# RAF/USAF Alconbury



## sYnc_below

I don't profess to be any kind of expert on airfields, not even close, but they do interest me, especially Cold War airfields. The following is a 'cut up' of material from a variety of locations mingled in with some of my own words. Its certainly not a definitive history on Alconbury, more of an overview to accompany the pictures.

Thanks for looking 


*RAF Bomber Command use (1939-1941)*
In September 1939, RAF Upwood squadrons were given operational training roles and Alconbury became RAF Wyton's satellite under No. 2 Group, Squadron Nos. 12, 40 and 139. These squadrons were frequently deployed to Alconbury, No. 139 being the first to be actually stationed there. Squadrons 15 and 40 converted from Battles to Bristol Blenheim bombers. No. 15 Squadron took up residence on 14 April 1940, when additional requisitioned accommodation was available. It flew its first raid of the war on 10 May against a German occupied airfield near Rotterdam.

In May 1942, RAF Alconbury was allocated to the United States Army Air Force:

93d Bombardment Group, 7 September 1942 - 5 December 1942
92d Bombardment Group, 6 January - 15 September 1943
95th Bombardment Group, 15 April - 15 June 1943
482d Bombardment Group, 20 August 1943 - 21 May 1945
801st Bombardment Group (Provisional), January - 1 May 1944
94th Bombardment Wing, 12–18 June 1945
2d Bombardment Wing, 12 June - 26 August 1945
1st Bombardment Wing, 26 June - 26 August 1945
1st Air Division, 20 September - 31 October 1945
406th Bombardment Squadron, 11 November 1943 - 7 February 1944
857th Bombardment Squadron, 11 June - 6 August 1945
652d Bombardment Squadron, 13 July - 25 October 1945
36th Bombardment Squadron: Attached to 328th Service Group, assigned to RAF Watton, operated from Alconbury, 7 February-28

March 1944, Assigned to: 1st Bombardment Division, 28 February - 15 October 1945.


*Postwar United States Air Force use:*

7560th Air Base Squadron, 7 November 1954 - 25 March 1955 (Redesignated: 7560th Air Base Group, 25 March 1955 - 25 August 1959
86th Bombardment Squadron, 15 September 1955 - 5 August 1959
42d Troop Carrier Squadron, 31 May - 8 December 1957
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 25 April - 9 August 1959
10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 25 August 1959 - 20 August 1987 (Redesignated: 10th Tactical Fighter Wing, 10 August 1987 - 31 March 1993, Redesignated: 10th Air Base Wing, 31 March 1993 - 1 October 1994)
527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron, 1 April 1976 - 14 July 1988
17th Reconnaissance Wing, 1 October 1982 - 30 June 1991 (Assigned to Strategic Air Command Eighth Air Force 7th Air Division)
39th Special Operations Wing, 1 December 1992 - 1 January 1993
352d Special Operations Group, 1 January 1993 - 17 February 1995
710th Air Base Wing, 1 October 1994 - 12 July 1995
423d Air Base Squadron, 12 July 1995 - 1 July 2005 (Based at RAF Molesworth) (Redesignated: 423d Air Base Group, 1 July 2005 - present)
501st Combat Support Wing, 1 May 2007–present


*The Cold War, Spy Planes & Operation Desert Storm*
In 1959 with the Cold War hotting up (lame humour..), the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing arrived at Alconbury and over the coming years flew many reconnaissance, electronic warfare and 'Aggressor Support' missions.

The Strategic Air Command arrived at Alconbury on 1 October 1982 when the 17th Reconnaissance Wing was activated, bringing with them the U2 and later the TR-1 Spy Plane. These assets required major remodelling of the airfield including Ready Sheds, 13 extra wide Hardened Aircraft Shelters, a Photographic Interpretation Centre [ame="http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=20604"]and a Nuclear Hardened Command Post/Avionics Suite for the TR-1 spyplanes known only as Building 210 (later nicknamed Magic Mountain)[/ame].

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the threat of the Cold War vanishing there were rumours that RAF Alconbury would be closed down but then in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Some of the first aircraft to be sent into the Gulf were three TR-1A's from Alconbury's 17th Reconnaissance Wing and 23 A-10's from the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing (511th Tactical Fighter Squadron) were deployed to Saudi Arabia for combat operations.

The 511th TFS A-10s flew no fewer than 1700 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and played an important part in wreaking havoc on Iraqi tank forces, Scud missiles and other ground positions during the conflict.

In recent years things have wound down considerably and in 1995 the USAF returned the base to the MoD (but retaining the Base Support Area under USAF control). The USAF 423d Air Base Squadron and USAF 501st Combat Support Wing still operate from Alconbury.


*Romney Sheds, WW2 Crew, Locker and Drying Rooms - Airfield & Technical Site.*











*Parachute Store (Building 51) - Airfield & Technical Site*





*Command Building - Airfield & Technical Site *





*Hercules Bomber artwork - Airfield & Technical Site*





*Photographic Processing and Interpretation Facility (Building 69) - Airfield & Technical Site.*















*WW2 Control Tower & Watch Office with Operations Room for Bomber Satellite Stations - Technical Site*















*Uni-Seco USAFE Control Tower - Airfield & Technical Site*





*Guard Tower - Weapons Storage Site*










*Awesome Warthog/30mm Cannon cartoon drawn by an airman *





*TR-1/U2 Hardened Aircraft Shelter (Building 4105) - Airfield & Technical Site*


















































*17th Reconnaissance Wing Squadron Headquarters - Hardened Area (flooded basement)
(Currently in use by Cambridgeshire Police for tactical training)*





*Hardened Aircraft Shelter / Tab-Vee 'Oh Johnnie' - Airfield & Technical Site*
This was demolished by the SAS as a training exercise, took them 3 attempts to flatten it!! 










