# Geedee & Rocketeers USAAF B-24 Base Tour - UK



## Geedee (Dec 17, 2017)

Yup, we've done another one of our 'trips ! 

As you may know, I do have a soft-spot for the Liberator (Only 2 more flights and I've reached 100 sorties in Witchraft  ), and thought it would be a good topic for one our quick tours where we would try and visit every '24 Base here in the UK. Looked into it on the interweb and found that there were 25 X Base's with 2 down in Devon and the remainder up-Country. Unfortunately due to the distance between Devon and the rest, we couldn't do it in a long weekend so we split the tour into two.

What we found throughout is that the majority of these Bases have all but vanished, mostly to farm land and some to Industrial Usage. Many of them are inaccessible now due private land ownership so we were limited on what and where we could go. We'll go into more details as we report on each Base.

But we did it !.

2 Bases on one day in Devon and the remaining 23 the following weekend over 3 days !  . At each Base, we took photo's of what we could access and paid our respects to The Greatest Generation.

Some of the reports on the Bases will be photo heavy while others only a few shots, this due to access.

We traveled 1150 miles over the 4 days, met some fantastic people, had a few Museums opened up especially for us, battled extreme cold and on the last day, snow to a depth that made trying to get to some of the Bases....was interesting to say the least...and on top of that, we had a poorly car !.

So, where did we go....Here's the itinerary

Day 1(Devon)
Dunkeswell
Upottery

Day 2
Cheddington
Harrington
North pickenham
Wendling
Shipdham
Attlebridge
Horsham St Faith
Rackheath

Day 3
Metffield
Halesworth
Bungay
Seething
Hardwick
Tinengam
Hethel
Old Buckenham
Watton
Fersfield

Day 4
Debach
Eye
Mendlesham
Lavenham
Sudbury

We'll be covering each Base in turn and adding our shots to make sure nothing has been missed. I'll be starting off with Dunkeswell very shortly...stay tooned


----------



## Crimea_River (Dec 17, 2017)

Looking forward to your story guys.


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 17, 2017)

The blog will also be on Facebook. The Aviation Pilgrimage
I think its fair to say its one of the best tours we have done so far!


----------



## Jeff Hunt (Dec 17, 2017)

Anxiously awaiting this report and photos.

Jeff


----------



## Airframes (Dec 17, 2017)

Bl**dy marvelous !
Been trying to do a similar tour over the last year or two, in the tin tent, but nowhere near as comprehensive - fantastic effort Gary and Tony.
Maybe we should get together and do a more 'concentrated' visit to a select few, next year ?


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 18, 2017)

You'd love it!


----------



## Airframes (Dec 18, 2017)

Sounds good to me. Was planning an overseas trip, probably to Normandy, with Karl and probably Andy from Canada. However, having to replace my stolen camera gear has more than likely killed that idea, so a UK tour would be a good alternative.


----------



## Gnomey (Dec 19, 2017)

Sounds awesome!


----------



## Wayne Little (Dec 20, 2017)

Looking forward to this....!


----------



## fubar57 (Dec 20, 2017)

Me too, bring.....it.....on


----------



## Geedee (Dec 20, 2017)

Allrighty...here we go

First stop was at Dunkeswell
RAF...later USN... Dunkeswell was originally planned as a Fighter Command, then Coastal Command Airfield but was then transferred to the US forces and became Station 173 It was built to the standard RAF Wartime Class A design for heavy bombers by Wimpey and construction finished in June 43 at a a cost of £1.1M. Initially set for RAF 19 Group Coastal command, the first operations were flown when the 479th Anti-Submarine Group with their specialised Liberators arrived. The Seabees continued to do upgrades throughout the War.

A couple of anecdotes for you, it was nicknamed by the US "Mudville Heights" and the airfield was also used as a glider base for the raids to Germany. The passengers included Americans, including a brother or cousin of the Future President Kennedy who was reputed to have been killed when one of the gliders crashed on take off in to a small wood close to the runway !.

The Airfield is currently in use and has an active flying school a, great little museum, Memorial and a cafe on site. The Museum and Memorial are by the Flying School.

The original Control Tower is still in place but you can't get access to it,so we took a few pics from as close as we could get.

Here's a shot (not our pic) of the Base as it is at the moment






And here's a pic (not ours)of the Site from WW2





On the way to the airfield, I picked up an original engine mount from a PB4Y-1 Liberator that actually operated from the airfield !!!. Needless to say, I took the opportunity to take a few shots next to the Memorial 





And here's a pic of the Memorial without a relic in front... Absolutely love the Sentiment !




