• Bassingbourn RAF World War 2 Graves

From November 1943 the airfield was allocated to the 8th Air Force, 361st Fighter Group flying Republic P-47D or Thunderbolt. In January 1944 the runway was extended a further 1,470 yards. The 21st January 1944 saw the group fly its first mission. During the second week May 1944 all P-47's were replaced Mustang P-51Bs and Cs. The 361st left Bottisham on 26th September 1944 virtually closing it.

On 11th February 1942 101 Squadron moved in from Oakington starting with Wellington ICs but eventually converting to Mark IIIs; the squadron moved to Stradishall in Suffolk on 11th August 1942. They were replaced Stirlings of XV Squadron from Wyton, these were upgraded to Mark IIs a the start of 1943. The XV flew their last mission from Bourn on 10th/11th April 1943.

Bourn was transferred to No 8 Group, No 97 ('Straits Settlement') PFF flying Lancasters who flew their first mission from Bourn 26/27th April 1943. The losses, and therefore reduction in strength of the squadron, caused the squadron to be loaned to No 5 Group, leaving for Coningsby 18th April 1944.

On 23rd March 1944 the first Mosquitos arrived from Marham belonging to 105 Squadron. The squadron was equipped in March 1944 with Mosquito BIXs and BXVIs. On 18th December 1944 a further Mosquito Squadron, No 162, was formed at Bourn. The 2/3rd May 1945 saw the last operastion for both 105 and 162 Squadrons.

At its peak during the Second World War, Marshall's Flying Training organisation at Cambridge had around 180 aircraft, mostly Tiger Moths and a few Magisters. The Company trained over 20,000 pilots and instructors for the RAF during the War. As a result of it pre-war civilian work and experience of maintenance on Tiger Moths and Magisters during the war, the Company developed engineering expertise in the maintenance and repair of training aircraft, particularly Harts, Audaxes, Hinds and Battles. The Company was thus ideally placed to play a key role in the Civilian Repair Organisation to cope with the burden of salvage and repair and, initially, Marshall at Cambridge was given responsibility for the rebuilding of Whitleys, Oxfords, Gladiators and Ansons but later went on to work on Spitfires, Hurricanes, Wellingtons, Blenheims, Typhoons and Mosquitos. During the six years of war the Company completed the rebuilding and on-site repair of over 5,000 aircraft.

RAF. 50 Grp. EFTS

Cardington's was saved when it was decided to resurrect the First World War barrage balloon defence system and No 1 Balloon Training Unit was formed on 9th January 1937 with Grp. Capt A.A. Thompson, MC, AFC as Commanding Officer.  One month later the first Barrage Balloon Group, No 30, was formed and the first training courses for balloon crews were started; in November of 1938 30 Group became the Balloon Command. By September 1939 almost 50 squadrons had been formed manning about 600 sites. The balloons were to remain a familiar site in our skies for the duration of the war.  In November 1943 No 1 Balloon Training Unit was closed, having seen some 22,000 operators and drivers through its courses; the Barrage Command was disbanded in February 1945.

In September 1937 No 2 RAF Recruitment Centre moved in from Henlow; this was to be followed by Aircrew Selection and Medical Boards.

In 1942 the first Mosquitos started to assemble here in great secrecy for test flying with 157 Squadron until replaced in March 1943 by Number 605 Mosquito Squadron. In July 1943 Castle Camps became a satellite of North Weald and the Mosquito began to be used for intruder operations, and later for bomber support operations. Mosquitos left Castle Camps in October 1943. 527 Radar Calibration Squadron replaced them until February 1944 when Spitfires arrived, then Typhoons, then Tempests, all leaving quickly. The Canadian 410 Squadron again flew Mosquitos from Castle Camps until April 1944. In July to October 1944, 68 Squadron's Mosquitos also arrived, and also those of 151 and 25 Squadron. In 1945 307 and 85 Squadrons flew from here, also in Mosquitos.

The following is a complete list of squadrons who flew from Castle Camps.

• 85 Squadron Hurricane
• 73 Squadron Hurricane
• 157 Squadron Mosquito
• 605 Squadron Mosquito
• 456 Squadron RAAF Mosquito
• 527 RCS Squadron Blenheim, Hurricane, Hornet, Moth
• 91 Squadron Spitfire
• 486 Squadron RNZAF Tempest
• 410 Squadron RCAF Mosquito
• 68 Squadron Mosquito
• 151 Squadron Mosquito
• 25 Squadron Mosquito
• 307 Squadron (Polish) Mosquito

The station closed in January 1946.

