Royal Air Force RAF Fairford

aerial photograph of fairford airfield, bomb dump , ammunition dump east (top) of perimeter track, technical site , barrack sites on north (lower left), 2 december 1943.



soldiers boarding planes operation market garden

raf fairford constructed in 1944 serve airfield british , american troop carriers , gliders d-day invasion of normandy during world war ii.

in years of cold war british , american governments reached agreement under elements of usaf strategic air command (sac) based in uk. bases had been established in east anglia, @ raf mildenhall , raf lakenheath, considered vulnerable bomber attack , airfields further behind raf fighter defences sought. 4 raf airfields selected receive sac units — raf brize norton, raf fairford, raf greenham common , raf upper heyford. in 1948 americans occupied raf stations including fairford, brize norton, burtonwood, greenham common, mildenhall, lakenheath , woodbridge build deterrent in europe against soviets.

raf lyneham s position primary tactical transport base raf emphasised in february 1971 when nos. 30 , 47 squadrons transferred old base @ raf fairford.