Then it was walkaround the Museum. The Museum is housed in a couple of conjoined Portacabins and contains a whole heap of artifacts and details about the Airfield and its use during the War. Easily a good hour could be spent here looking at and taking everything in. Here's a few pics...not going to show all so you'll have to go and visit yourself ! ...



















One of the Pics showed some crew back in WW2 using a local telephone box. Talking to the volunteers manning the museum, they told us that the telephone box was still in place and about a 1/4 mile form the Airfield entrance...so we had to go and have a looksee and take a modern shot...








There are still a few original building in place but you can't access them, ranging from re-clad Hangars and the obligatory Nissen /Quonset huts...would love to have been able to walkabout but there's no public access.










And lastly, a zoom pic of the Tower, with I think the original MT / Fire section building just behind.Not ideal but we couldn't get around the airfield to see it  . What we are planning on doing is contacting the Airfield owners to see if we can get a return visit planned just to see the Tower !.




I'll hand over now to Tony for his pics and update


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 20, 2017)

Dunkeswell holds a position close to my heart as it was a sub hunter base and my grandad was a sub hunter, only he was with the RAF flying Catalinas. The most famous pilot was Joe Kennedy, brother of JFK. He flew USN liberators and completed his whole tour. He then volunteered for the Anvil Project at Fersfied. But we will wait til that airfield for the rest of his story. The quarterlight is from a USN B24 or should I say PBY. It came from Dunkeswell and still has white paint on it. You can see the runway thru it. It was nice to see a L4 there and a USN marked up Stearman


----------



## fubar57 (Dec 20, 2017)

Nice start gents


----------



## Airframes (Dec 20, 2017)

Brilliant !


----------



## nuuumannn (Dec 20, 2017)

Oooo, goody; this is gonna be interesting.


----------



## Geedee (Dec 21, 2017)

Sorry, forgot to add in some links to sites with further info, so I'll start off with this one. Has some great wartime pics and tells a whole heap of history about the Airfield
Dunkeswell


----------



## Crimea_River (Dec 21, 2017)

I love these threads. Good stuff guys.


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 23, 2017)

B-24 stop No.2. Upottery Airfield also known as Smeatharpe and Stn AAF-462

Upottery near Honiton Devon was built in 1943 and opened in Feb 1944. It was originally used by the 9th AIrforce of the USAAF. In April, the 4 Squadrons from the 50th Troop Carrier Wing arrived to train for DDay. The squadrons (91st, 92nd, 93rd and 94th) had 70 Douglas C47 transports configured to drop parachutists and equipment. On DDay, 6th June 1944, the famed Easy E company of the 101st Airborne took off from Uppottery and jumped over Normandy. The 101st AB contribution to the war effort and ultimate defeat of Nazi German was epic.
In Early 1945 the USN brought their Liberator PB4Y-1 aircraft (USAAF B-24D, B-24J, B-24L and B-24M aircraft) to NAF Upottery to conduct antisubmarine warfare patrols, primarily in the Bay of Biscay areas. Two squadrons VPB-107 and VPB-112 were assigned to Upottery. The airfield was a satellite to nearby Dunkeswell where older brother of JFK, Joe Kennedy Jr was a pilot.

After the war, the airfield returned to agricultural use. Nowadays, the runways are used by a small flying and gliding club. A few buildings remain, most notably the derelict control tower, motor transport sheds and an accommodation block. We photographed the buildings but later found out that these are actually on private land. Had we known we would have sought permission. So they should not be visited without the farmers permission. The airfield is evocative and has a deep feeling that something amazing happened here. It is worthy of preservation. A date marked in the concrete when the runway was being laid was found. A delightful museum is in a Nissan hut on the edge of the airfield, next to the remains of the officers mess. In 2001, scenes for the epic Band of Brothers HBO production were filmed here. This landmark series followed Easy Company from its training through the para drop over Normandy to the end of the war. By the old airfield entrance, we found a preserved sentry box with memorial.

RAF Upottery - Wikipedia

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. - Wikipedia.

Museum (this museum and that at Dunkeswell airfield are in the link below.
Home

Pix to follow


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 23, 2017)

Photos from Upottery. It is amazing how historic this place is. You can imagine the Libs and then the C47s. Brave Easy Company flew from here to conduct their awesome contribution to the war effort.


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 23, 2017)

These photos show the museum next to the old officers club remains. The last photos show the original sentry box which houses the memorials

Reactions: Like Like:
1 | Like List reactions


----------



## Crimea_River (Dec 23, 2017)

Good pics Tony!


----------



## Airframes (Dec 23, 2017)

Great stuff Tony, keep them coming.


