Editing RAF Greenham Common (section)

==History==
===Second World War===
The Greenham Lodge Estate, which was set in the midst on [[Greenham and Crookham Commons|Greenham Common]], was requisitioned by the [[Air Ministry]] in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanairmuseum.com/place/148|title=Greenham Common|publisher=American Air Museum in Britain|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

The first arrival was the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[51st Troop Carrier Wing]] Headquarters, arriving in September 1942. The 51st TCW controlled the three troop carrier groups at [[RAF Keevil]] (62nd TCG), [[RAF Aldermaston]] (60th TCG) and [[RAF Ramsbury]] (64th TCG) as part of [[Twelfth Air Force]]. An area to the east of Bowdown House, a mansion on the northeast end of the airfield, was used as "bomb stores".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB16501&resourceID=1030|title=Bowdown World War II Bomb Stores, Greenham Common|publisher=Heritage Gateway| access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

The 51st TCW HQ followed its groups to North Africa as part of [[Operation Torch]] in November 1942.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former Combat Support Building (Building 273), Greenham Common|num=1419547| access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

In late 1943, Greenham Common airfield was turned over to the USAAF [[Ninth Air Force]]. An American advance party soon arrived to ready the airfield for the incoming units.  Greenham Common was known as '''USAAF Station AAF-486'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/greenham-common/|title=RAF Greenham Common|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

====354th Fighter Group====
[[File:354fg-p51b.jpg|thumb|right|[[North American Aviation|North American]] [[North American P-51 Mustang#P-51B and P-51C|P-51B-1-NA Mustang]], AAF Ser. No. 43-12408 of the [[355th Fighter Squadron]]]]
As troop carrier groups began arriving in the UK in late 1943 and deployed in the Greenham area, Greenham Common was one of the airfields used by the Ninth Air Force for fighter groups arriving from the United States. On 4 November the [[354th Fighter Group]] arrived from [[Portland Army Air Base|Portland Army Air Field]], [[Oregon]] and they were informed they were to fly the [[North American P-51 Mustang]]. The unit transferred to [[Headcorn Aerodrome|RAF Lashenden]] in April 1944.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/297|title=354th Fighter Group|publisher=American Air Museum in Britain|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

====368th Fighter Group====
A few weeks later on 13 January 1944, the [[368th Fighter Group]] arrived from [[Farmingdale, New York]], flying [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]]s. They had the following fighter squadrons and fuselage codes:<ref name=aam368>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/315|title= 368th Fighter Group| publisher=American Air Museum in Britain|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>
* 395th Fighter Squadron (A7)
* 396th Fighter Squadron (C2)
* 397th Fighter Squadron (D3)

The 368th was a group of Ninth Air Force's [[71st Fighter Wing (World War II)|71st Fighter Wing]], [[IX Tactical Air Command]].  The 368th FG moved to [[RAF Chilbolton]] on 15 March 1944.<ref name=aam368/>

==== 438th Troop Carrier Group ====
[[File:Eisenhower d-day.jpg|thumb|General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] addresses Company E, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (Strike), at Greenham Common Airfield about 8:30&nbsp;pm on 5 June 1944.]]
Literally as the 368th FG was moving out, the [[438th Troop Carrier Group]] was flying into Greenham Common from [[RAF Langar]]. Flying [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]s, they had the following Troop Carrier squadrons and fuselage codes:<ref name=aam438>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/386|title=438th Troop Carrier Group|publisher=American Air Museum in Britain|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>
* 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
* 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
* 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
* 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)
* 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8)
The 438th was a group of Ninth Air Force's [[53d Troop Carrier Wing (World War II)|53rd Troop Carrier Wing]] of [[IX Troop Carrier Command]]. The unit moved to [[Prosnes]] in France in February 1945.<ref name=aam438/>

