Construction work of what would become RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire started in 1937, but it wasn't until November 4, 1940, that the airfield officially opened. Ft was signed over to 5 Group, Bomber Command, with the first flying unit, 106 Squadron, moving in during February the following year. At 14 minutes past eight in the evening of March 1, 1941, five Handley Page Hampdens of No. 106 began taking off on a sortie to Cologne, Germany. The raid was a success and all of the Coningsby aircraft returned safely. The station's career as an operational base had begun.
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