----------



## Gnomey (Dec 23, 2017)

Lovely shots guys!


----------



## Geedee (Dec 29, 2017)

Having finished both Dunkeswell and Upottery in one weekend, we had the following week to recover before starting the main marathon dash to visit the other Stations.

Up at pre-Sparrow F*rt, we had a nice long drive upto Cheddington from home, aiming to arrive just at day-break.

Cheddington was called various names... “Long Marston Airfield” and “Marsworth Airfield”. It occupies an area between these two villages.It’s official title from the war years (and the name that is used in official records) is Cheddington. This is because all new airfields at the time were named by the nearest railway station....bet ya didn't know that !. To the 8th, it was known as Station 113.

Cheddington is actually an old Airfield and was in fact used briefly during late WW1 and was closed after the armistice. Fast forward to WW2 and the airfield was re-awakened in March 1942 as an RAF Station with Wellington Bombers form 26 OTU. Then in Sept '42 it was transferred to the USAAF and the 44th Bombardment Group 8th AAF arrived initially with 3 Liberator Squadrons (66th, 67th, 68th) however their stay was fairly short lived as the 8th wanted all Liberator Groups to move over to Norfolk and so in October that year, the 44th moved to Shipdham...which we also visited ! 

Here's the link to the 44th. 44th Bomb Group - - World War II

The 50th Fighter Squadron (8th Reconnaissance Group) flying the P-378 Lightning was assigned to the station 15 March-12 April 1944, but was not made operational. Then Bombers returned including the B-17's.

These are the units :

850th Bombardment Squadron Liberator
858th Bombardment Squadron Liberator
406th Bombardment Squadron Liberator
36th Bombardment Squadron Liberator / Flying Fortress
Trawling the Net, I found this awesome Poem penned by an American Airman stationed at Cheddington airfield in 1943:

“What will become of this little section of England that has been our life for the past two years? Will the runways and hard-standings lay abandoned and untouched in mute tribute to the men who worked, lived and sweated out the planes during the years of war and restriction? What will become of the dogs once fed so well around the mess halls – the legion of station mascots? Will they walk through deserted kitchens wondering where the chow lines and their GI pals have gone? What impression have we Americans made in our frequent contacts with the English people who have been our neighbours and companions during these long monotonous war-weary years? Probably these questions which probe into the future will not be answered for many years”.

Right, on with pics 
There is a Memorial at the entrance to what was the Technical Site. Included in the Memorial area is an original Runway Light.and I apologize for the horrible pics as the light was very low at this time of the morning.There are lots of buildings still standing, indeed some of them are in use as Industrial units, but it was kinda spooky walking around the few derelict ones we visited. The runway has long since been removed as hard-core but a small grass-strip runs alongside which we didn't have time to view. Here's a few shots of some of the buildings:


----------



## Airframes (Dec 29, 2017)

Great stuff Gary, looking forward to more.
There's always an 'atmosphere' on old, disused airfields, quite often rather creepy too.


----------



## T Bolt (Dec 29, 2017)

Very cool guys. I can't wait to see Eye


----------



## vikingBerserker (Dec 29, 2017)

Very cool!


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 29, 2017)

Gary has done a great job. Not much to add to Stop 3 Cheddington, other than a couple of photos. I took a real B-24 yoke, set of repro aircrew wings, original WW2 B-24 recognition model. These were photographed next to memorials and wherever possible, on an original runway or taxiway.


----------



## Crimea_River (Dec 29, 2017)

Very cool guys. I'd be interested in seeing maps or Google Earth images at each of your stops if that's not too much trouble.


----------



## Airframes (Dec 29, 2017)

Upottery, April 1944, and Cheddington, March 1944.


----------



## Gnomey (Dec 29, 2017)

Good shots guys!


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 30, 2017)

B24 Stop No.4. Harrington. USAAF Stn 179. It was opened in Sept 1943 and originally intended as a satellite station for RAF Desborough. Harrington is in Northamptonshire. 
With thanx to Wiki:
The airfield was built by 826th and 852nd Engineer Battalions of the US Army intended for heavy bomber use and was completed in the spring of 1944.

Harrington was assigned USAAF designation Station 179.

USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Harrington were:

328th Service Group
347th Service Squadron; HHS 328th Service Group

39th Service Group
352d and 364th Service Squadron; HHS 39th Service Group

18th Weather Squadron
35th Station Complement Squadron
Regular Army Station Units included:

Headquarters (844th Engineer Aviation Battalion)
844th Engineer Aviation Battalion
1077th Signal Company
1139th Military Police Company
1220th Quartermaster Company
2132nd Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
801st BG moved in from Alconbury in March 1944. 36th and 406th Bomber Squadrons had B24. Two others had B17s. The 801stBG was known as the carpet baggers, flying special operations resupplying agents in occupied Europe and resistance fighters.
The unit received at least one unit citation for their clandestine work. 
After the war the base had nuclear missiles well into the cold war. 
Not a huge amount is left. Unfortunately we could not gain access to the museum. The photos show the memorial, a couple of toilets and a piece of taxiway. You can just make out the museum in one photo.


----------



## Airframes (Dec 30, 2017)

Great !


----------



## Marcel (Dec 30, 2017)

Nice pictures, guys, Thanks!


----------



## Geedee (Dec 31, 2017)

Harrington is almost non-existent today as you'll see in the photo from googlemaps and then the one taken when it was active thanks to Wiki
We tried to make it around the old peri-track but the brush / trees and slippery conditions due to the fresh snow made it impossible this time so we where unable to get to where the main runways would have been (This is a summers day day walk from the Museum I reckon !).
We had a trek and a half in sub-zero temps and strong winds to just to find the toilet block !!!





















The wartime photo has the following text from Wiki :-
Aerial photograph of Harrington airfield looking north, the main runway runs vertically, 22 April 1944. Note the many aircraft of the 801st Bombardment Group on the various hardstands, also one appearing to be taking off on the main runway. Photograph by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7PH/GP/LOC313. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).

The Museum itself has its own website and looks to contain a lot of info so we will be doing a return trip when its open next year !
The History Of Harrington Airfield | Harrington Aviation Museum 

Unfortunately, we didn't realize there is a Memorial to the Site but you will see pictures of it in the Museum link


----------



## Airframes (Dec 31, 2017)

Great stuff Gary. There's always an element of sadness about an overgrown, former airfield, and the countless thousands of people who pass them each day, have no idea of what went on there, or when.


----------



## Rocketeer (Dec 31, 2017)

Certainly is Terry. 150 plus bombers were lost from one airfield in action. 1500 young men


----------



## Crimea_River (Dec 31, 2017)

Good stuff guys, and thanks for the aerials.


----------



## Gnomey (Dec 31, 2017)

Lovely shots guys!


----------



## Geedee (Jan 1, 2018)

B-24 Stop No 5 North Pickenham

RAF North Pickenham was built in the later part of the Second World War (1943/44) and was officially handed over to the USAAF, 492nd Bomb Group (BG), on May 22nd 1944, by way of an an RAF Officer during a ceremonial hand-over parade, formally becoming Station 143. This handover was the last of the USAAF takeovers of British Airfields (66 sites) resulting in eighty-two major operational units occupying 77 sites.

The first group 492nd carried out sixty-six missions in 89 days becoming know as 'The Hard Luck Group" and were then disbanded....actually they were wiped-out !.

During these operations, they would lose fifty-seven aircraft (including six non-operationally) which was the highest loss of any B-24 unit of the entire Eighth Air Force. With loses continuing to climb and talk of a jinxed group spreading, an order came though on August 5th 1944 for the 492nd to withdraw from combat missions and take over ‘_Carpetbagger_‘ operations previously being performed by the 801st at RAF Harrington.

492nd Bomb Group

It was then the turn of the 491st to take over Pickenham who became known as 'The Ringmasters'

Welcome

On one of their missions to bomb an oil refinery at Misburg on 26 November 1944, the group was attacked by large numbers of enemy fighters, losing over half its 'Planes, the remainder fought off the fighters, successfully bombed the target, and won for the group a Distinguished Unit Citation.

The USAAF finally left North Pickenham in August 1945 and the airfield became an RAF satellite for a Maintenance Unit at RAF Shipdham. North Pickenham was transferred to RAF Bomber Command in March 1948 and became inactive on 26 October. On 1 December 1958 the station was reopened as the home for the newly reformed 220 Sqn RAF equipped with the Thor nuclear missile and was deactivated in October 1963 and the missiles removed.

Now you all know about the Hawker Harrier, did you know that the prototype, the P1127 was tested here !

Now, the airfield is all but gone. The main runways are still there but you can't see much as they are almost entirely covered by huge building that make up a Turkey Farm for a certain food producer and there are a good few wind-turbines now on site. As a result access is a no-no but we did manage to park in a gateway and get a few pics looking down the one of the runways looking between the buildings.. Not far from the site is a beaut little Memorial.

Thanks to GoogleMaps and Wiki for the aerial photo's

Reactions: Like Like:
1 | Like List reactions


----------



## Wayne Little (Jan 1, 2018)

Great stuff Guys...!


