodbridge, took up residence in 1992 with yet another aircraft type, the MH-53J Pave Low III large helicopters and for air to air refuelling the Combat Shadow C-130s. 

 

Several other Special Operations’ Groups (SOGs) also operated out of Alconbury during the early ‘90s and then as the SOGs ran down, beginning in 1994, the aircraft were dispersed to Mildenhall and the remaining three U-2Rs left for Fairford in 1995.  After extensive activity by both men and machines during the last fifty years, Alconbury’s runways have now become silent, flying had ceased on 31 March 1995. 

Now in 2002 its future is still questionable, local opposition to use it’s excellent runway facilities are rife, but to not use this large, ready made, complex for the good of the community would be a criminal waste of money invested over the years by the American and British Governments.

GLATTON

The airfield lies to the east of the A1 between the villages of Holme and Conington and was the only airfield in the county to be constructed solely by American personnel. The 809th Engineer Aviation Batallion moved in during 1943, with a planned completion date of January 1945.

 

The 457th Bomb Group was the last B17 Group to join the 1st Division and the B17s began to arrive during the latter days of January 1944.

 

These particular aircraft were the latest model – G – of this now famous bomber, which was also the final variant.

In May of 1944, after the war in Europe had come to a close, B17s from Glatton, with 5 man crews, flew to old Luftwaffe Airfields to pick up and bring back over 40 prisoners of war on each trip.  The operation was code named ‘Operation Exodus’.

Towards the end of the month the B17s were moved to depots in the UK for disposal and by the 21st June the last American personnel had left for the United States.  By the summer of 1946, after a brief occupation by the RAF, the airfield had closed down.

Today, the main runway has survived and is used by the small civil aircraft of Klingair Ltd., and Glatton is now known as Peterborough Business Airfield.

 

There is a memorial to the Group in the churchyard of All Saints’ Church at Conington.

 

UPWOOD

 

Construction began in 1936 as an early expansion station for the heavy bomber requirements, opening in January 1937.  It saw many changes in its chequered career as an Operational and Training Unit.

 

Early aircraft to arrive at Upwood were the RAF’s first Fairey Battles but their short range, poor manoeuvrability and armourment made it useless for ground attack purposes.  They were replaced in 1939 by Blenheim Is of 35 and 90 Squadrons supported by a flight of Avro Ansons all providing operational training for N°2 Group.

 

Adverse weather conditions during the Winter of 1939/40, snow and waterlogged airfield, made flying almost impossible and the training programme was seriously disrupted.  Concrete runways were commenced in May 1943 with completion in late October.  17 OTU (Operational Training Unit) was formed in April 1940 flying Blenheims, Oxfords and Ansons - to be later disbanded in mid April 1943.  N°1511 BAT (Beam Approach Training) flight was in residence from September 1941-April 1943 flying Airspeed Oxfords.

 

 

 

 

 

February 1944 saw the arrival of 139 Squadron with Mosquito XXs from Wyton as part of the Pathfinder Force.  March of the same year Lancasters of 156 Squadron took up station and were Upwood based until June 1945.

 

 

When 156 Squadron moved to Wyton in June 1945, 105 Squadron and 1409 Flight took its place, converting Upwood into an all Mosquito marker station.

After the disbandment of 1409 Flight and 105 Squadron in 1945 and 1946 respectively, Upwood passed to the control of Transport Command - flying Liberators carrying out troop repatriation from India.

 

 

Post War Upwood, now complete with a long awaited face lift, saw several Lancaster Squadrons – 7, 49, 148 and 214 with Lancaster B1 (FE) aircraft occupying the station.  These were re-equipped with Lincoln IIs which saw action in Malaya, Aden and Kenya.

The Lincoln Training was still a requirement at Upwood and the Lincoln Conversion Flight was upgraded in 1953 to become N° 230 OCU, this later reverting to the Conversion Flight and moved from Upwood in January 1956.

As the Lincoln Squadrons finally disbanded to make way for the V-Force, for which Upwood was not destined to be part of, Canberra B2s of 18, 61, 50 and 35 Squadrons began moving in during 1955-56.  In the Autumn of 1956 Canberra B2s of 18 and 61 Squadron took part in the Suez Campaign, operating from Nicosia, Cyprus.

Once the V-Force stations had become fully operational the Canberra Force was gradually reduced with the last squadron disbanding on 15 January 1959.  Flying ceased at Upwood on the 11th September 1961.

