RAF Boreham

RAF Boreham USAAF Station AAF-161
RAF Boreham photographed on 20 April 1944. Throughout much of the postwar years, Ford Motor Company preserved much of the airfield as a proving ground, however in recent years extensive quarrying has removed much of the south part of the airfield.
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	United States Army Air Forces
Location	Boreham, Essex
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1944-1945 (1945)
Elevation AMSL	39 ft / 12 m
Coordinates	51°46′47″N 000°31′15″E / 51.77972°N 0.52083°E / 51.77972; 0.52083Coordinates: 51°46′47″N 000°31′15″E / 51.77972°N 0.52083°E / 51.77972; 0.52083
Map
RAF Boreham Location in Essex
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt

Royal Air Force Station Boreham or more simply RAF Boreham is a former Royal Air Force station in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north-northeast of Chelmsford; about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of London

Opened in 1944, it was used by the United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as bomber and a troop transport airfield for paratroopers. After the war it was closed in late 1945.

Today the remains of the airfield are partially used as a gravel quarry as well as the Essex Police Helicopter Unit.

Boreham was known as USAAF Station AAF-161 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 "JM".

The first use of Boreham airfield was by the 394th Bombardment Group, arriving from Kellogg AAF, near Battle Creek, Michigan on 10 March 1944. Operational squadrons of the group were:

Their group marking was a white diagonal band across the fin and rudder.

In the weeks that followed, the 394th was repeatedly sent to attack bridges in occupied France and the Low Countries, which led to its dubbing itself 'The Bridge Busters'. The 394th was moved on 24 July to RAF Holmsley South in the New Forest.

Boreham then passed to the 315th Troop Carrier Group in March 1945, which flew 80 Douglas C-47 Skytrains to drop men of the British 6th Airborne Division during Operation Varsity, the assault on the Rhine River.