RAF Nuthampstead

RAF Nuthampstead
USAAF Station 131
RAF Nuthampstead; USAAF Station 131
Located NearRoyston,Hertfordshire,England
	Aerial Photo of Nuthampstead Airfield - 9 July 1946
	RAF Nuthampstead; USAAF Station 131
Coordinates	51°59′42″N0°04′01″E/ 51.995°N 0.067°E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	NT
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Controlled by	Royal Air Force; United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1943-1954
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II; Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Eighth Air Force; RAF Maintenance Command
Occupants	55th Fighter Group; 398th Bombardment Group

Royal Air Force Nuthampsteador more simplyRAF Nuthampsteadis a formerRoyal Air Force stationin England. The airfield is located mostly inHertfordshirebetween the villages ofNuthampsteadandAnsteyand the hamlet of Morrice Green inHertfordshireand Langley, Lower Green and Clavering Park Wood inEssex.The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel Store, the dispersal areas of 600 and 601 Squadrons and the northeastern perimeter track were all inEssex.RAF Nuthampstead is located four miles to the east of theA10 HertfordtoRoystonroad.

B-17Gs of the 398th Bomb Group over a target.

History

USAAF use

Construction began in 1942 with the facility being built by the 814th and 630th Engineer Battalions of the US Army for theUnited States Army Air Forces(USAAF)Eighth Air Force.Nuthampstead was assigned USAAF designation Station 131. Two T-2 hangars were constructed with the technical site consisting largely of Nissen huts were situated to the west of the airfield and dispersed within the small village of Nuthampstead.

During the construction of the airfield, rubble from the blitzed areas of East London and Coventry were used for the foundations and even today, farmers occasionally turn up bricks still bearing fragments of their original wallpaper or paintwork or perhaps the remains of a wall light switch still attached.

55th Fighter Group

Although the airfield was built to accommodate heavy bombers, from September 1943 until April 1944 the55th Fighter Groupused the airfield, arriving fromMcChord AAF Washingtonon 14 September 1943. The group was under the command of the67th Fighter Wingof theVIII Fighter Command.Aircraft of the 55th were identified by a green/yellow checkerboard pattern around their cowlings.

The group consisted of the following squadrons:

The 55th FG began operations withLockheed P-38H Lightningson 15 October 1943, and was the first to use these aircraft on long-range escort missions from the UK. The P-38H differed from earlier versions in being powered by 1425 hp Allison V-1710-89/91 engines.

The Lightnings' engines were troubled by the addition of alcohol used as an anti-knock compound in their fuel supply; a British war economy solution which caused problems with water condensation on the ground and fuel line icing at altitude. Another British attempt to correct fuel composition caused lead metal deposits to coat cylinders and foul plugs throughout the squadron. The -H series Lightnings did not have adequate cooling for extended high-power usage, as their engine development had outstripped the cooling capacity of the integral intercooler which ran through the wing's leading edge. Pilots were instructed to restrict their periods of highest engine power to defined time limits, but many did not. As a result of these various influences, the Group's Lightnings suffered a high rate of attrition. Nevertheless, 55FG P-38H pilots provided cover for missions against aircraft plants duringBig Weekin February 1944. Lt. Col. Jack Jenkins led the group on 3 March 1944, when they became the first Allied fighters to reach Berlin on an escort mission.^[1]

On 16 April 1944 the group moved toRAF WormingfordinEssexto accommodate the arrival of the 398th Bomb Group. The 55FG converted toNorth American P-51D Mustangsin July 1944, continuing their primary task of escortingBoeing B-17 Flying FortressandConsolidated B-24 Liberatorbombers that attacked such targets as industries and marshalling yards in Germany, and airfields and V-weapon sites in France.

398th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

From April 1944 until June 1945 the398th Bombardment Group (Heavy)used the airfield, arriving fromRapid City AAF South Dakota.The group was under the command of the1st Combat Bombardment Wingof the 1st Air Division. Equipped withBoeing B-17G Flying Fortresses,its tail code was a"Triangle-W".

The group consisted of the following squadrons:

The 398th BG entered combat in May 1944, and untilV-E Dayoperated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, attacking targets such as factories inBerlin,warehouses inMunich,marshalling yards inSaarbrücken,shipping facilities inKiel,oil refineries inMerseburg,and aircraft plants inMünster.

The group temporarily suspended strategic missions to attack coastal defenses and enemy troops on theCherbourg peninsuladuring theInvasion of Normandyin June 1944. The group struck gun positions nearEindhovenin support of theair attack on the Netherlandsin September 1944, and raided power stations, railroads, and bridges during theBattle of the Bulge,December 1944-January 1945. A formation of 38 aircraft from this group were responsible for the mistakenBombing of Pragueon 14 February 1945. The group flew missions attacking airfields to aid theAllied assault across the Rhinein March 1945.

The 398th flew its last combat mission, attacking an airfield inPilsen,Czechoslovakia,on 25 April 1945. AfterV-E Daythe group transported liberated prisoners from Germany to France.

From Nuthampstead, the 398th Bomb Group flew 195 combat missions losing 58 B17C Flying Fortresses. The unit returned to Drew AAFFloridaand was inactivated on 1 September 1945.^[2]^[3]

RAF Maintenance Command use

With the departure of the 398th, Nuthampstead was transferred from the USAAF toRAF Maintenance Commandon 10 July 1945. The airfield was used as an ordnance store until being placed under care and maintenance on 30 October 1954. Nuthampstead was finally closed on 1 March 1959.

Current use

With the end of military control, the concrete hardstands and most of the perimeter track were removed for hardcore to construct the London to Leeds motorwayM1 motorway,with single-lane farm access roads being retained for agricultural use. Most of the runways were also removed for aggregate, however a small end of the west secondary runway was converted forgo-kartracing and the northeast end of the main runway was converted to a grass landing strip for small crop-spraying aircraft. Many of the former airfield technical site buildings are in use by private companies.

TheForestry Commissionplanted a large area of conifers to the southeast of the airfield, on the location of the former bomb storage site. During the programme, a large number of abandoned ordnance was found and the site was declared unsafe. For several months, RAF bomb disposal teams recovered the wartime ordnance before the forestation program was completed.

In the late 1960s, Nuthampstead was one of the sites considered for London's third airport, but it was ultimately rejected.

Nuthampstead is the site of the Barkway (BKY) VOR air navigational beacon, at one time the holding "stack" for Stansted and Luton airports.

References

This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency

Citations

^Bodie, Warren M.The Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheed's P-38 Fighter.
^Maurer 1980,p. 00.
^Freeman 2001,p. 00.

Bibliography

Freeman, R.Airfields of the Eighth - Then and Now. After the Battle.London, UK: Battle of Britain International Ltd., 2001.ISBN 0-9009-13-09-6.
Maurer, M.Air Force Combat Units Of World War II.USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980.ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
mighty8thaf.preller.us Nuthampstead
55th Fighter Group on littlefriends.co.uk

External links

[1] Bodie, Warren M.The Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheed's P-38 Fighter.

[Maurer1980p00-2] Maurer 1980,p. 00.

[Freeman2001p00-3] Freeman 2001,p. 00.

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