R A F Bovingdon Airfield - Herts, Southern England, UK - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Most of the original building 's have long gone along with the abandoned aircraft that littered the nearby woods and airfield aprons.
At the far end there are still a few of the huts intact but access is limited to them.

The airfield has been used for filming several war films including Battle of Britain and 633 Squadron.

There used to be a line of cherry trees growing in the nearby fields where a freight plane crashed spilling its cargo.

During World War Two The first USAAF tenant at Bovingdon was the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), being deployed from Sarasota AAF Florida. The group was known as "Fame's Favorite Few", and it was assigned to the 4th Combat Wing, at RAF Thurleigh. The group tail code was a "Triangle B".
and President Eisenhower's plane was kept here. The airfield saw Glenn Miller and Bob Hope, James Stewart and a few more stars fly into here.


There is a local rumour that jeeps and vehicle's are still buried in a underground chamber under the airfield.
the airfield is also rumoured to be hunted by aircraft noise and morse code and the smell of bubble gum!


" Bovingdon Airfield was constructed during 1941/42 by John Laing & Son.

In June 1942, RAF Bomber Command took up residence at Bovingdon. Operational missions were flown by the RAF until the airfield was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces later that year.

With its main runway over a mile long, it was home to the American Air Force 1943-1963 and was known as US Air Station 112. The Americans flew some combat missions from Bovingdon before the airfield was assigned the role of a training base for B-17 crews until the end of the Second World War.

Along with its training role, Bovingdon housed the Eighth Air Force Headquarters and the Air Technical Section, both equipped with a variety of aircraft types. General Eisenhower’s personal B-17 was housed on the base. In September 1944 Bovingdon became the base for the European Air Transport Service. Thousands of Americans returned to the States via the air terminal.

During World War II, several film stars were assigned at one time or another to the base, including Clark Gable, James Stewart and William Holden. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt and Glenn Miller.

In 1947 Bovingdon was returned to RAF control. The British Ministry of Civil Aviation obtained the airfield for civilian airline use. Because of its elevation, Bovingdon was often clear when London Heathrow and Northolt were fog-bound. Bovingdon was used by British European Airways (BEA). British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) used it as a maintenance facility and numerous other independent aircraft operators utilised the former technical site during the post-war years.

1951 saw the return of the USAF Coastal Command Communications and in 1962 the RAF returned with the Southern Command Squadron.

During the 1960s Bovingdon was used in the production of several World War II films including The War Lover (1961), which starred Steve McQueen and 633 Squadron (1964). Although flying ceased at the airfield in 1969, some flying scenes for the film Hanover Street starring Harrison Ford were shot there in 1978.

The airfield was shut down in 1972."
details from a leaflet History of Bovingdon Airfield.

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