 

Upwoods future was to be as a training centre for the clerical and accounts personnel until such time as it become a satellite of USAAF Alconbury as  store and dormitory.  A large wartime emergency hospital was later built and in the 1990’s the USAAF operated an important clinic for the serviceman and their families, which is still occupied today and used by 423rd USAAF Medical Services.

 

Closure and disposal took place in the 1990s.  Part of the airfield is used today by the Nene Valley Gliding Club and the remainder plus the neat rows of married quarters lie empty and forlorn, yet still perfectly preserved, giving the eerie appearance of a ghost town as a sad reminder of times gone by and the thriving community.

 

Outside the old main gate, present day, there stands a stone memorial to the Pathfinder Squadrons 139 and 156 depicting the Pathfinder badge.

 

 

WARBOYS

 

This is one of the airfields that became known as ‘Pathfinder Country’ due to its close proximity to Upwood and Wyton.  In the early days of 1940, before the Pathfinder era, the airfield was a conventional bomber station except its main runway was an exceptional 6290 ft long.  Due to this length the old Huntingdon road had to be closed so a new access to the village, from the east, could be constructed.

 

Initially intended as a Satellite for Upwood (as the Blenheim crew training intensified), it was available to receive the overflow of 17 units Blenheims.  However this did not materialise and the empty airfield was used instead by Wyton as a Satellite, where in 1941, Stirlings of XV Squadron operated from both Warboys and Wyton.

 

Their time at Warboys was brief and anything but uneventful; one Stirling crashed on landing in poor visibility, a total write off but no serious crew injuries.  Another crashed on take off just beyond the airfield, failing to gain height, however the crew managed a safe exit before the aircraft exploded spectacularly as the fuel and bomb loads ignited.  Some days later, a trio of Stirlings were forced to turn back from a bombing mission to the Ruhr.  One of which crashed at Warboys due to failing engines, once again the crew managed to escape injury.

The birth of the Pathfinder Force in August 1942 and the formation of 156 Squadron at Alconbury, under the control of Wyton, were to set the scene at Warboys for the duration of the war as a Pathfinder Station.  Alconbury was earmarked as a USAAF base which meant N°156 Squadron, flying Wellington IIIs, moved into Warboys.

 

January 1944 saw heavy losses for No.156 Squadron with raids in Germany, 35 Lancasters missing, eleven of which were PFF aircraft and five came from Warboys. The squadron lost 17 aircraft in nine operations and was effectively stood down from operations for 15 days. To help boost morale the station was visited by HM The King and Queen Elizabeth in February 1944.

Over the next few years Lancasters took over from the Wellingtons of 156 and the Pathfinder Force Navigation Training Unit swapped stations, complete with its Lancasters, Mosquitoes and Oxfords.

 Now 156 Squadron had moved to Upwood, Warboys was now to become a training station, and in 1944 1655 Mosquito Conversion Unit arrived to provide crew training for Bomber Commands’ Mosquito Squadrons.

The PFF NTU took over H2S and oboe commitments, with some of the 1655 units aircraft, until the end of the war.

Warboys closed as an operational airfield in January 1946 and became an Agricultural Airfield, but was resurrected in 1959/60 to become a base for the Bloodhound Air Defence System with crews living at nearby Upwood.  The defence of the adjacent V-Bomber bases continued until their disbandment at the end of 1963 when the station finally closed.

 

 

Now cultivated land and an Industrial site, some portions of one of the Warboys runways and some perimeter track still remain at the north side of the airfield.

Two stone memorials commemorate the PFF units in the village and a fine stained glass window in St Mary Magdalene’s church is dedicated to the memory of the members of the Pathfinders Force 1942 – 1945.

WYTON

Wyton has had links with flying as far back as 1916 when, from a small field, Royal Flying Corps men flew a variety of aircraft for the Reserve and Training Squadrons.  In an unfortunate incident in 1918 a young 19 year old student pilot from Wyton had landed on Hemingford Meadow, St. Ives, to ask for directions to return to Wyton. After a normal “Take Off” the plane appeared to swerve to the to the right and into the steeple of All Saints’ Parish Church.  Both steeple and aircraft crashed down into the church and the pilot, 2nd Lientenant Wastell, died instantly.  Recently a new pub sign, by artist Rod Kirkby, for the Aviator pub near to the church shows Wastell’s DH6, the ill fated church and the pub.