===Cold War===
====Strategic Air Command====
[[File:Usaf-b-47-usafmuseum.jpg|thumb|right|USAF Boeing [[B-47 Stratojet#B-47|B-47E-50-LM Stratojet]], AF Ser. No. 52-3363, in flight.]]
[[File:Gate 1961.jpg|thumb|Gate to RAF Greenham Common during 1961|left]]
In the post-Second World War years, the [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) of the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) was based at three major airfields in eastern England: [[RAF Lakenheath]], [[RAF Mildenhall]] and [[RAF Sculthorpe]]. The increasing tension of the [[Cold War]] led to a re-evaluation of these deployments and a move further west, behind RAF fighter forces, to RAF Greenham Common, [[RAF Brize Norton]], [[RAF Upper Heyford]] and [[RAF Fairford]]. The airfield came under SAC's [[7th Air Division (United States)|7th Air Division]], with the 3909th Combat Support Group as its administrative unit on the base, responsible for all non-flying activities as well as maintenance and logistical support of the flying units attached to RAF Greenham Common. One of the first deployments was [[310th Space Wing|310th Bombardment Wing]] which arrived with its [[Boeing B-47E Stratojet]]s in October 1956.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0310bw.htm|title=310th Bombardment Wing|publisher=Strategic Air Command|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

=====Nuclear accident=====
[[File:RAF Greenham Common.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of the former runway at RAF Greenham Common, viewed east-to-west, August 2014.]]
On 28 February 1958, a B-47E, of the 310th Bombardment Wing developed problems shortly after takeoff and jettisoned its two 1,700 gallon [[Drop tank|external fuel tank]]s. They missed their designated safe impact area, and one hit a hangar while the other struck the ground {{convert|65|ft|m}} behind a parked plane. The parked B-47E, registration 53-6216, which was fuelled and had a pilot on board, was engulfed by flames; two ground crew were killed and two were injured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1953.html|title=1953 USAF Serial Numbers|website=www.joebaugher.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://silo.tips/download/major-robert-a-mortland-co-pilot-30-clarion-penn-killed-link-369bs-306bw-macdill|title=[PDF] Major Robert A. Mortland Co-Pilot 30 Clarion, Penn. killed LINK. 369BS 306BW MacDill AFB, FL. Mishap on landing. Structural problems - Free Download PDF|website=silo.tips}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1958-03-05/debates/5b625702-7336-41ff-9d3d-978b8889f329/UsafAircraftAccidentGreenhamCommon|title=Usaf Aircraft Accident, Greenham Common|date=5 March 1958|publisher=Hansard|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atomicarchive.com/almanac/broken-arrows/index.html |title=Report on the fire with nuclear weapon on board, with resulting nuclear contamination|publisher=Atomic Archive|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/288511919883369184/ |title=Photo of 53-62-16 the actual plane that burned in the incident|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/456/1958-accident-greenham-common-covered |title=1958 accident at Greenham Common covered up|publisher=Wise International|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref>

Two scientists, F. H. Cripps and A. Stimson, who both worked for the [[Atomic Weapons Research Establishment]] at [[Aldermaston]], stated in a secret 1961 report, released by the [[CND]] in 1996, that the fire detonated the high explosives in a nuclear weapon, that [[plutonium]] and [[uranium oxide]]s were spread over a wide area (foliage up to 8&nbsp;mi (13&nbsp;km) away was contaminated with [[uranium-235]]) and that they had discovered high concentrations of radioactive contamination around the airfield.<ref>''The Distribution of Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 around the United States Air Force base at Greenham Common'', July 1961 by F H Cripps & A Stimson, AWRE, Aldermaston</ref>

However, a radiological survey commissioned in 1997 by [[West Berkshire|Newbury District Council]] and [[Basingstoke and Deane|Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council]] found no evidence of a [[nuclear accident]] at Greenham Common, suggesting that Cripps and Stimson's statements were false. The seven-month-long survey was carried out by the Geosciences Advisory Unit of [[Southampton University]] and combined a [[helicopter]]-mounted [[gamma ray]] detector survey with a ground-based survey. The team analysed nearly 600 samples taken from soil, lake sediment, borehole water, house dust, runway tarmac and concrete, looking for uranium and plutonium [[isotope]]s. No evidence of an accident involving nuclear weapons damage was found at the former air force base although the ground survey detected some low-level uranium contamination around the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston thought to be derived from that facility, and the helicopter survey found some anomalies around [[Harwell Laboratory]].<ref>[http://www.soton.ac.uk/~newrep/vol14/no12news.html Greenham Common given 'all-clear'-leaving childhood leukaemia clusters a mystery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211100755/http://www.soton.ac.uk/~newrep/vol14/no12news.html |date=11 December 2005 }}, Southampton University in-house newsletter ''New Reporter'' Vol 14, No 12, 10 March 1997</ref>