From August 1939, Nos 35 and 207 Squadrons, with Battles used the airfield for training pilots and observer/air gunners. The Squadrons were amalgamated on 1st October 1939 as 1 Group Pool. In September 1939 No 6 (Training) Group became responsible for the eight "Group Pool" units comprising fourteen squadrons with No 35 (Madras Presidency) and No 207 (Leicester) arrived at Cranfield towards the end of August to provide operational training. From 1939-40, the Squadrons moved out while the Station was requipped with new runways.

From 1940 to August 1941, 14 Service Flying Training School flew from here with Oxfords, then from August 1941 to 14th May 1945, 51 OTU training night fighter crews were based here flying Havocs, Blenheims and later Beaufighters and Mosquitoes.

• History of Duxford Airfield

Fowlmere has a long association with aviation starting in 1916 when land was leased as a landing station for aeroplanes. Then in 1918 a large aerodrome was constructed with six massive 'Belfast truss type' hangars, accommodation, workshops and instructional huts. No. 15 Squadron of the RAF disbanded here in 1918. It was however demolished in 1922/23. In 1940, the RAF used the fields of Manor Farm again as an airfield, by 12 Group as a satellite airfield for Duxford, and during 1943 the airfield was expanded to become, from 5th April 1944 to 10th October 1945, Station 378 of the USAAF 8th Air Force and was used by the 339th Fighter Group flying P51 Mustangs. Throughout this period the Group flew P-51Bs and Cs until equipped with P-51Ds.

Mustang P-51D

The 339th flew 264 missions from Fowlmere and the Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for it's actions on 10th/11th September 1944.

• Fowlmere Memorial Rededication
  
• 339th Fighter Group
• American Air Museum in Britain - 339th Fighter Group

• 457th Bomb Group Association
• American Air Museum in Britain - 457th Bomb Group

In April 1938 Maintenance Command was formed and the unit at Henlow became No 13 MU under control of No 43 Group; mainly for repair and modification of aircraft.  By June 1940 most of the training units had left the station.

The Luftwaffe clearly considered Henlow to be of some strategic importance as it was bombed in September and November 1940, February 1941 and July 1942 but without serious damage.

In January 1940 the first Hurricane aircraft that had been built in Canada arrived here for assembly, test and delivery to the operational squadrons.  By late 1944 most of the Hurricanes had gone, the final one being appropriately named The Last of the Many left in September.

At the end of 1944 No 13 MU was still the main occupant but No 6 Repairable Equipment Unit (REU) was based there as well as a number of mobile Dental Units and The School of Aeronautical Engineering.

Kimbolton was initially, and briefly, occupied by the 91st Bomb Group in September 1942 but the airfield was determined to be unsuitable for operations using the heavy US bombers and the group was relocated to Bassingbourn.

Following upgrades, Kimbolton became the home of the 379th Bomb Group on 29th May 1943 which operated from there exclusively until it departed England on 12th June 1945.

• 379th Bombardment Group
• Kimbolton Airfield

The new Lancaster squadron, No 582, was officially formed on 1st April 1944, to be joined the next day by the Mosquito crews of No 109 squadron from Marham in Norfolk. Both squadrons were very active on 5th/6th June, the eve of D-Day and continued afterwards with many successful and heroic missions.  Mosquito type XVI, crewed by Flying Officers A.C. Austin and P. Moorehead dropped the last bombs of the war at 02:14 hours on 21st April 1945.

• Chronology of crews lost from Little Staughton

At the outbreak of war all civilian flying ceased and the school closed; the airfield was soon to provide the production facility for Percival Proctors and the Airspeed Oxfords.

Training returned on 22nd July 1940 when No 24 Elementary Flying Training School moved in from Sydenham, South London before moving on to Sealand in Cheshire in early February 1942.  It was replaced in April by No 5 Ferry Pool of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) from Hatfield; the only all female Pool.  

By 1943 the ATA had more than 600 pilots and late in the year had to move on to Cosford (near the Spitfire factories) to make room for Mosquito manufacture.  The airfield later became London Luton Airport.

1944 : Headquarters of - Eighth Air Force Service Command

The most imposing of buildings and possibly the most covert. Milton Ernest Hall was surrounded in intrigue and rumour. Other than the official recognition as 8th Air Force Service Command HQ it was thought to be central to a wider group of 'stations' concerned with secret allied radio and propoganda transmitting, political warfare, and undercover operations by British and American units. Several governmant ministers were thought to be located there as well as mention of having it's own runway, although it has always been closely associated with Twinwood airfield. Some local rumour has it a tunnel connects the two, although the surrounding landscape would make that highly improbable.

