Greenham Common
GREENHAM COMMON: Military aerodrome, also used by British civilian operators
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified. All these pictures were taken through perspex when flying over.
Military users: WW2: 9th USAAF TAC (Tactical Air Command)
354th Fighter Group (North American P-51 Mustangs)
Later: 395th, 396th, 397th & 398th Fighter Sqdns (Republic P-47 Thunderbolts)
9th USAAF 53rd Troop Carrier Wing
438th Troop Carrier Group 87th, 88th, 89th & 90th Sqdns (Douglas C.47 Skytrains)
Royal Air Force 38 Group
? Sqdn(s) (Armstrong Whitworth A.W.41 Albermarles)
US Army Air Corps (any details known?)
Post 1945: USAF SAC (Strategic Air Command) 7th Air Division
Snapshots:
1954: 303rd Bombardment Wing (B-47 Stratojets) Probably backed by KC-97 Stratotankers?
1955: (Boeing ERB-29As & RB-50Gs) These were versions of the B-29 Superfortress bomber equipped for electronic surveilance
1956: 97th Air Refuelling Sqdn (Boeing KC-97 Stratotankers) A military version of the civilian Stratocruiser airliner
1956/57: 310th Bombardment Wing (B-47 Stratojets & KC-97s)
1957: 40th Bombardment Wing (B-47 Stratojets & KC-97s)
Notes: From the early 1960s Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses made visits, as did the Convair B-58 Hustler briefly in Oct 1963
1975: USAF Satellite airfield. Used for air transport exercises
Civil users: Post 1945: Air Anglia (1974) for pleasure flights at an air show
Location: N of the A339, 2nm SE of Newbury
Period of operation: 1942 to 1993 (USAFE SAC departed in June 1964)
Runways: WW2: 11/29 1829x46 hard 14/32 1280x46 hard
03/21 1006x46 hard
1953: 11/29 3000x(?) hard
1958: 300 metre ‘overshoot’ extensions added at each end
NOTES: In the build up to the ‘Cold War’ after WW2 the USAF SAC (Strategic Air Command) had their main bomber bases at RAF LAKENHEATH (SUFFOLK), RAF MARHAM and SCULTHORPE, both in (NORFOLK). When the tension ‘heated up’ the Americans withdrew here and to RAF FAIRFORD (GLOUCESTERSHIRE) plus RAF BRIZE NORTON and RAF UPPER HEYFORD (OXFORDSHIRE). To put it perhaps a tad unkindly, the bomber wings of the greatest air force the world had ever known, were hiding ‘behind the skirts’ of the RAF defensive forces in eastern England.
With good reason I would say. At that period in time our fighter/interceptor and V-bomber force were, it is often claimed superior in their abilities to wage a nuclear war. Indeed all of our V-bombers, in their heyday, could out-manouevre the RAFs front-line fighters, and the cumbersome US bombers could not get a look in. The USAF were of course vastly numerically superior.
Perhaps the Americans had the good sense to realise, if push came to shove, at least some of them could retreat back across the Atlantic? The plucky RAF would have made strikes within the USSR, this now seems pretty certain (?), but they could not have come home. Home would have been a devastated and contaminated wastleland. Where exactly could they have diverted to, to escape the ‘fall-out’? But of course, the RAF are not strangers to ‘suicide missions’.
THE CND CAMPAIGN
These days of course we realise the CND marchers, the ‘Greenham Common Womens Movement’ were 110% correct. Surely only the certifiably insane would have even contemplated the utterly ridiculous notion that an all out nuclear war was an option? So, into this basket of utter idiots we need to place most politicians in the western world, most chiefs of industry feeding off producing the weapons, nigh on all military forces and the sheer complacency, (including me), of the general population.
I suppose that in later years we really do need to understand the principles of having a formidable deterrent, and, in fairness that was exactly what the Soviets were producing faced with almost continuous policies of aggression pursued by the USA, starting in the early 1950s.
Oddly enough I never felt in the slightest bit threatened. It was obviously a "NO GO" situation from the start but ruthlessly exploited by very cynical people intent on making a fortune out of it? And, don’t forget, it was the Russians who eventually put a stop to the nonsense.
A MEDA AIRFIELD
In the 1960s RAF GREENHAM COMMON became one of four MEDA (Master Emergency Diversion Airfields). These all had extended runways in length, the other three being RAF MACHRIHANISH (ARGYLLSHIRE), RAF MANSTON (KENT) and RAF ALDERGROVE (NORTHERN IRELAND).
THE 1977 AIR TATTOO
The Queen’s Jubilee International Air Tattoo was held here in 1977. I went to this and it really was a truly memorable event; I think perhaps a precursor of the big RIAT shows held at FAIRFORD? It really was an astonishing airshow, the likes of which will probably never be seen again because of the truly huge numbers of aircraft involved. For hour after hour military display teams, and solo slots thundered around the sky. For those who appreciate military displays, FAIRFORD is very impressive, but - on that day, GREENHAM COMMON was arguably the biggest and best ever seen in the UK?
THE PEACE CAMPAIGNERS
Depending on your political outlook GREENHAM COMMON became either famous or infamous when a huge encamped demonstration by women against this site being used as a U.S. Cruise missile base was staged in the 1980s (?) and they appeared to succeed in closing the base down. Good for them I say.
THE 1977 AIR TATTOO PICTURES
Please see my article on air shows for more pictures.
Jonathan Sayers
This comment was written on: 2018-12-06 21:50:50You may like to learn more about Greenham Common and Welford on this website: www.greenhamcommon.org.uk
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