About Raf Thurleigh
Royal Air Force Thurleigh or more simply RAF Thurleigh is former Royal Air Force station located north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany. HistoryThurleigh was built for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 by W & C French Ltd. north of the village of Thurleigh on farmland between the farms of Buryfields, Bletsoe Park, Manor, and Whitwickgreen. It was eventually modified to Air Ministry Class A airfield specifications, with three converging runways, extended in 1942 to lengths of 6, 000 feet and 4, 200 feet . Thurleigh was unique among bomber bases in having four T2 type metal hangars where most bases had only two. RAF Bomber Command useIts first use was by No. 160 Squadron RAF, forming on 16 January 1942 as a ground echelon then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater at Drigh Road on 4 June 1942. The airfield was also used by No. 18 Operational Training Unit RAF.
Raf Thurleigh Description
Royal Air Force Thurleigh or more simply RAF Thurleigh is former Royal Air Force station located north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany. HistoryThurleigh was built for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 by W & C French Ltd. north of the village of Thurleigh on farmland between the farms of Buryfields, Bletsoe Park, Manor, and Whitwickgreen. It was eventually modified to Air Ministry Class A airfield specifications, with three converging runways, extended in 1942 to lengths of 6, 000 feet and 4, 200 feet . Thurleigh was unique among bomber bases in having four T2 type metal hangars where most bases had only two. RAF Bomber Command useIts first use was by No. 160 Squadron RAF, forming on 16 January 1942 as a ground echelon then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater at Drigh Road on 4 June 1942. The airfield was also used by No. 18 Operational Training Unit RAF.