*The gratuitous 'Oh Johnnie vent shot' taken by everyone (yawn...)*





*'Sally Ann' Tab-Vee/HAS *
(most likely for A-10 Warthog or F5 Tiger...maybe even Phantom )





*'Sally Ann' Tab-Vee/HAS Emergency Exit*


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## The Cat Crept In

Very cool pics I like this very much


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## krela

Very nice.

I hate warthogs, they have the worse engine noise ever!


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## klempner69

Excellant report Tocsin,very Upper Heyford!


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## urban phantom

Oh yes this i like this verry good thanks for sharing


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## Priority 7

Did you use your access all area's pass again bud?


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## Foxylady

Excellent site. Some seriously amazing stuff there. Nice.


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## hydealfred

These not long deserted USAF bases are always fascinating. So much spent on the infrastructure then just deserted and left. Superb report - well done. I remember the A10's well from the 80's - awesome piece of kit then and still is now. Very odd sounding engines though. Alconbury also had the very noisey and smokey F.4's based there. Wonderful aircraft - you could see them coming for miles with all that smoke. 

These were good to - 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron, 1 April 1976 - 14 July 1988 - flying F.5's - they were Englands own Top Guns !!


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## UrbanX

Nice one! Some really interesting buildings well documented!


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## sYnc_below

Priority 7 said:


> Did you use your access all area's pass again bud?



I detect piss taking 

Nothing spectacular about this visit.....it was organised (I *HATE* organised visits tbh) but the way things are up there currently it was this or nothing. Was escorted round by security all day long who watched my every move (and watched their watches), weren't allowed in any of the juicy bits (health & safety blah blah blah). 

Curiously there have been plenty of film crews given access to stuff here that we weren't though....perhaps splashing the cash opens more doors (literally)


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## sYnc_below

klempner69 said:


> Excellant report Tocsin,very Upper Heyford!



Many almost identical buildings


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## Priority 7

Nah bud no sarcasm intended just wondered if you crept in or walked in


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## sYnc_below

Priority 7 said:


> Nah bud no sarcasm intended just wondered if you crept in or walked in



I drove my car around the base actually, really!


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## Priority 7

Lucky bstrd walking is the bit that kills me lol


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## godzilla73

More cold war awsomeness Tocsin. Very nice indeed!


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## Faing

brilliant report, the place screams out COLD WAR very nice pics, thanmks


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## Pincheck

very nice indeed


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## skeleton key

Cracking stuff there 
I knew few guys stationed there a few years back and went a couple of times.
Look like its changed alot lol.
Cheers mate love it 

SK


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## Jimthething

Nice pics there, thanks for posting. I used to hitchhike from just near there back in the 90s. Didn't realise it was all but closed down now. Yeah the A-10s! We had an old (now disused) RAF bombing range 10 miles north of where I live and we could hear them ripping it up regularly with those cannons!


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## TeeJF

I love the warthog graffiti!


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## MD

tocsin_bang said:


> I drove my car around the base actually, really!



loll did the same at west raynham !!

great shots mate


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## Black Shuck

MD said:


> loll did the same at west raynham !!
> 
> great shots mate



MD you were lucky Secca din't stop you at Raynham.


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## MD

Black Shuck said:


> MD you were lucky Secca din't stop you at Raynham.



there is a trick to avoid him !!! and he can't do a thing !! lol 
i drove along the runway too


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## King Al

Amazing as always Hal, looks bloody brilliant


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## John_D

Great shots, would love to have a proper look round there, only time I have been on the base was just over a year ago, but only got to drive some new Saab turbo's and a couple of HGV's on the runways.


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## tigger2

Our photos from the day are fairy similar (mine not technically as good however!), so I'll add a couple which I hope extend the coverage and complement what Hal has already posted rather than duplicate things.

Engine testing building































A-10 pilots names (same ops building as the warthog graphic shown by Hal):





Runway threshold lighting:





Tab-Vee door motor:





Tab-Vee air-con control panel





Building 4000, U2 readyness shed. This is a seriously cool door mechanism - think horizontal bi-fold door:





Rear view (taken from the earth banking round the magic mountain)




















Not posting my arty vent shots so another view of "Oh Johnnie" 





Better stop before I get carried away. Took a lot of photos despite the light being dismal and people often getting in the way!

Oh, one extra....we were there at 11:00 on the 11th of November and observed the two minute silence in front of the original watch office:


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## sYnc_below

You got a lot of stuff I missed, nice one...particularly the Hush House....my ignorance/my loss!


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## krela

I still hate A-10s.  Love the photos. Thanks.


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## hydealfred

krela said:


> I still hate A-10s.  Love the photos. Thanks.



Dont be mean to the old Warthog - it cant help being ugly


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## krela

I actually think they look pretty cool. They SOUND ugly though.


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## godzilla73

krela said:


> I still hate A-10s.  Love the photos. Thanks.



Ah, the A10. If ever a plane looked like it had been put together by a 3 year old out of stuff stuck down the back of Curtis Le May's sofa......

Godzy


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## hydealfred

krela said:


> I actually think they look pretty cool. They SOUND ugly though.



Agree there - they sound more like an airliner than a ground attack aircraft. 

Here just for you - A-10's at Lakenheath last year


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## Curious Dragon

I love the two pieces of artwork... maybe its because it adds the human element to the buildings/structures?


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## flyboys90

Great photos.


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## tigger2

A couple more photos from Alconbury from a brief visit today.

Building 73 was one of the training sections. Central corridor with classrooms on each side.





Typical classroom














A bit more artwork


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## nelly

Oh!!! WoW!!! I love that!!!


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## SeffyboyUK

Good stuff there dude


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