The Airbase - Chelveston, Station 105
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Taken from the roof of the Control Tower over looking the airfield (1st July 1943) and a number of Boeing B-17 can be seen lining up in the background, waitng to go on a practise mission. Work is still being carried out on aircraft hardstanding here in the foreground of the photograph.
The Airfield and its Occupants

Construction of the Chelveston airbase started in the winter of 1940/41, and became one of the fifteen airfields which would have been added to the county before the end of the Second World War, each of them costing around a million pounds to produce. Chelveston airfield, also known as station 105, close to the village of Chelveston (Northamptonshire, England), was constructed by the Taylor Woodrow Ltd., for the No. 8 Group RAF. The winter of 1941 saw the Central Gunnery School begin operations. Operating Handley Page Hampdans and Vickers Wellngtons, the school was intended to improve standards in gunnery within the RAF.
  
May 1942 saw radical change to Chelveston, with the gliders. This was conducted by a detachment from Ringway, and their work involved much secrecy upon the airfield.The early gliders, known as the Horsa's and Hamilcar's would eventually be used later in the war in the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944.The RAF unit eventually left Chelveston at the end of August 1942.
  
Before the RAF had departed from the airfield, they had already seen the first American's to arrive. This would involve a large group of ground crew and support staff for the 60th Troop Carrier Group. At the beginning of July 1942, the first C-47 Dakota's of the 60th TCG began to arrive at Chelveston. It would be short lived, with the Americans finding themselves deployed to a new base, Aldermaston, by the beginning of August.
  

  

Very shortly after the 60th TCG departed, it wasn't long before the echo of b-17's came over the base. This heralded the arrival of the 301st Bomb Group (Heavy), and over the next few weeks the group would desend on the airfield. The group would fly combat missions from Chelveston between September 5th and November 8th 1942, whereupon they would to be deployed from the base of Chelveston, this time much further than the previous occupants. The 301st were destined for the 12th Air Force based in North Africa.


Chelveston Airfield 1945
The 305th Bomb Group

Finally, with American support staff still at Chelveston, a replacement group in the form of the 305th Bomb Group arrived making only a short flight from their temporary home of Grafton Underwood, the first B-17's of the 305th began landing at Chelveston on December 6th 1942. Their arrival at the base created what perhaps could be called the strongest bond with the surrounding communites, especially with the local people of Chelveston. This bond would then strengthen throughtout the war, and well into the years of recent peace. Flying some 330 daylight missions, and a further 150 night missions, the 305th BG ('Can Do' Group) would remain at Chelveston till the summer of 1945, before finally moving on to it's peacetime base, St. Trond, Belgium. The 305th flew as one of the early pioneer groups, often quoted in the Air Force folklore as 'One of the Four Horsemen'.The group lost 769 men during combat, along with countless numbers of wounded. More than 900 men of the group would become Prisoners of war (POW's). 154 B'17's would be shot down due to enermy attacks, with many more returning home, damaged beyond repair. Despite these hardships, the 305th Bomb Group took it all and gave it back in more than equal measure. No better motto could describe the group better than the 'Can Do' group.
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Runways
Chelveston, like many other early bomber airfields consisted of three short (50 yard wide) runways. The main runway measured 1,400 yards in length, with the other two at 1,100 yards. Running around the edge of the airfield was a fifty foot wide perimeter track which interlinked the aircraft hard standings to the runways. During the next winter the main runway would be extended to 2,000 yards and the north south runway was lengthened to 1,400 yards.
Hangers
Three hangers were built, two of which where the T2 type hanger, with the 'T' meaning transportable and the '2' indicated that it was the second option of available sizes (240 x 140 foot), enough for two sized bombers. The third hanger, a 'J' which stood for usage and not type measured 300 x 150 ft and could hold up to three b-17's at a squeeze. All of the three hangers at the base were normally only used for major airframe repairs.
In March 1999 work began on the demolition of the J-type hanger at the former base of Chelveston, espite protests from the local parish council. The hangar was one of only three J-type hangers left in Europe and the only one still to have working doors. The wind sock Mast, pictured here on the top of the hanger later became the centre piece of the Chelveston Memorial dedicated to the 305th Bomb Group (Recovered by William Betts, Rushden)