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Chelveston




CHELVESTON: Military aerodrome
 

Military user: WW2: 8th USAAF              40th Bombardment Wing

305th Bomb Group

352, 364, 365, 366 & 422 Sqdns   (Boeing B.17 Flying Fortresses)

 

Post 1945: USAF & USAFE       42nd TRS

 

Location: 6nm S of Thrapston, 2nm SSE of Caldecott village

Period of operation: 1941 to late 1980s?

 

Runways: WW2   06/24   1828x46   hard           18/36   1270x46   hard
                          12/30   1097x46   hard


From 1952:   05/23 (?)   3048   hard



A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY

We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for providing the following maps and pictures etc. I think this should be divided into two seperate sections - WW2 and post WW2. I think it must be fairly unusual that during the extensive reconstruction of the airfield, in 1952, it looks as if virtually all traces of the WW2 runways layout have been removed.

Airfield map WW2
Airfield map WW2
Aerial photo c.1944
Aerial photo c.1944
Local area map with WW2 layout
Local area map with WW2 layout














B-17 Fortress's
B-17 Fortress's
Aerial photo WW2
Aerial photo WW2
A Boeing B-17 Fortress
A Boeing B-17 Fortress



The first and third pictures are from the Mighty Eighth War Manual by Roger A Freeman.







WW2 map aligned to north
WW2 map aligned to north
Google Earth © view
Google Earth © view
Local area map c.1961
Local area map c.1961



Note: The Google Earth ©  view has the 1952 runway superimposed. 






 

FROM 1952 ONWARDS

Note: Items from 'Glory Days' by Col. Wolfgang W E Samuel are simply named 'Glory Days'.


The first B-47 Stratojet arriving
The first B-47 Stratojet arriving
Local map with 1952 runway shown
Local map with 1952 runway shown
Aerial photo c.1977
Aerial photo c.1977
 













RB-66C
RB-66C
Excerpt
Excerpt
The crew
The crew



All these from 'Glory Days'.









Local area
Local area
RB-66C photo
RB-66C photo
Area view
Area view



The RB-66C photo is from 'Glory Days', and the local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.




 

NOTES:  As a young lad living next to London Airport during the 'Cold War' I had almost no idea about what was going on in 'the bigger picture'. Wasn't taking too much interest in military aircraft, but we (the spotters) liked to think we were up to speed on those types. Have no recollection of the RB-66 type. Boeing B-47 Stratojets and B-52s Superfortresses, plus the fighter/fighter bombers we knew well. Could spot them a mile off.

It is difficult if not impossible to remember in detail what we lads, grouped around the southern approach to London Airport near Hatton Cross, thought about - if it ever entered our minds (?), regarding the 'Cold War'. We were watching Aeroflot TU-104s coming in every day, and I had an uncle flying the Comet 4B for BEA regularly going to Moscow.

These days, being much older, (but not perhaps wiser?), I struggle to understand what was really going on. It doesn't make much if any sense. The 'gung ho' USA were, without any doubt, the instigators and aggressors in the 'Cold War', spending zillions of their dollars on their military might. Getting their sums seriously wrong about Soviet capabilities. And of course, by that time, both sides knowing that neither side could win in a nuclear war.

So what was it all about. going on for so long, when those resources could have been spent in greatly improving the living standards for all of us, especially those in the 'Third World'.


 


 
 

Terry Clark

This comment was written on: 2017-12-25 20:16:09
 
A main runway some 10,000ft (3048m) long was built in the '50s to accomodate SAC rotations of B47 bombers. When I visited in 1970 it was still there but has since been dug up.
 

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