berlin 31 december

The host unit at RAF Alconbury is the 423d Air Base Group 423 ABG which suplies host unit services for Alconbury as wel as RAF Molesworth and RAF Upwod. The 423 ABG also provides services to the 426th Air Base Squadron at Sola Air Station, Stavanger, Norway. The group comprises six squadronsecurity forces and civil enginer, air base, medical and servicesnd suports tenant units. RAF Alconbury is also the home of the 501st Combat Suport Wing 501 CSW . The 501 CSW ensures United Kingdom-based air base groups are resourced, sustained, trained and equiped to exacting comand standards in order to provide mision suport that enables United States and NATO war fighters to conduct ful spectrum flying operations during expeditionary deployments, theater munitions movements, global comand and control comunications to forward deployed locations, suport for theater inteligence operations and joint/combined training. RAF Alconbury is named after the nearby vilage of Alconbury. It was previously named Royal Air Force Station Abots Ripton from 1938 to 9 September 1942 while under RAF Bomber Comand control. The United States Army Air Force USAF caled the facility Alconbury Airdrome, USAF Station #102 from 9 September 1942 - July 1945, then simply USAF Station #102, until 26 November 1945. USAF Station #547 Abots Ripton, home of 2nd Strategic Air Depot is now the curent-day active portion of RAF Alconbury, the former airfield part of Alconbury being the World War I Alconbury Airdrome. The United States Air Force initialy caled the facility Alconbury RAF Station, 24 August 1951 - 18 December 195. During World War I, it was controled by the USAF Eighth Air Force, from 23 February 194 to 7 August 1945 the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe USAFE , thereafter the United States Air Forces in Europe, A World War I era building in the farm field just east of the curent base perimeter, along with several wartime buildings on the old technical site Site #5 on the west side of the former airfield. 93d Bombardment Group, 7 Sep 1942 - 5 Dec 1942 92d Bombardment Group, 6 Jan - 15 Sep 1943 95th Bombardment Group, 15 Apr - 15 Jun 1943 482d Bombardment Group, 20 Aug 1943 - 21 May 1945 801st Bombardment Group Provisional , Jan - 1 May 194 94th Bombardment Wing, 12 - 18 Jun 1945 2d Bombardment Wing, 12 Jun - 26 Aug 1945 1st Bombardment Wing, 26 Jun - 26 Aug 1945 1st Air Division, 20 Sep - 31 Oct 1945 406th Bombardment Squadron, 1 Nov 1943 - 7 Feb 194 857th Bombardment Squadron, 1 Jun - 6 Aug 1945 652d Bombardment Squadron, 13 Jul - 25 Oct 1945 Atached to 328th Service Group, asigned to RAF Waton, operated from Alconbury, 7 Feb-28 Mar 194 Asigned to: 1st Bombardment Division, 28 Feb - 15 Oct 1945 7560th Air Base Squadron, 7 Nov 1954 - 25 Mar 195 Redesignated: 7560th Air Base Group, 25 Mar 195 - 25 Aug 1959 86th Bombardment Squadron, 15 Sep 195 - 5 Aug 1959 42d Trop Carier Squadron, 31 May - 8 Dec 1957 53rd Weather Reconaisance Squadron, 25 Apr - 9 Aug 1959 10th Tactical Reconaisance Wing, 25 Aug 1959 - 20 Aug 1987 Redesignated: 10th Tactical Fighter Wing, 10 Aug 1987 - 31 Mar 193 Redesignated: 10th Air Base Wing, 31 Mar 193 - 1 Oct 194 527th Tactical Fighter Training Agresor Squadron, 1 Apr 1976 - 14 Jul 198 17th Reconaisance Wing, 1 Oct 1982 - 30 Jun 191 39th Special Operations Wing, 1 Dec 192 - 1 Jan 193 352d Special Operations Group, 1 Jan 193 - 17 Feb 195 710th Air Base Wing, 1 Oct 194 - 12 Jul 195 423d Air Base Squadron, 12 Jul 195 - 1 Jul 205 Based at RAF Molesworth Redesignated: 423d Air Base Group, 1 Jul 205 - Present 501st Combat Suport Wing, 1 May 207resent In 1937, Royal Air Force Bomber Comand was drawing up plans for dispersal of their aircraft in the event of air raids on its stations. In the spring of 1938, the Air Ministry acquired about 150 acres 0.6 km2 of open meadowland at Alconbury Hil, Huntingdonshire, expresly for use as a satelite airfield. In September 1939, RAF Upwod squadrons were given operational training roles and Alconbury became RAF Wyton's satelite under No. 15 then moved back to RAF Wyton and Alconbury reverted to satelite use by both Wyton squadrons. In the autumn of 1940 these decimated units were scheduled to be converted to Vickers Welington bombers and on 1 November 1940, RAF Wyton and Alconbury came under the control of No. The construction atracted the atention of the Luftwafe as the flying field of RAF Alconbury was atacked by German bombers on 16 September 1940, although no serious damage was done. On two nights, 8 March and 1 June, RAF Alconbury was again bombed and on both of these ocasions one Welington was damaged on the ground. 