Royal Air ForceChipping Ongar or more simply RAF Chipping Ongar is a former Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chipping Ongar; about northeast of London. Opened in 1943, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber airfield. After the war it was closed in 1959 after many years of being a reserve airfield. Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields.
The airfield was opened in the early spring of 1943 and was used by the United States Army Air ForcesEighth and Ninth Air Forces. Chipping Ongar was known as USAAF Station AAF-162 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "JC". USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Chipping Ongar were:
Parts of the airfield were still under construction when the 387th Bombardment Group arrived from Goodman AAF, Kentucky on 25 June 1943. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing and flew B-26B/C Marauders. Operational squadrons of the 387th were:
The 387th Bomb Group began combat on 15 August 1943 by joining with three other B-26 groups attacking coastal defences on the French Coast near Boulogne, and was mounted in thick fog. In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 387th was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943. The 387th Bomb Group moved to RAF Stoney Cross in Hampshire on 21 July 1944 when Ninth Air Force moved the 98th Bomb Wing's four Marauder groups into the New Forest area at the earliest opportunity to place them closer to the French Normandy Invasion beaches. During September 1944, the airfield was used temporarily by IX Troop Carrier Command as advanced C-47 base during Operation Market-Garden.
In 1946 use was made of the airfield, now named Willingale, by the Straight Corporation. They established a branch of the Home CountiesFlying Club here, and Straight Aviation Training Ltd operated a fleet of Avro Anson navigation trainers here from 1946 to 1948. A few private aircraft were also based here, but the airfield was closed on 28 February 1959. Most of Chipping Ongar airfield reverted to agricultural use. One of the large T-2 Hangars was dismantled and re-erected at North Weald airfield. It is believed to be the one nearest the M11 motorway, and now used as a freight forwarding warehouse. A section of the perimeter track and some loop dispersal hardstands are still intact, connected to a small private landing strip converted from a straight section of the wartime perimeter, aligned 04/22, and one small section of a secondary full-width runway on the southeast side. On the northeastern side, the Operations block, Norden Bombsight Store, and the base of the pilots' briefing room are grouped together, and are in quite good condition. As of 2020 Fyfield Flying Club operates from a small part of the old airfield.