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 1, 2018)

Not much for me to add to Garys post. Just a couple from North Pickenham. Will go to stop 6 tomorrow.


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 1, 2018)

B24 Stop 6 was Wendling. Station 118. It's NW of East Dereham in Norfolk as was the most northerly 8th AF base. Built in 1942 by Taylor Woodrow it was used by both the RAF and the USAAF. The airfield building program was the biggest construction programme ever conducted in Great Britain. After the war it was used as a relief landing ground until 1961 when it passed back to agriculture. Like many former USAAF bases, they had two list war routes. Wendling went down the Turkey farm route where the runways have remained as bases for vast turkey sheds, most if not all original buildings have gone. The other route is for most of the runway and taxiway surfaces to be ripped up for road hardcore but some buildings to remain (Like Rackheath - but more later!). Back to Wendling: 

Originally planned for use by RAF Bomber Command, in 1942 was assigned to the USAAF and became home to 392nd BG with B24s. The airfield had a NE/SW 6,000-foot (1,800 m) long main runway and two intersecting 4,200 feet (1,300 m) long secondary runways, all within a perimeter track.

Another twenty hardstands (loop type) were added to the thirty of the frying-pan type when the airfield was rescheduled as an 8th AF heavy bomber station. Two T2-type hangars were provided plus the usual full technical facilities, Mark II airfield lighting and dispersed accommodation for some 2,900 persons. The domestic sites were in the parish of Beeston to the west of the airfield and the bomb dump and ammunition stores were in Honeypot Wood to the south-east.

The 392nd BG arrived from New Mexico in July 1943. The tailcode was Circle-D. There were 4 bomb Squadrons; 576th, 577th, 578th and 579th. The BG was operational in Sept 43 flying missions all the way to April 45. 

392nd BG attacked such targets as an oil refinery at Geisenkirchen, a marshalling yard at Osnabruk, a railroad viaduct at Bielfield, steel plants at Brunswick, a tank factory at Kassel, and gas works at Berlin.

The group took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during 20 – 25 February 1944, being awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for bombing an aircraft and component parts factory at Gotha on 24 February. The unit sometimes supported ground forces or carried out interdictory operations along with bombing airfields and V-weapon sites in France prior to the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 and struck coastal defences and choke points on D-Day.

The group hit enemy positions to assist ground forces at Saint-Lo during the breakthrough in July 1944. Bombed railroads, bridges, and highways to cut off German supply lines during the Battle of the Bulge December 1944 – January 1945. Dropped supplies to Allied troops during the air attack Hollandin September 1944 and during the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945 - takes us back to Easy Company and the 506th Easy Company and Upottery!

The 392nd Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945, then carried food to the starving Dutch. The unit returned to the US to Charleston AFB South Carolina, in the north east of the USA on 25 June 1945 and was inactivated on 13 September 1945.

So what's at Wendling now, turkey sheds, but a wonderful memorial.

Reactions: Like Like:
1 | Like List reactions


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 1, 2018)




----------



## Gnomey (Jan 2, 2018)

Great stuff guys!


----------



## Wayne Little (Jan 3, 2018)

Sweet..!


----------



## Geedee (Jan 9, 2018)

Next up on a busy day was Shipdham.
RAF Shipdham was the first US heavy bomber base in Norfolk and hosted Liberators far longer than any other 8th AF airfield in the Britain - October 42 to late 4.5. It was constructed 1941-42 and was assigned USAAF designation Station 115.
The first Unit was the 319th Bombardment Group with 12th AF Marauders. They arrived in Sept 42 and moved from there to Horsham St Faith in Oct 42 !
319th Bomb Group Website 
When the Marauders shipped out, the Heavies arrived in the shape of the 44th Bombardment Group assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-A". It had 4 Squadrons: -

66th Bombardment Squadron (WQ)
67th Bombardment Squadron (NB)
68th Bombardment Squadron (QK)
506th Bombardment Squadron (GJ)
The 44th Had the nickname The Flying Eighth Ball Group.
44th Bomb Group - - World War II

The 44th was the first USAAF group equipped with the B-24 and in the USA it acted as a training unit for others scheduled to fly the Liberator. 
It had the highest Missing in Action loss(153 aircraft) of the 8th AF B-24 groups, but it claimed more enemy fighters(330) than any other 8th AF B-24 group and operated from England longer than any other B-24 group. 
It received 2 Distinguished Unit Citations, 1 for Kiel in May 43. In the summer 43 the 44th moved temporarily to North Africa and among its missions was the epic low-level attack at Ploesti on 1st August when the group commander, Colonel Leon W Johnson won the Medal of Honor and the unit was awarded its second Distinguished Unit Citation.

