United Kingdom - MCC Northwood
Intelligence Fusion Centre (IFC) - Molesworth History
IFC, Attention: (IFC member), UNIT 8845, BOX 300, RAF Molesworth, Huntingdon, CAMBS, PE28 0QB, GBR

RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force base located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917. It is one of three bases in Cambridgeshire currently occupied by the United States Air Force; RAF Molesworth, RAF Alconbury, and RAF Upwood are considered the "Tri-Base Area".

Early History
Worl War II
The Cold War
Current Status
References
External Links Internet Links

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Early history

The Royal Flying Corps selected a site for an airfield near the village of Old Weston in Cambridgeshire during World War I. The first flying unit to arrive at the base was 75 Squadron. It remained at this airfield until the end of the war. After the war, the airfield was abandoned. Some of the buildings were taken over by the surrounding farms with many of them still in use today.

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World War II

At the start of World War II the Air Ministry selected the area as the site for what would become RAF Molesworth. The base was built in 1940 and 1941. The first unit, 460 Squadron, formed at the base on November 15, 1941 with Vickers Wellington IVs. 460 Squadron departed the field on January 4, 1942. 159 squadron moved in shortly afterwards, however this unit did not remain long, moving to the Middle East on January 12.

USAAF use

Molesworth was one of the early Eighth Air Force stations assigned to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), and during 1942 the facility had all its runways extended to American specifications for heavy 4-engined bombers, with the main being 2,000 yards long and increasing the number of hardstands to fifty. It was given USAAF designation as Station 107.

From 16 September 1943 though 18 June 1945, Molesworth served as headquarters for the 41st Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bomb Division.

15th Bombardment Squadron
15th Bombardment SquadronThe first USAAF tenant on Molesworth was the 15th Bombardment Squadron, arriving on June 9, 1942 from RAF Grafton Underwood. The squadron flew the Douglas Boston III (A-20) light bomber.

The 15th flew most of its missions from Molesworth in its Bostons, and did not receive USAAF Douglas A-20 Havoc aircraft until 5 September.

303d Bombardment Group
303d Bombardment GroupB-17G-25-DL Fortress 42-38050 Thunderbird, 359th BS.

With the departure of the 15th Bomb Squadron, Molesworth was occupied by the B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 358th Bombardment Squadron, the first of four squadrons that would comprise the 303d Bombardment Group. The 303d would remain at Molesworth until shortly after V-E Day in late May 1945.

The last mission for the 303d was flown on April 25, 1945. when it attacked an armament works in Pilsen. During its combat tour the group flew 364 missions comprising 10,271 sorties, dropped 26,346 tons of bombs and shot down 378 enemy aircraft with another 104 probables. The group also saw 817 of its men killed in action with another 754 becoming prisoners of war.

On May 31, 1945, the 303d Bomb Group left Molesworth, moving to Casablanca, French Morocco

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The Cold War

As the Cold War increased in intensity, the US Air Force began looking to expand in Western Europe. RAF Molesworth was chosen in 1951 to become home to the 582d Air Resupply Group. The station was enlarged with main runway extensions and modern facilities. After much runway work by the 801st Engineer Battalion, the group moved from Great Falls, Montana to the base in February 1954.

582d Air Resupply Group
582d Air Resupply GroupHU-16 Albatross of the 582d Air Resupply Group - 25 Oct 1955

Although the unit was identified as an Air Resupply Group, equipped with twelve B-29s, four Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Amphibians, three C-119 Flying Boxcars (able to use RATO gear) and a C-47. The unit's name was deliberately misleading, as the mission of the 582d was search and rescue of reconnaissance aircraft forced down over Soviet occupied territory.

On October 25, 1956 the 582d was redesignated the 42d Troop Carrier Squadron. which was directly controlled by Third Air Force. The 42d flew HU-16s, C-47s, C-119s and C-54 Douglas Skymaster cargo transport aircraft from Molesworth until May 3, 1957 when it moved 13 miles up the road to RAF Alconbury.

53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron

53rd Weather Reconnaissance SquadronRAF Molesworth circa early to mid 1960s. The main runway, hardstands and most of the taxiways had been removed at the time this photo was taken.