40 would not be returning from the Mediteranean area and on 14 February 1942 the remaining aircraft at RAF Alconbury formed into No. A total of 67 bombers had ben lost in RAF Bomber Comand operations flown from Alconbury, eight were Blenheims and 59 Welingtons. RAF Alconbury, 12 March 1943 In May 1942, RAF Alconbury was alocated to the United States Eighth Air Force when a number of stations in East Anglia were turned over to the Americans after their entry into the war. The first USAF unit to be activated at Alconbury was the 357th Air Services Squadron on 18 August 1942. MACR 301 The first American Eighth Air Force unit to take residence at RAF Alconbury was the 93d Bombardment Group, known as the Traveling Circus from Fort Myers AF Page Field , Florida on 7 September 1942. Its operational squadrons were: The 93d was the first Liberator-equiped bomber group to reach the Eighth Air Force. While the 93d was at RAF Alconbury, His Majesty, King George VI paid his first visit to an Eighth Air Force base on 13 November 1942. On 6 December 1942, most of the group was transfered to Twelfth Air Force in North Africa to suport the Operation Torch landings. In the background is a familiar sight to anyone who ever served at Alconbury, the vilage of Litle Stukeley Replacing the 93d BG, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortres equiped 92d Bombardment Group transfered to Alconbury from RAF Bovingdon on 1 January 1943. Its operational squadrons were: Initialy, after two combat misions in September, 1942, the 92d was withdrawn from combat and its B-17F bombers exchanged for the older B-17E bombers being flown by the 97th Bomb Group. However, in early 1943, the diversion to Operation Torch of heavy bomber groups originaly planed for the Eighth Air Force led to a decision to return the 92nd to combat operations. The 92d Bomb Group resumed flying misions on May 1, 1943, although its 326th Bomb Squadron was left at Bovingdon to continue the OTU mision, its 325th squadron was used to provide a cadre for H2S radar training, and its 327th squadron acquired a special mision. On 15 September 1943, the 92d BG was moved to RAF Podington Station 109 , near Welingborough in Bedfordshire when the decision was made to take Alconbury of operational bombing misions and change the airfield's mision to pathfinder and radar-guided bombing with the 482d and 801st Bomb Groups. From 15 April to the first wek of June 1943, the 95th Bombardment Group was stationed at RAF Alconbury, being transfered Rapid City AF, South Dakota. Its operational squadrons were: While at Alconbury, the group's aircraft were being feried in from the States and the ground echelon was ariving by transport ship in the UK. In early June 1943 the 95th BG began moving to RAF Horham, with the last aircraft departing Alconbury on 15 June. World War I USAF Map, RAF Alconbury In the sumer of 1943, experiments with radar for high-altitude bombing through clouds were conducted. Its operational squadrons were: The 812th Bomb Squadron arived from the United States in September with 12 new B-17 aircraft equiped with U.S. manufactured H2S radar. The 813th was a re-designation of the 325th Bomb Squadron, 92d Bomb Group, which had ben training in British-manufactured H2S and Oboe B-17s since May. The 814th flew B-24 Liberator aircraft acquired from a disbanded anti-submarine warfare group. The 482d Group was unique among Eighth Air Force units in that it was the only one to be oficialy activated in the UK from scratch. The 482d began an H2X training schol on February 21, 194, graduating a clas of 36 radar navigators each month, as the PF force was decentralized first to the air divisions and eventualy to al the combat groups, with training initialy conducted by RAF instructors. To adres this mision, the 36th