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RAF Chelveston, on the Northamptonshire-Bedfordshire borderlands, tells a classic story of rapid wartime expansion. Construction began in 1940, and the airfield opened in August 1941 with grass strips and a small collection of hangars. It was quickly pressed into specialist training roles, including gunnery instruction and glider experimentation, before the realities of Allied strategic bombing reshaped it into a full ‘Class A’ heavy bomber base with long concrete runways, taxiways and extensive hardstanding.
Once upgraded, Chelveston became USAAF Station 105 and joined the growing network of Eighth Air Force bases launching daylight raids over occupied Europe. Early American units included a brief stay by a troop carrier group flying C-47 transports, but the station is best known for its heavy bomber groups. In August 1942 the 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived with B-17 Flying Fortresses and soon flew its first combat missions against rail and industrial targets in northern France. That deployment was short-lived, as the group was reassigned for Operation Torch and transferred to North Africa later in 1942.
The defining Chelveston wartime chapter began in December 1942 when the 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy) moved in. Flying B-17Fs and later B-17Gs, the group carried the tail marking ‘Triangle G’ and included the 364th, 365th, 366th and 422d Bomb Squadrons. Under leaders such as Colonel Curtis LeMay during the harsh winter of 1942-43, the 305th helped develop tactics and discipline that improved the effectiveness of massed daylight bombing. Missions ranged from submarine pens and shipyards to deep strikes on aircraft factories and oil facilities, reflecting the Eighth Air Force shift toward systematic attacks on German war production.
From Chelveston, the 305th took part in landmark operations: early penetrations into Germany, precision raids under intense fighter attack and heavy flak, and the escalating battle for air superiority in 1943-44. As the invasion of Normandy approached, Chelveston’s Fortresses were increasingly used against transportation networks, airfields and V-weapon sites, with crews also supporting ground forces during the fighting in France. Later, the group’s targets included installations linked to the Battle of the Bulge and preparations for the airborne crossing of the Rhine.
- Primary role: USAAF heavy bomber operations as Station 105.
- Key USAAF groups: 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy).
- Typical aircraft: B-17 Flying Fortress, plus earlier glider activity and transport aircraft.
After V-E Day the 305th moved to the continent and Chelveston returned to RAF control. In the Cold War it served mainly as a readiness and dispersal site for potential USAF deployments, leaving a layered legacy: an airfield that evolved from grass training strips to a major bomber base, and then into a strategic insurance policy in the early nuclear era.