Bovingdon Airfield

Capt. Robert Morgan (dec. May 16, 2004) and his crew climb out over the English countryside and the Eighth Air Force Base, Bovingdon on 9 June 1943 in a B-17 Flying Fortress, this time having completed their 25th mission over enemy territory the previous month, they are heading the other way, northwest across Scotland, then across the Atlantic Ocean for the United States and home! - Belle...Homeward Bound by John Young (B-17).

The airfield was developed during 1941/2 by John Laing & Son Ltd as the main contractor, with one runway at 1,630 yards and two at 1,430 yards. It was placed under the control of No7 Group of Bomber Command, but on the 16th May it was allocated to the USA AF.

With its main runway over one mile long, it was home to the American Air Force from 1943 - 1963 and was known as US Air Station 112. It served as a major heavy bomber operational training base for B-17 crews until the end of the Second World War. In the fifties the 75 31st Air Base Squadron, flying Douglas C-47 transport planes moved in along with two RAF Communications units.
AACS Army Airways Communications System

Some days four-engine bombers would leave for Germany at the rate of one every two minutes and seemed as though they would hit the chimneys of the houses in their flight path.

92nd Bomb Group (Heavy) Including the 327th Squadron Organizes, constructs and operates the first 8th USAAF CCRC Combat Crew Replacement Center at Bovingdon England.

Hanover Street

The film, Hanover Street (1979) aerial sequences were mostly filmed at the by then-disused Bovingdon airfield using five North American B-25s Mitchell bombers flown over to England from USA specially for the filming. This first picture of Gorgeous George Ann is a night scene with the control tower in the rear.

A great picture of a Mitchell flying over the B4505 on landing at Bovingdon airfield. B-25 Mitchell - the main American medium bomber since 1940, carrying up to 1.8 tons of bombs and properly protected with multiple guns, armor, and self-sealing fuel tanks. It had a formidable dedicated attack version which excelled in anti-shipping missions, carrying a mighty 75mm gun in the nose, plus up to eight forward firing heavy machine guns, plus a torpedo or bombs.

Three of the five Michells line up at Bovingdon while Pete and Steve chat to Bonnies co-pilot.

The real pilots of Gorgeous George Ann, Marvellous Miriam, Amazing Andrea, Big Bad Bonnie and Brenda’s Boys used in Hanover Street where in the film the hero was Lieutenant David Halloran played by Harrison Ford.

Email the Bovingdon Bulletin Board if you can contribute to this interesting thread! and see some more great pictures here from a local's site collected over the last 50 years..

Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust

Robert Trumans Link