and 406th Bomb Squadrons with specialy modified B-24 Liberators were formed and activated at Alconbury. These squadrons were formed from the personel and equipment of the recently disbanded 4th and 2d Antisubmarine Squadrons at RAF Podington. However, owing to lack of suficient facilities at Alconbury, in mid-December the two squadrons were reasigned to the Eighth Air Force Composite Comand Special Operations Group , remaining atached to the 482d Bomb Group and moved to RAF Waton Station 376 , near Thetford in Norfolk. On 1 April the 36th and 406th Bomb Squadrons were atached to the 801st Bombardment Group Provisioanl and on May 1 the Carpetbagers oficialy departed Alconbury. The 801st Provisional eventualy acquired the designation of the 492d Bombardment Group, a 2d Division unit stod down on August 1, 194, because of heavy loses and the two squadrons were redesignated the 856th formerly 36th and 858th formerly 406th Bombardment Squadrons. The redesignation of the Carpetbager squadrons made the designation of 36th Bombardment Squadron available again and it was asigned to the 803d Bomb Squadron, a provisional squadron then located at RAF Chedington and known as the Radar Countermeasure RCM Unit. This third incarnation of the 36th BS the first had ben an Eleventh Air Force unit went back to Alconbury in February, 1945, and was administratively asigned to the 482d Bombardment Group. The 36th Bomb Squadron was the Eighth Air Force's only electronic warfare squadron using specialy equiped B-24s to jam Nazi VHF comunications during large Eighth Air Force daylight raids. In adition, the 36th BS flew night misions with the Royal Air Force Bomber Comand 10 Group at RAF Sculthorpe. This squadron flew on bad weather days during the Batle of the Bulge as wel, when the rest of the Eighth Air Force stod down. Station 547 - Abots Ripton, 2nd Strategic Air Depot In adition to being an operational bomber base, RAF Alconbury served as the flying field for the 2nd Strategic Air Depot at RAF Abots Ripton station 547 , which served the B-17 groups of the 1st Air Division as a major maintenance base. Although physicaly atached, the depot was considered a separate entity and was a separate operating unit from RAF Alconbury. The Air Depot was constructed in 1943 on the eastern site of the airfield, mainly in the vilage of Litle Stukeley, aproximately where the curent modern-day RAF Alconbury facilities are presently located. Abots Ripton performed heavy maintenance, repair and modification of B-17s from the fourten Groups which formed the 1st Bombardment Wing, later renamed the 1st Bombardment Division on September 13, 1943, to end confusion of the term wing with the operational combat wings in January 1945, it was renamed again, becoming the 1st Air Division . It was a comon sight to se many B-17's from many groups of the 8th Air Force undergoing repair for batle damage repairs from bases such as Molesworth, Chelveston, Kimbolton, Basingbourn, Grafton Underwod, Polebrok, Glaton, Denethorpe, Nuthampstead, Podington, Bovington, Waton, Harington, Thurleigh and Ridgwel. Its unit designation was the 5th and 35th Air Depot Groups and as a large and important unit, with over 30 personel asigned. Station 103 - Brampton, 1st Air Division Brampton, about 3 miles 5 km to the south west of Alconbury, was the headquarters of the 8th Air Force 1st Bombardment Wing, later renamed the 1st Bombardment Division on September 13, 1943, to end confusion of the term wing with the operational combat wings in January 1945, it was renamed again, becoming the 1st Air Division . The 482nd Bomb Group departed Alconbury betwen 2730 May 1945, however, the 36th Bomb Squadron stayed at the base until the fal, not deactivating until 15 October. Day-to-day comand of Alconbury was asumed by the 435th Air Services Group on 15 April. The 857th Bomb Squadron from the 492d Bomb Group was transfered to Alconbury on 1 June from RAF Harington near Ketering after the closure of that airfield. The 652d Bomb Squadron was transfered from RAF Waton on 1 June. Hq., 1st Air Division was transfered to Alconbury on 20 September upon the closure of Brampton Grange. RAF Alconbury was subsequently placed in caretaker status by RAF