====United States Air Forces in Europe====
After Strategic Air Command left Greenham Common in 1964, the site was primarily used as a mail sorting and storage facility under the administrative control of 7551st Combat Support Group.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airshowspresent.com/raf-greenham-common---usaaf-station-486.html|page=40|title=A strategic consideration of the Cold War heritage of the former RAF Upper Heyford Base|date=31 July 2017|first=Colonel James P.|last= Cook|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref> Beginning in 1973 the base became the home of the [[International Air Tattoo]], a large scale international military [[airshow]].<ref name=MBTVH />

====501st Tactical Missile Wing====
[[File:Greenham Common GAMA missile shelters.jpg|thumb|The [[BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile|cruise missile shelters]]]]
[[File:Embracing the base, Greenham Common December 1982 - geograph.org.uk - 759090.jpg|thumb|upright|On 12 December 1982, 30,000 women held hands around the {{convert|6|mi|km}} perimeter of the base, in protest against the decision to site American cruise missiles there]]
Following the 1979 [[NATO Double-Track Decision]], in June 1980, RAF Greenham Common was selected as one of two British bases for the USAF's mobile nuclear armed [[BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile|BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile]] (GLCM).<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1980/jun/17/cruise-missile-sites#S5CV0986P0_19800617_HOC_171 Statement of the Secretary of State for Defence], [[Francis Pym]]; ''Hansard'' 17 June 1980</ref> This missile was derived from the sea-launched [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk Land Attack Missile]]. Some missiles were deployed at [[RAF Molesworth]], but the majority of GLCMs were deployed at RAF Greenham Common.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB15804&resourceID=1030|title=GAMA - Cruise Missile Shelter Complex, Greenham Common airbase|publisher=Heritage Gateway|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

A [[Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp]] was established in protest at the deployment of cruise missiles in 1981.<ref name=MBTVH /> The protestors became known as "the Greenham women" or "peace women", and their 19-year protest drew worldwide media and public attention.<ref name=MBTVH />

After being equipped with the new weapons, the [[501st Tactical Missile Wing]] was activated at Greenham Common on 1 July 1982.<ref name=501heritage>{{cite web|url=https://www.501csw.usafe.af.mil/Portals/7/documents/AFD-080314-010.pdf?ver=2016-05-06-154428-867|title=501st Combat Support Wing Heritage|publisher= 501st Combat Support Wing| access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref> Following the ratification of the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]] by U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] and the General Secretary of the [[CPSU]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in June 1988, the last GLCMs at RAF Greenham Common were removed in March 1991, and the 501st Tactical Missile Wing was inactivated in May 1991.<ref name=501heritage/> On 11 September 1992, the USAF returned RAF Greenham Common to the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]].<ref name=MBTVH />

===Post RAF station===
In 1997 Greenham Common was designated as public parkland, effectively returning it to its pre-Second World War status but with restrictions. [[Greenham and Crookham Commons]] became a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003118%27 |title=Magic Map Application |publisher=Magic.defra.gov.uk |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="sssi">{{cite web |url=https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003118.pdf |title=Site name: Greenham and Crookham Commons |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-date=20 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320144544/https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003118.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Cold War era control tower has recently been redeveloped and is now open as a visitor centre with a historical exhibition and community cafe. Cattle from local farms are permitted to graze the Common and often stray onto the adjacent Burys Bank Road.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-12-22|title=Drivers urged to slow down and be vigilant for cattle in Greenham|url=https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/drivers-urged-to-slow-down-and-be-vigilant-for-cattle-in-greenham/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=inyourarea.co.uk}}</ref>