Although not technically near Harlow, Chipping Ongar/Willingale
airfield is the nearest other 'temporary' airfield to be found in the immediate locality.
�Built by the 831st Engineer (Aviation) Battalion, work began in late August 1942 and was still
ongoing a year later , in fact parts of the airfield were still under construction when the B-26 Marauders of the 387th BG(M)
commenced operations on the 15th of August 1943.
�That first operation was to attack coastal defences on the French Coast near Boulogne and
was mounted in thick fog. while taking off, one of the B-26 Bombers crashed at the end of the main runway killing all of the
crew except the tail gunner.
�The 387th remained at Chipping Ongar/Willingale until July 1944 before moving to an airfield
in France following the Invasion of the continent in June 1944.
�The airfield was never used again for military flying, and remained a sattelite of nearby
North Weald before being abandoned in 1959, one of the large T2 Hangars was dismantled and re-erected at North Weald airfield
and is believed to be the one nearest the M11 motorway, it is now used as a freight forwarding warehouse.
�The western side of the perimeter track is still intact and at it's full width in places ,
four of the original Hardstands can be found . The eastern side has been removed for hardcore and now lies under the A12 Brentwood
bypass. On the north eastern 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 for the runways, the main North/south No1 has been completely lifted
and only the course is visible, as is the West/East No2. But the North West/South East No3 still has a section of full width
remaining at the extreme western side and in the middle of the airfield where the West /East crossed it.
�No trace of the Bomb storage area exists, but many odd Nissen huts that were part of the dispersed
sites can be found here and there. The former Radar workshop that was used for servicing the 'Oboe' and H2S sets, sits forelornly
on its own in the middle of a field.
�One item that is still in use is the sewarage works!, modernised slightly, but now serving
the local community.
�
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