Glenn Miller often stayed at Milton Ernest Hall and, along with Don Haynes (his manager), based the administration and organisation of the band to the USAAF bases in the United Kingdom from here. The band were also taken out to the hall for its meals in between broadcasts and rehearsals at the Co-Partner Hall in Bedford. In return for the hospitality shown by General Goodrich and his officers at the hall, Miller agreed to play a concert in the grounds on the afternoon of 16th July 1944. A huge sucess with 1,600 officers and men present.

February 1942 saw the airfield transferred to USAAF and the runways extended. On 12th May 1942 the first US units arrived. From June 1942 to 10th September 1942, 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron were based here. Then from 9th June 1942 to 13th September 1942, 15th Bomb Group, with Douglas A20s, were here. Their first mission was on 29th June 1942 to Hazebrouck. They were re-equipped with B-17's 8/42 which completed the first USAAF mission from England.

On the 12th September 1942, 303rd Bomb Group ('Hells Angels') with B-17s arrived, being based here until to June 1945. Their first mission on 17th November 1942 was to St Nazaire, 'Hells Angels' went on to complete 364 missions. B-17F 'Hells Angels' of the 358th BS was the first to complete 25 missions. Knockout Dropper of the 359th BS was the first to complete 75 missions. The final mission was 25th April 1945 before moving to North Africa.

On 1st July 1945 441 and 442 Canadian Squadrons arrived with Mustangs based here until 10th August 1945. On 27th July 1945, 1335 Conversion Unit with Meteors arrived followed on 7th September 1915 by 19 Squadronn with Mustangs, then Spitfires, they remianed until 28th June 1946.

Although the airfield at Podington began to take shape in 1941, it would be another two years before it became fully operational as an Eighth Air Force heavy bomber base. Several units used it as a temporary base before the airfield was improved and runways extended and it was to be the oldest Bomb Group (92nd) that came to make Podington its home for the rest of the war.  

Operations started on 23rd September 1943 with two missions against the V1 rocket sites; all aircraft returned safely.  Losses were significant but so were the achievements and for the final five months of the war the 92nd piled up the number of operations with steady regularity, passing a milestone in April 1945 - its 300th operation.  On the 25th the Group was to fly its last mission, its 308th with the loss of one aircraft and crew bringing the total number of aircraft lost in action to 154; mostly from Podington.  They left for France in June that year.

• 92nd Bombardment Group - Podington AirBase
• 92nd USAAF-USAF Memorial Association
• The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum

It was realised that Steeple Morden was not really suitable for a Class A bomber airfield so it was relegated it to a fighter station. The 355th Fighter Group moved in with P-47Ds although it took some time for the unit to become operational because of the short supply of aircraft. After a slow start they were re-equipped with P-51s and went on to become one of the most successful fighter units of the war, strafing aircraft on the ground. Aircraft from here were also used to escort B-17s on a bombing mission on Polish oilfields, made possible by the use of drop tanks. The 355th's last mission was on 25th April 1945 by which time they had recorded 868 victories.

During the second week of April No 161 Squadron. joined them from Graveley; they were newly formed and were engaged in the skilled duties of landing and picking-up 'passengers' behind enemy lines with the Lysanders which had very short take-off and landing space requirements.

During 1943 the Lockheed Hudsons were used increasingly for these hazardous pick-up operations; they were faster, quieter, of greater capacity and had more sturdy undercarriage than the Lysanders.  A fine book written by 161 Squadron.'s flight commander, Squadron. Ldr. Hugh Verity, D.F.C., entitled We Landed By Moonlight gives detailed accounts of the secret landings.

In a nearby barn there is an impromptu memorial to the SOE agents who flew from here during WW2. Major France Antelme OBE, was an SOE agent dropped into France from Tempsford. On his third operation he was captured by the Germans in 1944 and executed in 1945. Denis Barret, landed twice in France, in 1943 and 1944. While trying to assist an SAS unit which had become surrounded, was captured, and executed in Buchenwald just before wars end. George Frederick Nichols flew missions for 138 Squadron in 1944. He was posted to the base as flying officer in August 1944, flew nine missions and failed to return from the December 2nd mission to Denmark, he was flying a Stirling which was lost without trace. Sgt E Markson 2211419. 161 Squadron. Aircraft crashed near Cugny France all the crew killed, Aircraft Halifax. He was lost with all the Crew on the night of August 8/9th 1944 from Tempsford. Richard 'Dick' Wilkin RCAF, who flew with 138, was killed returning from Poland when his Halifax was shot down.

