RAF Bovingdon

Location map
Hertfordshire
label=RAF Bovingdon
position=right
lat=51.72722
long=-0.54333
width=180
float=right
caption="RAF Bovingdon shown within Hertfordshire" (gbmapping|TL010040)

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.

During World War II, the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 112, station code "BV", later changed to "BZ".

RAF use

Bovingdon was built in 1941/42 as a standard RAF bomber airfield. The main NE/SW runway was convert|1634|yd|m|0 long and the two secondary runways were convert|1433|yd|m|0|abbr=on 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 USAAF in August.

USAAF use

92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy)

The first USAAF tenant at Bovingdon was the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), being deployed from Sarasota AAF Florida. 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". Its operational squadrons were:

* 325th Bomb Squadron (NV)
* 326th Bomb Squadron (JW)
* 327th Bomb Squadron (UX)
* 407th Bomb Squadron (PY)

The 92nd 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.

11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit

Although the 92nd 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 their introduction before moving on to their operational bases. Although based at Bovingdon, the 326th remained under the operational control of the 92nd at Alconbury until May 1943.

Along with its training role, Bovingdon housed the Eighth Air Force Headquarters and the Air Technical Section, both equipped 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.

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.

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 Heathrow Airport and RAF 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 used the former technical site during the postwar years.

During the 1950s both civilian and military organizations used 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.

Closure and civilian use

In 1968, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) 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 HM Prison Service for use as a prison, called 'The Mount' which opened in 1987.

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, convert|20|mi|km|0 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 Saturday 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. Also alongside a runway is a Delta Paintballing Facility. The ruins of the control tower also remain.

See also

*List of RAF stations
* USAAF Eighth Air Force - World War II

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
* [http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/usafserials.html USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present]

External links

* [http://www.controltowers.co.uk/B/bovingdon.htm Bovington at controltowers.co.uk]
* [http://multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?scale=25000&icon=x&lat=%2051.7272&lon=-0.543333&mapsize=big Aerial photo of RAF Bovingdon from Multimap.Com]