| RAF Steeple Morden USAAF Station 122  .png) | |
|---|---|
| Steeple Morden,Cambridgeshire,England | |
 Steeple Morden Airfield - 13 April 1947 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Code | KR |
| Owner | Air Ministry |
| Controlled by |  Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
| Location | |
  Location in Cambridgeshire | |
| Coordinates | 52°04′N0°06′W / 52.06°N 0.10°W /52.06; -0.10 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 (1940) |
| Built by | John Laing & Son Ltd. |
| In use | 1940-1946 (1946) |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | RAF Bomber Command Eighth Air Force RAF Fighter Command |
| Occupants | 3d Reconnaissance Group 355th Fighter Group 4th Fighter Group |
Royal Air Force Steeple Morden or more simplyRAF Steeple Morden is a formerRoyal Air Force station located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west ofRoyston,Hertfordshire,England.
Between 1940 and September 1942, Steeple Morden was a grass satellite dispersal airfield[1] used byNo. 11 Operational Training Unit ofRAF Bomber Command flyingVickers Wellingtons fromRAF Bassingbourn.[2]
During this timeNo. 3 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU) also used the airfield.[3]
When the airfield was turned over for American use, Steeple Morden was assigned USAAF designation Station 122. Hard-surface runways were laid down, along with concrete hardstands and a permanent T-2 hangar.[1]
Although not planned for use until 1943 Steeple Morden was first used by theUnited States Army Air ForcesEighth Air Force3d Photographic Reconnaissance Group, arriving fromRAF Membury on 16 October 1942. The 3d consisted of the 5th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 23d squadrons and only stayed at the airfield until 10 December, departing for La SeniaAlgeria as part ofOperation Torch.[4][5]
During the stay of the 3d PRG, Lieutenant-ColonelElliott Roosevelt, son ofFranklin D. Roosevelt served as commander and also flew anF-4 "Lightning".[1]
Between January 1943 and May 1943 the airfield was used byNo. 17 OTU which usedBristol Blenheims.[2]
With the departure of the photo-recon squadrons, the355th Fighter Group, arrived fromPhiladelphia Municipal Airport on 9 July 1943.[6] The group was under the command of the65th Fighter Wing of theVIII Fighter Command. Aircraft of the group were identified by white around their cowling and tail.[7]
The group consisted of the following squadrons:[7]
The 355th FG flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep overBelgium, on 14 September 1943 and afterwards served primarily as escort forBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress/Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked industrial areas ofBerlin, marshalling yards atKarlsruhe, an airfield at Neuberg, oil refineries at Misburg, synthetic oil plants atGelsenkirchen, locks atMinden, and other objectives. The group also flew fighter sweeps, area patrols, and bombing missions, striking such targets as air parks, locomotives, bridges, radio stations, and armoured cars.[8]
On 5 April 1944, shortly after converting fromRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts toNorth American P-51 Mustangs, the group successfully bombed and strafed German airfields during a snow squall, a mission for which the group was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation.[8]
The group provided fighter cover forAllied forces landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and afterwards hit transportation facilities to cut enemy supply lines. Hit fuel dumps, locomotives, and other targets in support of ground forces during the breakthrough atSaint-Lô in July.[8]
The 355th Fighter Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945. On 3 July the group transferred to Gablingen, Germany for duty withUnited States Air Forces in Europe as part of the army of occupation.[8] Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to Mitchel FieldNew York on 1 August 1946, and was inactivated on 20 November.[6]
The4th Fighter Group transferred to Steeple Morden in July 1945 replacing the 355th FG. The unit stayed until November when it returned toCamp KilmerNew Jersey and was inactivated.[9]
The group consisted of the following squadrons:[10]
With the departure of the Americans, Steeple Morden was transferred toRAF Fighter Command on 1 November 1945 and then was closed down on 1 September 1946 and abandoned. It was sold to private interests between 1960 and 1961 and was largely returned to agriculture.[1]
With the end of military control, Steeple Morden was returned to agricultural use. The former airfield is virtually unrecognizable. A few single-width concrete farm roads, which are remnants of the perimeter track and runways are all that remains.[11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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