RAF Thurleigh airfield

Thurleigh
(RAE Bedford)

VE Day 1945 (© 306th BG USAAF)

Thurleigh airfield

Agriculture, vehicle storage

1. Watch Office with Met Section 518/40
2. Post-war ATC building type not known

1. Demolished 1946
2. Not known

Other Buildings:

1/42 to 2/42, RAF No. 160 Sqdn formed here with B-24 Liberators, moved to India. Airfield runways extended to 6,000ft in 1942, this was the first RAF combat airfield transferred to the USAAF.
7/9/42 to 15/12/45, 367th, 368th, 369th and 423rd Bombardment Squadrons of the 306th Bombardment Group (H) 'The Reich Wreckers' with B-17F and |B-17G Flying Fortress bombers. The 306th BG were stationed in England and at one airfield longer than any other USAAF combat unit. First mission flown 9/10/42, last 19/4/45, flew 342 missions and lost 171 aircraft in action. Moved to Germany.
1946, Wartime Thurleigh airfield was lost during the construction of Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford. This was planned to have a five mile long runway linking Thurleigh and Little Staughton airfields and a new hangar site to be built on Twinwood Farm airfield. The long runway was never built and giant wind tunnels were built next to Twinwood Farm.

1943 (© USAAF via Russell Abbey)

Operational bomber

3 concrete, tarmac

5 miles N of Bedford

RAF Thurleigh airfield - 306 BG - RAE Bedford -

RAF Station
Airfield:		Operational bomber
Opened:		/1941
Closed:		31/3/1994
ID Code:		TL
USAAF Station:		111
Runways:		3 concrete, tarmac
Hangars:		4x - T2
County:		Bedfordshire
Location:		5 miles N of Bedford
OS Ref:		TL042601
Links:
©:		Photographs © as stated
Thurleigh airfield

Thurleigh airfield
Airfield Today:	Agriculture, vehicle storage
Tower Type:	1. Watch Office with Met Section 518/40 2. Post-war ATC building type not known
Tower:	1. Demolished 1946 2. Not known
Other Buildings:	None
History:	1/42 to 2/42, RAF No. 160 Sqdn formed here with B-24 Liberators, moved to India. Airfield runways extended to 6,000ft in 1942, this was the first RAF combat airfield transferred to the USAAF. 7/9/42 to 15/12/45, 367th, 368th, 369th and 423rd Bombardment Squadrons of the 306th Bombardment Group (H) 'The Reich Wreckers' with B-17F and \|B-17G Flying Fortress bombers. The 306th BG were stationed in England and at one airfield longer than any other USAAF combat unit. First mission flown 9/10/42, last 19/4/45, flew 342 missions and lost 171 aircraft in action. Moved to Germany. 1946, Wartime Thurleigh airfield was lost during the construction of Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford. This was planned to have a five mile long runway linking Thurleigh and Little Staughton airfields and a new hangar site to be built on Twinwood Farm airfield. The long runway was never built and giant wind tunnels were built next to Twinwood Farm.