RAF Chipping Ongar

Infobox Military Structure
name= Royal Air Force Station Chipping Ongar
Royal Air Force Station Willingale
USAAF Station 162
location= Located Near Willingale, Essex, England
coordinates=coord|51|43|17|N|000|17|10|E|


caption= Chipping Ongar Airfield - 21 June 1947
type= Military Airfield
code=JC
built=1942
builder=
materials=
height=
used=1942-1946
demolished=
condition=
ownership=
controlledby=United States Army Air ForcesRoyal Air Force
garrison=Eighth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
commanders=
occupants=
battles= European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 Location map|Essex
label =
lat = 51.72
long = 0.29
caption = Map showing the location of RAF Chipping Ongar within Essex.
float = right
background = white
width = 200

RAF Chipping Ongar (also known as Willingale) is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located chiefly in the parish of Willingale 2 miles north-east from the town of Chipping Ongar and eight miles from Chelmsford in Essex.

USAAF use

Chipping Ongar airfield was one of 15 airfields in Essex that was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces by the Air Ministry in 1942. It was earmarked for heavy bomber use. The airfield was mostly in the parish of Willingale and it was by this name that it was locally known. It was built by the U S Army 831st Engineer (Aviation) Battalion, which began work in late August 1942 and was still ongoing a year later.

It was built with three intersecting runways, the main of 6,000 feet being aligned 03-21, with two 4,200 feet secondary runways being aligned 09-27 and 15-33. An encircing perimeter track with 51 hardstands, 48 loops, two large loops and one pan type were also built. Two T-2 hangars were constructed and accommodations in Nissen huts for 2,770 persons were constructed.

The airfield was opened in the early spring of 1943 and was used by the United States Army Air Force Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. It was assigned as USAAF station 162 (JC).

387th Bombardment Group (Medium)

Parts of the airfield were still under construction when the 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) arrived from Goodman AAF Kentucky on 25 June 1943. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing and flew Martin B-26B/C Marauders. The 387th was the fourth Marauder group to arrive in the UK. Operational squadrons of the 387th were:

* 556th Bomb Squadron (FW)
* 557th Bomb Squadron (KS)
* 558th Bomb Squadron (KX)
* 559th Bomb Squadron (TQ)

The 387th Bomb Group began combat on 15 August 1943 by joining with three other B-26 groups attacking coastal defences on the French Coast near Boulogne, and was mounted in thick fog. While taking off, one of the B-26 Bombers crashed at the end of the main runway, killing all of the crew except the tail gunner. The group concentrated its attacks on airfields during the first months of operations. In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 387th was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943.

The group made tactical strikes on V-weapon sites in France in the winter of 1943-1944. Hit airfields at Leeuwarden and Venlo during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944, the intensive campaign against the German Air Force and aircraft industry. Helped to prepare for the invasion of Normandy by attacking coastal batteries and bridges in France during May 1944. Bombed along the invasion coast on 6 June 1944 and supported ground forces throughout the month by raiding railroads, bridges, road junctions, defended areas, and fuel dumps.

The 387th Bomb Group moved to RAF Stoney Cross in Hampshire on 21 July 1944 when Ninth Air Force moved the 98th Bomb Wing's four Marauder groups into the New Forest area at the earliest opportunity to place them closer to the French Normandy Invasion beaches.

During eight months of operations from Chipping Ongar airfield, the 387th flew 204 missions and lost 10 aircraft. After the group vacated the station, only a small USAAF station compliment unit remained. A few transport and light communications aircraft were occasionally observed on the airfield, but there was comparatively little flying.

During September 1944, the airfield was used tempoarily by IX Troop Carrier Command as advanced C-47 base during Operation Market-Garden.

61st Troop Carrier Group

Troop carrier squadrons of the 61st TCG used the airfield on 24 March 1945, carrying British paratroops as part of Operation Varsity, the airborne crossing of the Rhine River, who dropped near Wesel. Of the 80 aircraft dispatched, one pathfinder C-47 was lost.

RAF Use

With the departure of the Americans, the airfield was never used again for military flying. Chipping Ongar was returned to RAF Bomber Command on 18 April 1945 being transferred to the Technical Training Command on 11 June becoming a satellite of RAF Hornchurch. However the airfield remained unoccupied until it was handed over to the War Office on 25 April 1946 reverting subsequently again to Technical Training Command as an inactive service station parented by RAF North Weald. On 26 October 1948 it was transferred again, this time to Reserve Command, still under the control of North Weald before finally being relinquished on 28 February 1959.

Civil Use

With the end of military control, Chipping Ongar airfield was reverted back to agricultral use.

One of the large T-2 Hangars was dismantled and re-erected at North Weald airfield. It is believed to be the one nearest the M11 motorway, and now used as a freight forwarding warehouse.

One pile of rubble on the former airfield is worthy of mention as it is the remains of East End of London dwellings destroyed during the 1940/41 Blitz and brought to Chipping Ongar to be used as hardcore for the airfield foundations. Some was left over and still remains, partly disguised by young fir trees.

In the mid-1960s the runways and other concreted areas were broken up for use as hardcore, much of which was used for the Brentwood bypass section of the A12. The western side of the perimeter track is still intact with four of the original hardstands. There is a small private landing strip on one section of former perimeter track, and one small section of a secondary full-width runway. On the northeastern side, the Operations block, Norden Bombsight Store, and the base of the pilots' briefing room are grouped together, and are in quite good condition.

ee also

* List of RAF stations
* USAAF Eighth Air Force - World War II
* USAAF Ninth Air Force - World War II
* 387th Air Expeditionary Group
* 61st Air Base Wing

References

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
* Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
* Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the Battle ISBN 0900913800
* Freeman, Roger A. (1996) The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two. After the Battle ISBN 1854092723
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* [http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/php/1Loc.php?Base=Chipping%20Ongar mighty8thaf.preller.us Chipping Ongar]

External links

* [http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=558000&Y=205000&scale=25000&width=700&height=400&gride=558400&gridn=205450&lang=&db=hcgaz&coordsys=gb Aerial Photo of Chipping Ongar from Multimap.com]

* [http://www.wartime-airfields.com/id18.html Chipping Ongar/WIllingale Photo Gallery]