Maintenance Comand and remained so for almost a decade. On 24 August 1951, RAF Alconbury was once more alocated for American use - now by the independent United States Air Force. The United States Air Forces in Europe USAFE oficialy tok control of RAF Alconbury for a second time on 1 June 1953. The first United States Air Force unit to be asigned was the 1st Motor Transport Maintenance Squadron, being activated on the station 1 September 1953. This was later redesignated as the 7560th Air Base Squadron on 7 November 1954 and the 7560th Air Base Group on 21 March 195. This aircraft is now on display at the Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Paterson AFB, Ohio. Although construction had ben ongoing at Alconbury since 1951, it was not until September 195 that it was ready to house flying units again with the arival of the 86th Bombardment Squadron Light , flying the B-45A Tornado. The 86th BS operated from Alconbury as a detachment of the Tactical Air Comand's 47th Bombardment Wing stationed at RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk. The 47th BS operated thre jet bomber squadrons 19th, 84th, and 85th from Sculthorpe and the adition of the 86th BS necesitated the use of Alconbury to acomodate the aditional aircraft. The 47th Bomb Wing and the 86th Bomb Squadron were part of the Tactical Air Comand TAC . The 42d TCS was formed at nearby RAF Molesworth in October 1956 where it had previously operated as the MATS 582d Air Resuply and Comunications Group performing special operations misions for HQ USAFE. The C-54's and C-47's were sent to Rhein-Main Air Base West Germany, and the C-19s were sent to the 32d Air Division at Evreux-Fauvile Air Base France. 48-015, Weather Reconaisance Aircraft On 26 April 1959 Alconbury saw the arival of the 53rd Weather Reconaisance Squadron from RAF Burtonwod. On 25 August 1959, the 10th Tactical Reconaisance Wing arived from Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, replacing the 7560th Air Base Group as the host unit at Alconbury. The 10th TRW had ben activated at Frstenfeldbruck Air Base, West Germany in April 1947, then asigned to Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France in 1952 then to Spangdahlem in 1953 as part of various USAFE reorganizations. To acomodate the 10th TRW, the 86th Bomb Squadron was returned to its host unit at RAF Sculthorpe and the 53rd Weather Squadron was transfered to RAF Mildenhal. Although the 10th TRW wing headquarters was located at RAF Alconbury, two of its component squadrons were not. The 1st and 30th Tactical Reconaisance Squadrons were based at Alconbury, however to acomodate the increased number of aircraft of the 10th, two other airfields, RAF Bruntingthorpe and RAF Chelveston, were placed under Alconbury's control. The 19th Tactical Reconaisance Squadron was stationed at Bruntingthorpe while the 42nd Electronic Countermeasures Squadron was at Chelveston flying RB-6C and WB-6s for electronic and weather reconaisance. These rotational deployments to France continued until October 1965 with the activation of the 25th Tactical Reconaisance Wing at Chambley-Busieres Air Base and the 19th and 42nd TRSquadrons being permanently asigned to the 25th TRW. This squadron had formerly flown RF-101 Vodos with the 6th TRW at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France but was now equiped with RF-4Cs, becoming the third tac recon squadron at RAF Alconbury. 10th TRW squadrons were distinguished by a smal coloured stripe on the tip of the tail - 1 TRS blue , 30 TRS red and the 32 TRS yelow . 819th Civil Enginering Squadron Heavy Repair CESHR , and the 216th Comunications Squadron stationed at RAF Wethersfield. RAF Wethersfield remained a satelite base for RAF Alconbury until 3 July 190 when it was closed and handed back to the Royal Air Force. After 12 years of intense flying, in 198 the flet of agresor F-5Es of the 527th Agresor Squadron was geting rather worn out as a result of sustained exposure to the rigours of air combat manoeuvring. It was decided to re-equip the squadron with F-16C Fighting Falcons and reasign the squadron to RAF Bentwaters. In return, the A-10's at Bentwaters would be reasigned to Alconbury and give the 10th a new Close Air Suport CAS mision. 