RAF Bovingdon
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RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located at Bovingdon, two miles south east of Berkhamsted and 7 miles west of Watford in Hertfordshire, UK.
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[edit] RAF use
Bovingdon was built in 1941/42 as a standard RAF bomber airfield. The main NE/SW runway was 1,634 yards long and the two secondary runways were 1,433 yards long each. Over 30 dispersal hardstandings were built.
On 15 June 1942, No. 7 Group, RAF Bomber Command took up residence at Bovingdon. Operational missions were flown in June and July by the RAF until the field was turned over to the United States Army Air Forces in August.
[edit] USAAF use
During World War II it was known as United States Army Air Force Station 112.
[edit] 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The first USAAF tenant at Bovingdon was the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy). The group was known as "Fame's Favorite Few", and it was assigned to the 4th Combat Wing, at RAF Thurleigh. The group tail code was a "Triangle B". It's operational squadrons were:
- 325th Bomb Squadron (NV)
- 326th Bomb Squadron (JW)
- 327th Bomb Squadron (UX)
- 407th Bomb Squadron (PY)
The 92d flew a few two combat missions in September and October 1942, then was assigned the role of a B-17 Flying Fortress Combat Crew Replacement Unit (CCRU). In January 1943, the 92nd was transferred to RAF Alconbury where it was reformed as an operational combat group.
[edit] 11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit
Although the 92d Bomb Group departed for Alconbury, the 326th Bomb Squadron of the 92nd remained at Bovingdon to form the core of 11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit. The training was performed on the B-17E aircraft, and most combat crews of 8th Air Force bombing units for the balance of the war received theatere introduction before moving on to their operational bases. Although based at Bovingdon, the 326th remained under the operational control of the 92d at Alconbury until May 1943.
Along with its training role, Bovingdon housed the Eighth Air Force Headquarters and the Air Technical Section, both equippped with a variety of aircraft types. General Eisenhower's personal B-17 was housed on the base.
During World War II, several film stars were assigned at one time or another to the base, including Clark Gable, James Stewart and William Holden. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt, and Glenn Miller.
Americans used to visit the pubs in the local area and some of them married local girls.
In September 1944 the 11th CCRU was disbanded and Bovingdon became the base for the European Air Transport Service. Many thousands of Americans returned to the states via the air terminal.
[edit] Postwar uses
At the end of the war, Bovingdon was returned to RAF control on 15 April 1947. The British Ministry of Civil Aviation obtained the airfield for civilian airline use.
Because of its elevation, Bovingdon was often clear when London Heathrow and Northolt were fog-bound, and during the winter months especially, Bovingdon was used by British European Airways (BEA). British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) used Bovingdon as a maintenance facility and numerous other independent aircraft operators utilized the former technical site during the postwar years.
During the 1950s both civilian and military organizations utilized Bovingdon. The closeness to the USAF Third Air Force Headquarters at RAF South Ruislip and HQ RAF Fighter Command at Bentley Priory made Bovingdon the ideal location for service aircraft.
The USAF returned to Bovingdon on 25 May 1951, with the establishment of the 7531st Air Base Squadron. C-47 Skytrains were assigned to the unit, however many transitory USAF planes used the airfield routinely. In addition, the RAF operated the Fighter Command Communications Squadron on the base. In 1962, the USAF departed from Bovingdon.
In the 1960s, Bovingdon was used in the production of three World War II films, The War Lover (1961); 633 Squadron (1964) and Mosquito Squadron (1969). Although flying ceased at the airfield in 1969, some flying scenes for the film Hanover Street were shot there in 1978.
[edit] Closure and civilian use
In 1968, the Ministry of Defence announced that Bovingdon would be closed for budgetary reasons, and in 1972 the airfield was shut down. All MOD property, except a small housing facility was disposed of by 1976.
An area of the former technical site was transferred to the Home Office for use as a prison, known as 'The Mount'.
The airfield site still houses a VOR navigational beacon, code BNN. The airspace above the airfield and nearby Chesham is known as the Bovingdon stack and is a holding area for aircraft approaching Heathrow Airport, 20 miles / 30 km to the south. At busy times on a clear day a dozen planes may be seen circling overhead.
The remainder of the airfield site is used for a regular Sunday market and there is also a permanent circuit for banger racing. The main runway and taxiways, which are still intact though in a poor state of repair, are also sometimes used for other events such as the occasional car rally.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Freeman, Roger A., Airfields Of The Eighth, Then And Now, 1978
- Freeman, Roger A., The Mighty Eighth, The Colour Record, 1991
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