Building of the new aerodrome started at the end of 1935 and its wartime fame started, initially, with British Blenheim Is and then MK. Ivs of 114 and 139 Squadrons.

In fact it was a Blenheim V (N6125) of 139 Squadron, within moments after the declaration of war, that flew the first operational sortie of Bomber Command.  This operation, to photograph units of the German Fleet at Willhemlshaven and Bomber Cammands first operation to bomb German Ships, were the RAFs first gallantry decorations of the war.  H.M. King George VI visited the station on 2nd November 1939 to award the Distinguished Flying Cross to both Flying Officer A. McPherson and Flight Lieutenant K. C. Doran.  The first, but not the last, to be held “in the field” throughout the duration of the war.

1940 saw Wyton and its Squadrons transferred into N°3 Group and Wellington Conversion completed in December.  The first four engined bombers, the Short Stirling, re-equiped some of XV Squadron and with 7 Squadron the war moved to a new phase.

Its next change saw the airfield as headquarters for the new Pathfinder Force (see the Pathfinders) when the station housed a mixture of Wellingtons, Mosquitoes and Lancasters.  One Lancaster R5868 flew over 60 operations from Wyton finally logging more than 130 operations at Bottesford with 467 (RAAF) Squadron, it is now on display at Hendon in the RAF Museum.

Mosquitoes played a large role at Wyton in the later years of the war with 139, 128 and 163 Squadrons, 163 was the last to disband at the base in August 1945.

 

 

Lancasters from 156 Squadron at Upwood had arrived and they were to disband at the end of September 1945.

After six continuous years of war the airfield had suddenly become very quiet in comparison to its operational status.

The post war years saw the arrival and disbandment of XV, 44, 90 and 138 Lancaster Squadrons also the B50Ds and B29s of various USAAF Bomb Groups.

The RAF Technical Training Command Communications Flight lodged at Wyton from the end of the war and under various titles was the sole RAF Flying Unit.

In 1952 the main runway was lengthened to 9000 ft to accommodate the V-Force aircraft element, which moved from Benson, to become the strategic reconnaissance centre.

The Canberra PR3/PR7s replaced the Mosquitoes of 58, 540 and 541 Squadrons and in 1953 a Wyton based PR3, WE139 won the high speed section of the London to New Zealand Air Race.

 

 

N°542  Squadron reformed with PR3s to carry out high level night and day photographic survey work but was to disband in October 1956.

 

 

 

 

 

The Canberras of 540 Squadron were replaced in 1955, by N°543 Squadrons Valiants to operate photo reconnaissance missions until they disbanded in 1956.

 

B(PR)K.1 WZ397 of 543 Squadron, RAF Wyton.

 

 

 

Another specialised unit, N°237 OCU moved into Wyton in 1956 and Victor aircraft arrived in 1958.  Wyton based PR7 Canberras of 100 Squadron, attached to 58 Squadron, took part in the 1957-8 nuclear weapons test on Christmas Island.

Large scale surveys and mapping tasks were also carried out by Wyton based Valiants, ideally suited to the task, and later in the ‘60s by Canberra PR9s.

 

 

A new phase in Wytons expansion began in 1963 with the arrival of 51 Squadron from Watton, an electronic intelligence gathering Squadron as opposed to a photographic reconnaissance unit, using Canberras and Comet R2s.  The sophisticated Victor SR2 arrived in may 1965, a worthy replacement for 543 Squardrons’ Valiants. (picture shown is a tanker version of the Victor aircraft).

 

 

 

58 Squadrons disbandment in 1970 saw the arrival of 39 Squadron flying PR7s and 9s to meet the need for additional low-level PR and shipping reconnaissance.

Now with the ever increasing demand for intelligence gathering exercises, the EWAU (Electronic Warfare and Avionics Unit) was set up to design and install special equipment for various aircraft types.  So began the era of the Nimrod R1 for 51 Squadron, having lost the Comets and Canberras.

 

 

1975 saw the last Victor SR2 of 543 Squadron vacate Wyton.  However the Canberra was to remain a familiar sight in the skies around Wyton with the arrival, in 1975, of N°360 Squadron a joint RAF/RN manned operation flying Canberra T17 electronic warfare trainers.

 

In 1978 more Canberra PR7s came and disbanded under the guise of 13 Squadron and 39 Squadron was now using Infra-red Line Scan for use on photographic night operations.