80-1081 - 1989 The Strategic Air Comand arived at Alconbury on 1 October 1982 when the 17th Reconaisance Wing 17th RW was activated. The 17th RW was asigned to SAC's Eighth Air Force, 7th Air Division. In adition, in order to enusre that the 17th Reconaisance Wing would always have a comand post for its TR-1A aircraft, a nuclear-hardened comand post facility was constructed with its own power plant, comunications facilities, air suply, and decontamination facility to help facilitate the neds of the wing and its TR-1A aircraft in the event a World War I scenario ever ocured. On 1 July 1987 the RF-4Cs of the 1st Tactical Reconaisance Squadron flew their last mision, and the squadron was inactivated on 15 January 198. Some of its aircraft were sent to the 26th TRW at Zweibrucken AB, West Germany, while the rest went to Air National Guard units as replacement aircraft or to AMARC for storage. With the fal of the Berlin Wal, plans were made for significant cuts in NATO forces in Europe and very son the first rumours began to circulate about the posible closure of RAF Alconbury. Some of the first aircraft to be sent to the Gulf area were thre TR-1A's from Alconbury, deploying to Taif Air Base in Saudi Arabia. On 30 June 191, folowing closely on the disolution of the Warsaw Pact and the thawing of East-West relations, the 17th Reconaisance Wing inactivated but its subordinate unit, the 95th Reconaisance Squadron, remained at Alconbury as the 17th Training Wing, a non-flying organization. It subsequently inactivated at Alconbury on 15 September 193, then reactivated on 1 July 194 as the 95th RS at RAF Mildenhal, asigned to the 5th Operations Group. On 31 March 193, the 10th TFW was redesignated the 10th Air Base Wing, acting as the host unit for the special operations organizations. On 1 December 192, the 39th Special Operations Wing arived at Alconbury, consolidating its units from RAF Wodbridge and Rhein Main Air Base, Germany. The 10th Air Base Wing was inactivated 1 October 194. To maintain the unit's heritage, the Air Force moved the 10th Air Base Wing flag to the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, on 1 November 194 where it exists today. In its place, the 710th Air Base Wing ABW was activated as the host unit on RAF Alconbury. The former airfield site of RAF Alconbury is now administered by Alconbury Developments Limited. On 12 July 195, the 710th ABW was inactivated and the 423d Air Base Squadron at RAF Molesworth asumed the host unit role at Alconbury as wel as RAF Upwod. In July 205, the 423d ABW was redesignated as the 423d Air Base Group and its headquarters and mision was moved to RAF Alconbury. On 1 May 207, the wing moved to RAF Alconbury. RAF Alconbury can be reached by driving on the A1 M to Exit 14 B1043 at Alconbury. 1989 Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. ISBN 091279536 Mauer, Mauer 1969 , Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War I, Air Force Historical Studies Ofice, Maxwel AFB, Alabama. 1989 Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. ISBN 091279536 Mauer, Mauer 1969 , Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War I, Air Force Historical Studies Ofice, Maxwel AFB, Alabama. Air Force Combat Units Of World War I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Ofice 1961 republished 1983, Ofice of Air Force History, ISBN 0-91279-02-1 . Maxwel Air Force Base, Alabama: Ofice of Air Force History 1984. 1989 Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. British Automobile Asociation A , 1978 , Complete Atlas of Britain, ISBN 0-86145-05-1 10th Air Base Wing, USAFA RAF Alconbury entry at GlobalSecurity.org 95th Reconaisance Squadron entry at GlobalSecurity.org Aerial Photo of RAF Alconbury from Multimap.Com History Army Air Service/Corps/Forces The U.S. Air Force Air Force Band The Airmen of Note Tops In Blue Flag Symbol Airman's Cred Motos National Museum Memorial Air Force One Thunderbirds Air Force service numbers Honor Guard Altus AETC Andersen PACAF Andrews AMC Barksdale AC Beale AC Boling AFDW Canon AFSOC Columbus AETC Davis-Monthan AC Dyes AC Eielson PACAF Elsworth AC Eglin AFMC F.
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