Bombers on the Ground

Bombers on the Ground

When not flying or on the line for maintenance, bombers were parked in a dispersed fashion around the three-mile perimeter track circling the runway.

They were far apart for good reason: to prevent total destruction in case of enemy attack.

Bombers were parked on a concrete pad - called a hardstand - which attached to the perimeter track around the triangle runway. On mission mornings, airmen were trucked to their hardstands, which could be more than a mile from the HQ site where briefing happened.

Parked bombers were in stark contrast to their surroundings: often on the edge of the airfield, hardstands were usually surrounded by long flowing grasses characteristic of the English countryside.