Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd Bomb Group, popularly known as 'Hell’s Angels' which moved in with its B-17s in September 1942 and remained at the base until June 1945. Molesworth reverted to RAF control in 1945 and was closed in 1946. It was re-opened in 1951 for use by the US Air Force, and it remains a US base today: home to the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe Analytic Center. It was announced in January 2015 by the US Department of Defense that RAF Molesworth will close as a USAFE base in 2022. The USAF intelligence and support elements currently located at RAF Molesworth and RAF Alconbury will be combined in a new complex at RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire. RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, will also close as a USAFE base after 2020.