 

 

 

N°26 Squadron, Basset and Devon Light transports, Wyton based since 1969 were to become part of N°207 Squadron, Detached Flight of Support Command.  For ease of technical support the remaining Canberras were all to be stationed at Wyton and in 1982 100 Squadron (Target Towing) and N°231 OCU with Canberra B2s, T4s arrived.

 

The disbandment of 39 Squadron in May 1982 saw the use of some of its Canberra PR9s by N°1 PRU (Photographic Reconnaissance Unit).  The Squadron has since been re-instated and in 1993 moved to Marham with the Tornado GR units.

 

 

 

The cold war era saw the arrival, in 1983, of HQ25 Squadron, Bloodhound 2 Ram-Jet guided Weapons, ‘B’ Flight was situated at the northern side (A141) of the airfield.

 

 

 

100 Squadrons liason with the Canberra, carrying out “banner” targets for the APC Squadrons, (Armourment Practice Camps) in Cyprus and towing Rushton winch targets for the Army at Kinloss, Scotland, came to a conclusion when 100 were re-equiped with Hawk T1s in 1991.  Still capable of “banner” towing they could also simulate formation airfield attacks and provide targets for Tornado, Sea Harrier and Ship Radar.

 

The RAF’s youngest Squadron N°360, finally disbanded in October 1994 and the remaining units dispersed, the Nimrods moving to Waddington.

 

Wyton ceased to be a flying unit in 1994 and preparation was being made for the arrival of the new buildings of the Defence Logistics Organisation Equipment Support (AIR).  The only Cambridgeshire station to be in continuous use since 1936, the site where once Lancasters and V-Bombers operated has now become a paperwork empire.

Needless to say many civilian organisations owe a great deal to Wytons various Squadrons over the years for the photographic recording of natural disasters, mapping of vast areas around the world, East Anglia major road schemes and much ordnance survey work.

As regards flying, well a station with the pedigree of Wyton cannot be kept inactive for too long and in 1999 Civilian owned and operated Grob 115s, “Tutors”, aptly named, took up residence flying ATC cadets and scholars of the CUAS and LUAS.

It would appear the wheel has turned full circle, from the early days in 1916 when young student pilots were being trained for the RFC to present day with young university Air Squadron personnel who could be the future pilots of the Royal Air Force.

THE PATHFINDERS N°8 (PFF) GROUP

During 1940 the Luftwaffe had established a special pathfinding force using crews of proven navigational skills to locate targets, the Kampfgruppe 100.  However it was not until late 1941 that Bomber Command took an active interest in this concept of a “Target Finding Force”.  The recently appointed Deputy Director of Bomber Operations at the Air Ministry, Group Captain S.O. Bufton DSO, DFC, was to mastermind this new force.  Past experience before joining the Ministry included projects to help crews locate targets by the use of flares and coloured Verey lights.

It was now up to Bufton to convince the AOC of Bomber Command of this radical approach to target finding but with the arrival of Air Chief Marshall (Bomber) Harris to the Command it was to prove very hard.  After some months of correspondence and debate on the subject, Sir Charles Portal, who strongly supported Bufton, overruled Harris and in June 1942 a Target Finding Force was approved.

Despite his initial opposition Harris managed to engineer some important changes.  The name was to become the now famous “The Pathfinder Force (PFF)”, which he thought suggested a navigational aid.  He also gained approval, by Royal Warrant, for the forces’ own special badge – the famous gilt hovering eagle – to be worn on the flap of the left-hand pocket below the medal ribbons, but not on operational missions.

   

The force formed on the 15th August 1942 under the command of a young Australian pilot, Group Captain Donald C. T. Bennett, DSO.  With a distinguished pre-war flying record and probably the services’ leading navigational expert, it was an inspirational choice.  Much of the success of the PFF was due to his leadership, vision and drive and Bennett set up his headquarters at Wyton, moving later to Castle Hill House in Huntingdon.  On the 17th August, 156 Squadron (Wellingtons) moved to Warboys – 7 Squadron (Stirlings) to Oakington – 35 Squadron (Halifax’s) to Graveley and 83 Squadron (Lancasters) to Wyton.  So began the new role of the PFF Squadrons, with high hopes of success, but with increased enemy night fighter activity plus the Germans had discovered a means to jam GEE it was a hazardous time to test the men and machines of the pioneer Pathfinders – Bennett continuously persued the development of new ideas, an enthusiastic supporter of Oboe – the blind bombing device – trialed in Wyton on the only Mosquito Squadron in residence, N°109 Squadron, and the arrival of a Lancaster force equipped with H2S, the new radar bombing aid on the 8th January 1943 the force was granted Group status - N°8 – with Bennett promoted to Air Commodore, the youngest to hold an Air Rank, later being promoted to Air Vice-Marshall.