So, onto the photo's. There is a Memorial on the airfield and this is placed just outside th local flying club....yes the airfield is active but the runway is very much reduced in size !. When we arrived the place was closed but there were some decorators doing some internal work and they let us in and we had a quick chat.

There is next to no original infrastructure (buildings)


----------



## fubar57 (Jan 9, 2018)

Great stuff guys, loving it


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 9, 2018)

Good stuff Gary!


----------



## Airframes (Jan 9, 2018)

Brill !
Keep them coming, Garry and Tony.


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 10, 2018)

Great stuff.


----------



## Geedee (Jan 10, 2018)

Cheers guys.
Please remember that to get around all the sites in the time-frame, we couldn't do full justice at each stop. Some would require at least a full day to capture everything, even the sites with restricted access as a bit of pre contact with the relevant landowners would open up areas we couldn't get to. Having said that, we will be returning to a few later during the year and will cover the areas we missed off !


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 10, 2018)

Really enjoyed Shipdham. Again Gary has done a great write up. Just a few shots from me. The hangar had a rather nice replica Fokker triplane in it. The mural showed the formation of 8 ballers formatting on the multicoloured B24 assembly ship.


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 10, 2018)

Thanks for rounding out the visit Tony.


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 11, 2018)

B-24 Stop No.8 is Attlebridge. USAAF Station 120. 
Attlebridge airfield had runways of 1,220, 1,120 and 1,080 yards length but, when the base was earmarked for USAAF use, these were extended and the airfield was enlarged to meet The requirements. The main E-W runway was increased to 2,000 yards and the others to 1,400 yards each. The perimeter track was also extended and the number of hardstands was increased to fifty. In enlarging the airfield, several small, country roads were closed.

Attlebridge was an early wartime station used by RAF light bombers from No.88 Sqn Blenheims and Bostons RAF from August 41 to 1942. and was completed in August 1942.

In 1942 the airfield was assigned to the 319th BG and their Marauders. they moved to Algeria as part of the 12th AF.

The airfield then became home to some B24 training aircraft. Also 320 Sqn Dutch RAF with their B25 Mitchell's until Feb 1944. 

In march 1944, the 466th BG moved in from Topeka Army Air Field in Kansas with their B-24s coded Circle-L. 
The 466th BG was made up of 4 squadrons; 784th BS, 785th BS, 786th BS and 787th BS.

Operations started with the big one, a daylight raid on Berlin on 22 March 1944. Many strategic targets in France, Germany and the rest of Nazi occupied Europe were conducted. On DDay the BG attacked pillboxes on the Normandy cost. They then supported raids to break the resupply and communications lines. Raids in support of the Battle of The Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine were carried out.

The 466th flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.
So what's there now? Not much, Turkey sheds. But the runways are there too. The memorial is stunning.


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 11, 2018)




----------



## Airframes (Jan 12, 2018)

Great !


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 12, 2018)

Great stuff guys!


----------



## T Bolt (Jan 12, 2018)

Great guys! Keep them coming


----------



## Micdrow (Jan 15, 2018)

Great info and shots there. Keep it going


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 15, 2018)

Gary is having issues with his PC so you'll have to suffer me! B-24 Stop 9 was USAAF Station 123 Horsham St Faith. 
The airfield opened as an RAF Bomber Command base in June 1940. It was a pre-war airfield that had five C-type hangars. A variety of aircraft types served at the airfield; Blenheims, Spitfires from Duxford including the first ever RAF Spitfire squadron No.19. 

Boulton and Paul Defiant were based there in May 40. Several Blenheim bomber squadrons were based at Horsham St Faith.

When Battle of Britain ace Douglas Bader was shot down and became a POW, replacement legs were dropped by Horsham Blenheim bombers during a bombing raid.
In May 1942, the airfield was taken over by the USAAF. The first units to arrive were 319th BG with their B-26 Marauders then the 56th FG with their P-47 Thunderbolts. 
After airfield modifications, in Jan 1944 the 458th BG arrived from Tonopah AF in Nevada with their B-24s. The first op was 24 Feb. The last op was 25 April 1945. The BG flew 240 operations losing 47 aircraft. 
After the war, the airfield was used by many RAF units including Spitfires, meteors,canberras. It closed in 1963 and was developed into Norwich airport. There is a good museum on part of the old airfield, though it was closed when we visited. Apparently many buildings remain as well as several hangars. The airport has seen more airline use. 
There were not many opportunities to photo on our visit so we will have to go back!