With the departure of the 42d TCS, the WB-50s of the 53d Weather Recon Squadron was the sole operational tenant at Molesworth. The 53rd WRS flew WB-50Ds and was assigned with collecting weather data that was transmitted to weather stations for use in preparing forecasts required for the Air Force Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and the U.S. Weather Bureau. The squadron was reassigned to RAF Alconbury on April 26, 1959.

After the 53d left, Molesworth was put into a standby status, with the occasional aircraft using the base.

In 1973 the airfield was officially inactivated. The only remaining structures on the station were a small arms firing range, used by USAF personnel for target practice, a compound for surplus and obsolete USAF vehicles manned by civilian USAF employees, a derelict watchtower on the western perimeter of the base, and a warehouse. The base was unfenced and openly accessible to all. Local farmers grazed sheep on wired-off sections where the runway had formerly been, a solitary pest controller known locally as John the Rabbit-Catcher lived in a caravan just outside the former site of the north-west gate, and local people practised for their driving tests on the remaining concrete road surfaces.

Molesworth did serve as an American education and housing centre, offering military family housing for personnel assigned to RAF Alconbury, along with an elementary and junior high/high school offering grades 1 - 6 and 7 - 10 respectfully, for dependants of servicemen and women from nearby bases including RAF Chicksands, RAF Chelveston and RAF Alconbury.

303d Tactical Missile Wing

303d Tactical Missile Wing

In the early 1980s, RAF Molesworth was chosen to become a base for the US Air Force's mobile nuclear armed Ground Launched Cruise Missiles or GLCMs (although the majority of GLCMs were deployed at RAF Greenham Common).
Beginning in 1980 the ARC Eastern Region with the approval of the Ministry of Defence, began a two-year demolition project at Molesworth, razing of many deteriorating buildings and the removal of the wartime and early cold war runways and other unused structures. On December 12, 1986 the 303d Tactical Missile Wing was activated. However, the missiles and the wing did not stay long. The United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 which led to the removal of all nuclear missiles from the base by October 1988. The 303d TMW deactivated on January 30, 1989.

303d Tactical Missile WingRAF Molesworth GLCM bunkers in 1989.

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Current status

Once again, the fate of RAF Molesworth was uncertain. However, on 11 January 1990 the RAF announced new construction would begin later that year to house the US European Command's new intelligence analysis centre. This facility would become known as the Joint Analysis Center (JAC).

The role of the JAC is to process and analyse military information from a variety of sources for the benefit of the United States and NATO. Responsibility consists of eighty-three countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The JAC reports to the Director of Intelligence (J2), Headquarters, United States European Command, in Stuttgart-Valhingen, Germany.

The current host unit for RAF Molesworth is the 423d Air Base Group (ABG), headquartered at nearby RAF Alconbury. Molesworth employs over 750 personnel to include US and foreign military as well as US and British civilians. Because of past gaps in operations and demolishing of buildings and infrastructure, RAF Molesworth contains very limited support operations. As such, it relies solely upon the 423d ABG for all non-JAC related support functions like dining facilities, postal services, banking and telecommunications connectivity.
With the end of the Cold War, the JAC found it necessary to redefine itself in a new era. During the 1990s and into the 21st Century the JAC has provided intelligence support for US and NATO missions in the Middle East and the Balkans while also providing global assistance in the War on Terrorism.

With flight operations at RAF Alconbury ceasing in 1995, the JAC became the only organization supported by the 423d ABG. Should the JAC close or move to another base, the 423d ABG would no longer be needed and RAF Molesworth would most certainly be declared excess along with RAF Alconbury and RAF Upwood. However, with the NATO announcement in January 2006 of their plan to open their own intelligence centre at the base it is unlikely that it will close any time in the near future.

Although the nuclear missiles have been gone for almost two decades, the infrastructure (storage bunkers, launch tower, machine guns pits, and such) is still intact and offers a unique reminder of the Cold War. Additionally, a monument to the 303d BG resides just inside the main entrance to the base and is accessible to the public.

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References

  • Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
  • Freeman, Roger A., Airfields Of The Eighth, Then And Now, 1978
  • Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
  • Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
  • Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
  • Stabfer, Hans-Heiri, Strangers in a Strange Land, Squadron Signal Publications, 1988
  • USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present

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External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Molesworth"

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