RAF Tempsford

RAF Tempsford is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England and 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England.

The airfield was perhaps the most secret airfield in the Second World War. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, No. 138, which dropped Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and No. 161, which specialised in personnel delivery and retrieval by landing in occupied Europe.

RAF Tempsford is very close to Little Gransden Airfield and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at Gransden Lodge and Bourn.

Operational units and aircraft

Tempsford

Coordinates: 52°10′03″N 0°17′53″W / 52.16748°N 0.29804°W / 52.16748; -0.29804

Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire.

The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just before the junction with the A428 at the Black Cat Roundabout. To the east of the village is the site of the former RAF Tempsford airfield.

It was served by Tempsford railway station.

History

In 917 Tempsford was a fortified Danish burh where, following an unsuccessful attack on Bedford, the Battle of Tempsford took place. The Danes were defeated by an English army led by King Edward the Elder.

References

External links

Media related to Tempsford at Wikimedia Commons