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 15, 2018)

Ok part 1 of Rackheath. We will include photos from the visit and two of the best memorials you can get...the control tower in Pt 1 and the last Flying B-24 Witchcraft in Pt 2.
Rackheath USAAF Station 145. The airfield was built as a heavy bomber base starting in 1943. It featured the standard 3 runways (a main of 2,000 yards and two auxiliary runways of 1,400 yards) and with peritracks. Two hangars were erected for major aircraft maintenance, and dispersed temporary building accommodation provided for some 2.400 men in the woods. 

The airfield opened in March 1944 and the 467th BG arrived from Utah (Wendover AAF). The group tail code was a "Circle-P". The 467th consisted of four squadrons: the 788th BS, 789th BS, 790th BS and 791st BS.

On the 10th April 1944, the BG conducted its first operation agaisnt the airfield at Bourges in France. Other targets included Kiel harbour, Bonn chemical plants, Stuttgart textile factories, Hamm power plants, the Osnabruck steel works and the aircraft industry at Brunswick. The group, like other B24 BGs supported the DDay and Normandy invasion with bombing of shore defences and supply routes. This moved on to aiding the allied push through Europe and into Germany.

Notable aircraft based with the BG included Witchcraft. The only true flying B24 today with the Collings Foundation is painted up as Witchcraft.

So what is there now? The technical site is now the Rackheath Industrial Estate with several of the wartime buildings being modified or extended, and used for light industry. The access road to the estate is named Wendover Road to commemorate the 467th airbase in the US. One estate road is named after the base commander (Albert Shower), another after the Liberator and one after Witchcraft.

The control tower has been restored into a wonderful building for a software company. Gary and I were very lucky to be allowed inside and up onto its icy roof! The reuse of this historic building is brilliant. The view towards the steps should be compared to some of the other towers we visited. One of the original hangars is modified.

There is memorial. The main runway is mostly gone but you can see where it went. Two friendly motorcyclists chatted to us. When we spied the control tower, we ran across a beet field like excited school kids in the diminishing light!


----------



## Rocketeer (Jan 15, 2018)

Pt 2 Stop 10 Rackheath 
Jack Weyler was a pilot at Rackheath and flew many missions. I was lucky to video him inside the Collings Foundation B-24 painted as the famed Witchcraft in 2016.

_View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ4SqA_VB90_


_View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OKPz7rRZF7M_


_View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3PhbrTByduQ_

Reactions: Like Like:
1 | Like List reactions


----------



## Airframes (Jan 15, 2018)

Brilliant !
Rackheath was one of the first airfields I visited in Norfolk, back in 1968, so great to see the tower restored and in use, and good of the company to let you in.
Also good to know that The Green Man pub, on the main road opposite the airfield, is still trading..... er ..... not that I would know, of course !!


----------



## fubar57 (Jan 17, 2018)

Great stuff


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 17, 2018)

Excellent. great that you got up on the tower.


----------



## Wayne Little (Jan 18, 2018)

Sweet!


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 19, 2018)

Excellent stuff guys!


----------



## Geedee (Jan 29, 2018)

Hey chaps, apologies for the delay but I've been having major issues with my home PC and nearly lost my pics !
I won't add too many pics as Tony has done a great job and covered the location pretty well. The Tower is in spotless condition and kudos to the guys that are based there as they have without doubt, recognised the importance of what happened 75 + years ago and the fact that it was the base of the Rackheath Aggies and also 'Witchcraft. 
You more than likely know that I have a soft spot for a certain airworthy B-24 that is currently painted up to represent 'Witchcraft', so I make no apologies for adding a few pics of yours truly getting up close and personal (With thanks to my buddy 'Ven for the shot of me up thru the top hatch while looking out as FE !. The shot of me in the right seat was taken on a move flight when we had no passengers, just crew on board. 
When I get some more Ali in for upgrades on my '51, I'm going to have a go at making a copy of the weathervane


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 29, 2018)

Nice shots Gary!


----------



## Geedee (Jan 31, 2018)

Rackheath was the last stop of day two and a brilliant stop it was too 
Day three dawned bright and early...well, for us it did anyway...and we jumped in the car and headed of to the first stop of the day which was Metfield.
Metfield was built as a standard, Class-A bomber design airfield, with 3 runways, and 50 dispersal points. It was built for the 8th AAF and was known as known as Station 366 and it was known as one of the most isolated 8th AAF stations in Suffolk.
First on the scene was the 353rd Fighter Group with the mighty Jug and they moved in, in Aug '43 and where assigned to the 66th Fighter Wing. The Group consisted of the following Squadrons and the Group markings were black, yellow, black, yellow spinners, and a black and yellow check band around the cowling to the end of the exhaust stubs.

