Aircraft repair during WW2

Ascent · Feb 19, 2018

billrunnels said:
I was with the 303rdBG at Molesworth.

That's about a half hour drive, the other side of Huntingdon. I've seen signs for RAF Molesworth but never seen the camp. No longer a flying base but still used by the USAF for a few more years.

pbehn · Feb 19, 2018

nuuumannn said:
Pbehn, did you ever race up in Scotland at all?

I went for a weekend with my sister, her husband and some friends to the Chas Mortimer racing school at Knockhill. We walked the circuit and it was not only wet but had moss and sheep sh!t off the racing line. In the school there was an hours talk, then you followed Chas Mortimer for 10 laps to learn the lines, then had ten laps free when Chas and another pro rider made notes on your riding. The riding order was by bike number and I was first, as soon as Chas waved everyone past I picked up the pace a bit, half way around after the chicane (going clockwise) some guy passed me as I started braking for "Clarkes" a late apex right hander. He was still hard on the gas, when he did start braking he shot off the track like a missile still nowhere near the corner. The de brief with Chas Mortimer would have made great T.V. The numpty who crashed was called all the names under the sun, including "idiot" many times, he had his fee refunded and told never to contact him or any other race school.

Chas won the Isle of Man 8 times, on the Isle of Man one mistake can kill, I must say I never saw anyone miss judge a corner so badly, it was as if he thought he was riding on a different track. BTW at the time Knockhill could be used in both directions, we went clockwise first day and anti clockwise the next.

billrunnels · Feb 19, 2018

Ascent said:
That's about a half hour drive, the other side of Huntingdon. I've seen signs for RAF Molesworth but never seen the camp. No longer a flying base but still used by the USAF for a few more years.

I am surprised to hear the USAF is still there. I visited Bedford a number of times. They had a YMCA with cheap overnight rates and an indoor swimming pool. There was a plaque in the lobby "Glenn Miller slept here". Sure enjoyed the swimming pool.

Airframes · Feb 19, 2018

Molesworth became a ground-launched cruise missile base, with the runways and most of the WW2 infrastructure removed. The missiles and facilities were withdrawn in the 1990s, following the then latest Strategic Arms Limitations.
The site is currently the Joint Analysis Center (JAC) with the RAF and USAF, but in 2015 it was announced that the USAF would be withdrawing from both here, and Alconbury, and the facility is to be moved to a location in Northamptonshire.
I last passed the site in the early or mid 1990s, when some of the original accommodation buildings were being used, I think, to house refugees and other immigrants, but as far as I know, these buildings have since been demolished.

billrunnels · Feb 19, 2018

Airframes said:
Molesworth became a ground-launched cruise missile base, with the runways and most of the WW2 infrastructure removed. The missiles and facilities were withdrawn in the 1990s, following the then latest Strategic Arms Limitations.
The site is currently the Joint Analysis Center (JAC) with the RAF and USAF, but in 2015 it was announced that the USAF would be withdrawing from both here, and Alconbury, and the facility is to be moved to a location in Northamptonshire.
I last passed the site in the early or mid 1990s, when some of the original accommodation buildings were being used, I think, to house refugees and other immigrants, but as far as I know, these buildings have since been demolished.

Thank you for the update. At one time I would receive a Christmas card and note every year from a staff member of the JAC. That activity was discontinued several years ago.

nuuumannn · Feb 21, 2018

Cheers pbehn. I was wondering if you ever got to East Fortune, east of Edinburgh? The runways of the old airfield were made into a racing track.

pbehn · Feb 21, 2018

nuuumannn said:
Cheers pbehn. I was wondering if you ever got to East Fortune, east of Edinburgh? The runways of the old airfield were made into a racing track.

I thought about it but never did, it is further to travel from my home than Donnington is, part of a "good" race is the track and the other is who you race against. All the best Scots riders came to Croft, Ouston Carnaby and Elvington anyway. I still remember a very young Niall Mackenzie passing me in practice at RAF Ouston, he was class from the start, thankfully he was in a different race category to me so I enjoyed watching him thrashing my friend in three races.

Graeme · Feb 23, 2018

MIflyer · Feb 23, 2018

That looks like Gen Eaker in front of that B-17.

billrunnels · Feb 23, 2018

MIflyer said:
That looks like Gen Eaker in front of that B-17.

That it does

MIflyer · Feb 23, 2018

Yes, who else would be dressed that well under those circumstances? He was one that could be pretty well assured he would not have to mud wrestle with the grease monkeys.

That shot leads me to recall some I read in the book Combat Crew. The crew described in that book was flying a B-17E. It lacked the Tokyo Tanks the later models had and thus they often had concerns about running out of fuel. For one mission in particular on the return from the mission over the Continent the leader did not seem to be concerned over the fuel state of some of his aircraft. When they crossed the British coast the pilot said he knew of a RAF fighter strip that was not far away and broke off to head there. About six other aircraft broke out of the formation and followed them, obviously assuming that he knew of an airport. They all made it down Okay. I guess that the challenge of getting out of a short strip was secondary to landing on a runway and not a pasture. They could always strip the B-17 of guns and have most of the crew take the train back to base.

billrunnels · Feb 23, 2018

MIflyer said:
Yes, who else would be dressed that well under those circumstances? He was one that could be pretty well assured he would not have to mud wrestle with the grease monkeys.

That shot leads me to recall some I read in the book Combat Crew. The crew described in that book was flying a B-17E. It lacked the Tokyo Tanks the later models had and thus they often had concerns about running out of fuel. For one mission in particular on the return from the mission over the Continent the leader did not seem to be concerned over the fuel state of some of his aircraft. When they crossed the British coast the pilot said he knew of a RAF fighter strip that was not far away and broke off to head there. About six other aircraft broke out of the formation and followed them, obviously assuming that he knew of an airport. They all made it down Okay. I guess that the challenge of getting out of a short strip was secondary to landing on a runway and not a pasture. They could always strip the B-17 of guns and have most of the crew take the train back to base.

Fuel consumption , even with the Tokyo Tanks, was always a concern. When returning from one of my missions #3 engine quit on final.

ClayO · Mar 1, 2018

billrunnels said:
Fuel consumption , even with the Tokyo Tanks, was always a concern. When returning from one of my missions #3 engine quit on final.

My dad was a B-24 mechanic, 15th AF, 449th BG (H). He told a few stories, some about repairing engines outside in the rain, with a tarp over the engine, him standing on a ladder that was embedded in mud; some about how common it was for an engine to quit in flight; some about the horrendous damage airplanes would return with; and some about watching airplanes crash on takeoff or landing, he and the other guys going out to pick up the pieces of the aircraft and of the crew. I think any book about ground crews should also talk about the psychological toll the war took on them, too. Obviously a lot different than getting shot at, but still a lot to handle at a young age.

Aircraft repair during WW2

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