The gallantry of the Pathfinders’ crews became legendry, three of the PFF pilots being awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses.  Their contribution was immense, over 50,000 sorties carried out for the loss of 675 aircraft, mostly heavy Squadrons, 3,727 airman killed in action, almost equivalent to 20 complete Lancaster Squadrons.

As there was not a future envisaged for the PFF in post war Bomber Command the Group was disbanded in December 1945.

Pathfinder reunions have been held annually at RAF Wyton but, due to fewer Pathfinder veterans attending, it has been decided to discontinue this annual event and their last reunion was held in the Summer of 2002.  For all veterans and their families this reunion will be greatly missed.

BASSINGBOURNE

Although not in our immediate locality, Bassingbourne, situated in the south of the county, is in need of a noteworthy contribution.  Opened in March 1938 as part of N°2 Group of Bomber Command it was initially an operational training station with Blenheim 1s replacing the role of Hawker Hinds, the service’s last bi-plane light bomber.

The most permanent residents were Wellingtons and in April 1942 Bassingbourne became a Class A Bomber Station.  Then in October of the same year, one of the most famous Bomb Groups of the 8th Air Force, the 91st, arrived to take over the station flying the B17 Bomber.

 

 

During May of 1943 the Group lost nine aircraft and almost one hundred airmen missing in action.  During this period the Memphis Belle, the most famous B17 of the 8th Air Force, was chosen to be sent back to the States for promotional purposes and to undertake a War Bond raising Tour of the USA.

Captain R. Morgan and his crew left for the states on 9th June 1943, the aircrafts fame immortalised by William Wylers excellent documentary film of the 8th Air Force Operations, entitled “Memphis Belle”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wyler, a well known Hollywood producer, had taken much colour footage at Bassingbourne and the successful remake of the film in 1989 increased its fame.  The aircraft, which has been restored to its former glory in the 1980s, is now on display in Memphis, USA.

 

 

Bassingbourne was handed back to the RAF on 15 July 1945 with few thinking that American airmen would return some five years later.


FACTS

 1.      Bomber Command

 

The strategic bombing offensive was very costly in human terms, 55,500 airman killed and 9,800 made prisoners.  It is estimated that about 125,000 aircrew served with Bomber Command during the war which means over half were killed, made prisoners, with a further 8,400 wounded, an enormous price to pay.

2.      Fighter Command

 

With over 5,000 enemy aircraft destroyed and the loss of 3,690 aircrew, without doubt its finest hour had been in the Summer months of 1940 in the “Battle for Britain”.

 

3.      USAAF

 

For almost 3 years the 8th Air Force had fought a gruelling, traumatic and costly battle; 6,000 aircraft lost with some 43,000 airman killed or missing in action with a further 1,900 seriously injured.

 

 

 

Many are remembered at the “Wall of the Missing” at Madingleys’ American Military Cemetary near Cambridge.

 

 

MEMORIALS

There are many poignant and dignified memorials around the country, at disused airfields, churches, main gates etc but as time relentlessly marches on and our veterans become less and less, perhaps there should be some permanent building to portray to those younger generations the sacrifice these airmen and women gave.  Huntingdon being N°8 Group Headquarters during the war would be an ideal location and could even be interactive with today’s technology and perhaps become a tourist attraction.  It seems ironicial, the many that are opposed to any form of flying from the few of the remaining local airfields, that were the backbone of this rural community, are able to do so because of the ideals of thousands of allied airmen.

Perhaps the most fitting memorial tribute we can pay to all those brave airmen would be to have some form of continued flying from the wartime stations of Alconbury or Wyton.

The events in America on September 11th 2001 were a stark reminder of the fanatical extremists that exist in today’s society and it was that same extremist element i.e. Hitler and Nazism why so many brave young men and women gave their lives, unselfishly, so they might rid the world of those extremists in order that we can enjoy the freedom that exists in today’s society.