350th FS (LH)
351st FS (YJ)
352nd FS (SX)
Here's a link to the website 353rd FG...353rdFighterGroup 
In April '44 the 353rd moved to RAF Raydon and the 491st Bombardment Group (Ringmasters) started moving in in May '44
Welcome 
On 15 July 1944 at 7:30pm, the bomb dump at Metfield exploded.
One bomb mysteriously went-off causing a chain reaction and 1,200...yes twelve hundred !...tons of bombs 'cooked-off !. There were 5 personnel killed in the resultant blast that wrote of 5 '24's and very badly damaged a further 6. 
As you can see in the googlemaps pic, there is virtually nothing left of the base except some single track remnants. The memorial is set-back from the main road and I have put a red circle on the map to show where it is. We stopped just before the Memorial site and looked at an untouched Pill-Box on the airfield boundary. Tony made friends with a Robin here and left it some he-man food as it was cold and frosty. Tony will fill you in on the details .
The Memorial itself is very well designed with the airfield layout inscribed in the concrete at the base. 
On with the Pics.


----------



## Airframes (Jan 31, 2018)

Marvelous Gary.
Tony been chatting up birds then ?


----------



## Crimea_River (Jan 31, 2018)

He was tweeting.


----------



## Airframes (Feb 1, 2018)

Yer coat's over there ....................


----------



## Crimea_River (Feb 1, 2018)

...got it.....


----------



## Crimea_River (Feb 1, 2018)

...got it.....


----------



## Gnomey (Feb 2, 2018)

Lovely shots guys!


----------



## Wayne Little (Feb 3, 2018)

Excellent pics.


----------



## T Bolt (Feb 7, 2018)

Wonderful guys, keep them coming.


----------



## Geedee (Feb 7, 2018)

Cheers guys, next stop to follow tomorrow eve !


----------



## Geedee (Feb 8, 2018)

After a brief stop at Metfield...still trying to my head around 1200 tons of bombs going off at the same time !!!... we jumped back in Tone's jalopy and we sped off to the next stop at Halesworth. Remember , we're trying to get around nearly 8 + stops each day so time was absolutely of the essence and we could not afford to linger (much as we wanted to !) at all the stops.
So, about Halesworth...
Halesworth was built in 1942–1943 as a bomber station. It had a 6,000 ft. main runway and two additional runways of just over 4,000 ft length. It had initially, 51 hardstands and 2 T2 hangars. It was given the USAAF designation of Station 365.
First on the airfield where the P-47 Thunderbolts from the 56th Fighter Group and they arrived in July '43 and immediately got stuck into action. One of the top aces was non other than Francis Gabreski !
The 56th had 3 Squadrons...
61st Fighter Squadron
62nd fighter Squadron
63rd Fighter Squadron....Note how the Squadrons all seemed to run in 3's, even for the Bombers !
Then in April '44, the Fighters left as the 'Lib's where coming to the Station and the Fighters moved to Boxted
The 489th Bombardment Group moved in from Wendover AAF, Utah in May '44 and were assigned to the 20th Combat Bombardment Wing and the group tail code was a "Circle-W". Its operational squadrons were:
844th Bombardment Squadron
845th Bombardment Squadron
846th Bombardment Squadron
847th Bombardment Squadron
Of particular note is the following courtesy of Wiki...
In an attack against coastal defences near Wimereaux on 5 June 1944, the group's lead plane was seriously crippled by enemy fire, its pilot was killed, and the deputy group commander, Lt Col Leon R. Vance Jr., who was commanding the formation, was severely wounded; although his right foot was practically severed, Vance took control of the plane, led the group to a successful bombing of the target, and managed to fly the damaged aircraft to the coast of England, where he ordered the crew to bail out; believing a wounded man had been unable to jump, he ditched the plane in the English Channel and was rescued, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions !. If you've seen the video of a strengthened B-24 being ditched in a river on Youtube...you'll realise just how lucky he was ! 
_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjadMxpXprk&t=75s_
She broke her back !!!
So that's a brief history of Halesworth.
Unfortunately, due to the timings we were there...it was very early and very frosty and cold !...the Museum was closed and we did not have time to drive around and look for airfield remains, son its a case of a few pics of the Memorial and then back in the car and off to the next stop.

We will return to this station later this year !


----------



## Crimea_River (Feb 8, 2018)

Tick off another one. Interesting vid.


----------



## Gnomey (Feb 9, 2018)

Lovely stuff Gary!


----------



## Airframes (Feb 9, 2018)

Yet more good stuff from a fantastic tour - thanks G&T !


----------

