Alconbury Airfield

1965 1988 1990 Alconbury Airfield— RF-4C (F-4) Phantoms begin to arrive at Construction begins on the Avionics The Gulf War, which began in August Alconbury, flown by the 10th Tactical Building, officially known as Building 210. following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, Reconnaissance Wing, already present Said to have cost about £75 million to extended Alconbury’s usage. U-2/TR-1s 70 years of global history at Alconbury. build, it was designed to withstand a and A-10s were deployed from the base direct nuclear attack and built to to Saudi Arabia. on your doorstep process the photography produced by 1980 reconnaissance missions. It had its own Construction of the Hardened Aircraft 1993 power plant, communications facilities, Shelters at Alconbury, to protect the F-4 It is announced that as part of the 1945 air supply, and decontamination facility. Phantom IIIs and F-5 Tiger IIs at the base. wind-down of USAFE, Alconbury will be

returned to the Ministry of Defence.

1982 Arrival of U-2 Reconnaissance aircraft 1995 at Alconbury with the 17th Tactical September USAFE leave the base for Reconnaissance Wing. Remodelling of good, ending the airfield’s 57 years of the northern section of the airbase near-continuous use. begins, providing new concrete aprons and taxiways to accommodate the new aircraft. Cold War to brownfield Alconbury’s current role as a commercial site began after the Americans handed back their Cold War air base to the Ministry of Defence.

1997 The site was acquired by Prologis in a joint venture with BAA Lynton, with a plan to create a freight interchange. Their planning application for B8 use – the class of planning consent that McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom at the Alconbury permits warehousing and distribution airshow in 1983, shortly after the construction of 1989 – was called in for inquiry. the HASs. Construction of five ‘Ready Sheds’, undefended hangars, for maintenance 2003 1983 and storage of U-2 aircraft. The main Secretary of State John Prescott, gave Construction of special ‘extra-wide’ runway is also overhauled. consent for 7 million sq ft of B8. Hardened Aircraft Shelters, to protect U-2 planes from nuclear attack. Fall of the Berlin Wall, the symbolic end of the Cold War. 2007 Prologis obtained a temporary consent to use the site’s buildings for B8 and light industrial (B1/B2) uses.

2009

Urban&Civic acquired the site in 2009

and obtained an extension to the

temporary consents until 2015 while

development proposals for the future

are prepared.

September 1943 1953 Alconbury Airfield RAF Alconbury 1938–42 A Luftwaffe attack on the airfield takes January The Cold War era 1945–91 June The USAFE (United States Airforce place, with eight high explosives landing The 93rd Bombardment Group was in Europe) officially move in to Alconbury, 1938 on the site. replaced by the 92nd. 1945 although the airfield is not, at this stage, For over 70 years, RAF Alconbury, RAF Alconbury opens as a satellite Until 1951, RAF Alconbury sits in a ready for occupation and use. like so many sites across East airfield to RAF Upwood. Crews sleep November 27 May mothballed state, with the Royal Air under canvas, and aircraft return to Vickers Wellington bombers replace One of the major tragedies in Alconbury’s Force using it as a site for the storage, Anglia, played a central part in 1953–55 Upwood for repairs and maintenance. Alconbury’s Blenheims. They saw long history took place. A bomb distribution and dismantling of munitions. Construction of a number of buildings military operations over Europe. action over a number of German cities, detonated whilst loading a B-17 of the on the site, including the Control Tower, It was an operational air base from including Duisburg, Hanover, Cologne, 95th Bomb Group, killing 19 and injuring 1939 1947 which still stands, and the bomb dump. Essen and Berlin. These sorties a further 27 men. 1938 to 1995, during which time Outbreak of World War Two. The station United States Air Force (USAF) is created. The watchtowers surrounding the area continued throughout 1941. it came under the control of both is put under the control of RAF Wyton. originally known as ‘The Peninsular Site’, August are of a recognised American design of the British and American Air Forces. 482nd Group was formed, known as 1948 the early 1950s. The legacy of that time – hangars, ‘Pathfinder’. A bomb group using radar- Berlin Blockade: The Soviet government

led ‘blind bombing’ techniques, they closes land routes into Berlin to the control centres, bunkers and huts used specially adapted B-17s. Allied nations, in an attempt to give the – reflect a complex and fascinating Soviet Union effective control over the history, intertwined with the September city. The Berlin Airlift undermines the communities that surround the Black Thursday sees the loss of 60 blockade and the episode forms the first

aircraft in the Point Blank Raids major tension point of the Cold War. airfield. effectively writing off the 92nd.

