RAF Tempsford
| RAF Tempsford | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempsford, Bedfordshire in England | |||||||||||
The Control Tower at Tempsford during the Second World War | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||
| Code | TE/TQ | ||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°09′31″N 000°15′49″W / 52.15861°N 0.26361°W | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1941 | ||||||||||
| Built by | John Laing & Son Ltd Balfour Beatty | ||||||||||
| In use | 1941 - February 1963 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 19 metres (62 ft) AMSL | ||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Tempsford or more simply 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 home to 138 (Special Duty) Squadron and 161 (Special Duty) Squadron, which dropped supplies and agents into occupied Europe for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). 138 (SD) Squadron handled most of the supply and agent drops, while 161 (SD) Squadron had the Lysander flight, and did the insertion and pick-up operations 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.