• RAF Tempsford 1941-45.
• SOE operatives who flew from Tempsford
• History of RAF Tempsford.
• RAF Air Crew Losses
• WW2 Special Operations SOE Tempsford Secret Spy Base (YouTube)

By 1944 the 306th had been in action for almost 15 months and was nearing its 100th mission and having sustained many losses.  The Group finally completed their long war on 19th April 1945 which was their 342nd mission; the second highest for any B17 Group.  During its time at Thurleigh over 9,600 sorties had been flown with the loss of 171 aircraft in action and over 22,500 tons of bombs were dropped.

It was from this station that Glenn Miller made his last flight 15th December 1944. Even before that fateful December day in 1944 (the 15th) Twinwood Farm had established an association with Glen Miller and his American Band of the Supreme Allied Command as it was originally known.  It was based in Bedford in early July 1944 and they used the airfield on a couple of accessions as they undertook their exhausting tours.  They gave a  concert at the airfield on 27th August.

The order detailing Major Miller's journey to France for another tour was issued on 12th December but fog delayed departure and a friend offered to help him out with an aircraft. This was to be a Canadian-built Noordugn UC-64A Norsman.  It was a cold, rainy and foggy afternoon and Glen Miller said to the band's manager, Lt Don Hayes, as he was boarding the aircraft, "Haynsie, even the birds are grounded today". The aircraft took off at 1.55pm and was never seen again.

The airfield closed in June 1945.

Upwood’s aviation origins can be traced back to 1917 when land at Simmonds Farm, close to Upwood village was obtained for use by the Royal Flying Corps. Initially it was used as a night landing ground by 75 Squadron’s BE-2s. At this stage the airfield was named Bury (Ramsey). By the Summer of 1918 a number of huts and 170’ x 100’ hangars had been erected and the airfield renamed Upwood, coming under the auspices of 6th Brigade, Midland Area, 47th Home Defence Wing. Around the same time 191 Squadron moved in with its BE-2s and DH.6s, later converting to FE-2Bs. These were later followed by 190 Squadron’s Avro 504Ks.

A massive expansive of the RAF by 41 new squadrons in 1934 meant that nearly fifty new airfields would be required. Upwood benefited when it was announced that it would become the home to two medium bomber squadrons. Work began on buildings and airfield preparation and the buildings were completed just in time for the arrival on 1st March 1937 of seven Hawker Hinds of 52 Squadron. Later that day five Hawker Audaxes of 63 Squadron arrived. The Hinds were replaced in 1937 by Fairey Battles. Building work in 1937 included the three C-type hangars which still remain today, testimony indeed to the design and construction methods used.

With War being declared on 3rd September 1939, the Hinds and Auduxes departed to Kidlington and were replaced by 17OTU Blenheims from 90 Squadron which arrived from West Raynham on 16th September. This was the start of many operational changes at Upwood which saw a variety of types using the grass airfield including Fairey Battles, Airspeed Oxfords and Avro Ansons (which frequently used the perimeter tracks to fly from as the ground was frequently unusable). The construction of the three concrete runways started on 8th June 1943. This soon attracted the attention of the Americans and a USAAF B-17, short of fuel, landed on 9th October. A few weeks later five P-38s diverted in due to weather.

The base saw enemy action on 6th June 1940 at 03:00 when the airfield was bombed by a lone raider which caused one fatality and one injury. There are several documented cases of raids through the period on the airfield which resulted in many more casualties.

Mosquitos of 139 Squadron transferred from Wyton at the end of January ’44 and were followed two months later by Lancasters of 156 Squadron from Warboys. Tragey struck on 7th August when one of the Mosquitos crashed into the married quarters on the base, killing the crew and two people on the ground. 48 hours later a Lancaster, which was being debombed, exploded with the loss of seven and 21 injured.

In March 1941, two Wellington Squadrons were moved to the Station and started bomber operations over Germany and occupied territory. In January 1942, these Squadrons went overseas and the Station became a Heavy Conversion Unit (H.C.U.) converting pilots from twin to multi-engine aircraft.

In August 1943, Waterbeach became a Bomber Base Head-quarters and, in addition to the H.C.U., it was responsible for operating No. 75 Squadron and No.196 Squadrons from the adjacent airfields of Mepal and Witchford. Towards the end of 1943, No 514 Squadron (Lancaster) moved to Waterbeach and continued to operate from here until April, 1945.