Here are the pieces of the story 1949 we have pulled together so far, April North Atlantic Treaty signed, but we want to add your memories A Bristol Blenheim, of the type that arrived at RAF A Vickers Wellington in flight. Designed by Barnes leading to the formation of NATO, and Alconbury in 1940 with 15 and 40 Squadrons. Wallace, who also created the ‘bouncing bomb’, a general agreement of mutual defence and stories to help us bring the Wellingtons were flown out of Alconbury from November 1940. between a number of nations in Europe history of this special site to life. 1940 and North America. 1955 Contact Rebecca Britton on April/May 1941 May 01480 413141 or by email — 15 Squadron and 40 Squadron move in, March Second Luftwaffe raid severs 1950 The Warsaw Pact is signed, creating a flying Bristol Blenheim and Fairey Battle [email protected] local telephone lines, the third drops Invasion of South Korea by North Korea, formal agreement of mutual defence bombers. They are involved in a number 44 bombs. with support from fellow Communist between eight nations of the Communist of raids over Belgium and Holland in nations, China and the USSR. Tensions Bloc, including the Soviet Union, East the early summer, including a damaging rise between western democratic nations, Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. raid on the Albert Canal; only 6 of 15 The arrival of the United and the emerging Communist Bloc. Squadron’s 12 Blenheims return. September States Army Air Force ‘Teggie Ann’, one of the USAAF B-24s based at USAFE begin to fly from Alconbury. The 1942–45 Alconbury, pictured during service. 1951 86th Bombardment Squadron move in, The USAF, having decided that there flying B-45A Tornados. was now suitably pressing need to 1944 1942 provide a military presence in Europe, Abbots Ripton Strategic Air Depot (now By summer 1942, Alconbury aircraft are allocated RAF Alconbury for use as 1958 the USAF base) became operational. had flown over 650 operational sorties an airbase. 47th Bombardment Squadron began to by this point, at a cost of 59 Wellington Radar-enabled USAAF bombers and fly B-66 ‘Destroyers’ out of Alconbury. and eight Blenheim bombers. reconnaissance aircraft from Alconbury continue to have a central role in events During the summer, RAF Alconbury was 1959 in Europe. Mosquito surveillance craft handed over to the USAAF. The 93rd December Construction of the photograph the Normandy beaches Bombardment Group move in, flying Parachute Loft, to replace a rudimentary First RAF Victoria Cross of WWII awarded to prior to D-Day, while raids on Berlin are Alconbury’s Flying Officer Garland who led the B-24 ‘Liberators’. Extensive changes one of linked Nissen Huts. launched from Alconbury in the closing attack on the Albert Canal. Charcoal and pencil to the airfield with runway extension, sketch, 1943. months of the war. additional hard standing, hangars and support buildings. June 1945 Work begins on improving the airfield. Victory in Europe declared on 8 May. Its first watchtower is built, along with The gradual wind-down of RAF taxiways and hard standing. The runway Alconbury from a war footing begins. is lengthened. The USAAF leave the site, and hand it back to RAF in October.

←Alconbury was the first USAAF station to be visited by King George VI, inspecting Col Timberlake’s USAF B-66 Destroyer, as flown from Alconbury from Liberator ‘Teggie Ann’. 1958 until around 1966. September 1943 1953 Alconbury Airfield RAF Alconbury 1938–42 A Luftwaffe attack on the airfield takes January The Cold War era 1945–91 June The USAFE (United States Airforce place, with eight high explosives landing The 93rd Bombardment Group was in Europe) officially move in to Alconbury, 1938 on the site. replaced by the 92nd. 1945 although the airfield is not, at this stage, For over 70 years, RAF Alconbury, RAF Alconbury opens as a satellite Until 1951, RAF Alconbury sits in a ready for occupation and use. like so many sites across East airfield to RAF Upwood. Crews sleep November 27 May mothballed state, with the Royal Air under canvas, and aircraft return to Vickers Wellington bombers replace One of the major tragedies in Alconbury’s Force using it as a site for the storage, Anglia, played a central part in 1953–55 Upwood for repairs and maintenance. Alconbury’s Blenheims. They saw long history took place. A bomb distribution and dismantling of munitions. Construction of a number of buildings military operations over Europe. action over a number of German cities, detonated whilst loading a B-17 of the on the site, including the Control Tower, It was an operational air base from including Duisburg, Hanover, Cologne, 95th Bomb Group, killing 19 and injuring 1939 1947 which still stands, and the bomb dump. Essen and Berlin. These sorties a further 27 men. 1938 to 1995, during which time Outbreak of World War Two. The station United States Air Force (USAF) is created. The watchtowers surrounding the area continued throughout 1941. it came under the control of both is put under the control of RAF Wyton. originally known as ‘The Peninsular Site’, August are of a recognised American design of the British and American Air Forces. 482nd Group was formed, known as 1948 the early 1950s. The legacy of that time – hangars, ‘Pathfinder’. A bomb group using radar- Berlin Blockade: The Soviet government

aircraft in the Point Blank Raids major tension point of the Cold War. airfield. effectively writing off the 92nd.

←Alconbury was the first USAAF station to be visited by King George VI, inspecting Col Timberlake’s USAF B-66 Destroyer, as flown from Alconbury from Liberator ‘Teggie Ann’. 1958 until around 1966. 1965 1988 1990 Alconbury Airfield— RF-4C (F-4) Phantoms begin to arrive at Construction begins on the Avionics The Gulf War, which began in August Alconbury, flown by the 10th Tactical Building, officially known as Building 210. following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, Reconnaissance Wing, already present Said to have cost about £75 million to extended Alconbury’s usage. U-2/TR-1s 70 years of global history at Alconbury. build, it was designed to withstand a and A-10s were deployed from the base direct nuclear attack and built to to Saudi Arabia. on your doorstep process the photography produced by 1980 reconnaissance missions. It had its own Construction of the Hardened Aircraft 1993 power plant, communications facilities, Shelters at Alconbury, to protect the F-4 It is announced that as part of the 1945 air supply, and decontamination facility. Phantom IIIs and F-5 Tiger IIs at the base. wind-down of USAFE, Alconbury will be

returned to the Ministry of Defence.

2009

Urban&Civic acquired the site in 2009

and obtained an extension to the

temporary consents until 2015 while

development proposals for the future

are prepared.