AT its peak, thousands of troops, nuclear missiles and fast jets were stationed there.

The former US Air Force base at Upper Heyford, near Bicester, was central in the West’s defence against Russia during the decades-long Cold War.

Although the Americans have long since gone, finally leaving the base in 1994, not much has changed.

Now internationally-renowned photographer Richard Smith has been allowed behind the scenes to take a snapshot of its history.

His pictures have been included in an exhibition due to open at the Said Business School Gallery, Park End Street, Oxford, next month.

English Heritage has described the Oxfordshire base as one of the most important Cold War sites in Europe.

Mr Smith, who lives near Banbury, said: “I was always puzzled by this huge, 1,200 acre space in the Oxfordshire countryside.

“Most locals seemed to have little knowledge of the place, just remembering the thousands of Americans who worked and lived in the area, and the noise of the aircraft.

“After I negotiated access to the base I was left largely to my own devices, and it was quite overwhelming and intimidating.

“The hardened aircraft hangars and blast walls are enormous.

“There is fencing everywhere, sometimes in triple layers, and we knew little of what went on there.

“I believe it was the metaphorical frontline of the Cold War, and I hope that my photographs go some way in shedding light on what was once a very secretive place.”

The exhibition, called Upper Heyford – A Cold War Landscape, opens on Monday, March 5, and runs until Friday, March 30.