Geedee and Rocketeer's 8th Army Air Force Tailwheel Tour 2012

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Snetterton Heath was awesome and fantastic! Loved it. First batch airfield. A Learning centre has been set up in the name of the 96th BG
 

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The memorial at Snetterton Heath was little short of awesome....the photos can speak for themselves
 

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I love it Aaron.....and took far too many pix.....I can see it as a true memorial.....it shows a B17 going heaven bound with its brave crew.....
 

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The final place we visited on the Saturday was the Memorial to 388th Bomb Group, 6 miles SE of Thetford at Knettishall. This now all agricutltural land but the Memorial itself is a very large granite memorial and is set up at the old entrance to the airfield. I'm sure we were being watched by the old gate guard ghosts !

388th BG Assn
Index
Home of the 388th Bombardment Group

We did go walkabout behind the Memorial in and around the tree's but apart from the very broken remains of what may have been a building in the undergrowth, we didn't see much else. Parking is very limited at this site as the Memorial is right by the main road at a cross roads...having said that, the traffic was very light indeed. We had progammed this site in for the Sunday but more on that later and we were losing the light as it was getting on to evening time. Still, it was a very grand Memorial and the lighting seemed to just add to the setting.
 

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As Gary says, Knettishall memorial is amazing, it sits on the old access road (which you can see in the pictures). Out came the B17 tailwheel....naturally!

The B17 tailwheel is dated 1943 and after use flying on B17s stateside, it was fitted to ground equipment. It is lovely to have brought it to the UK, where many of its 'brothers' cast from the same moulds took off from hallowed ground to end their lives in a field in occuppied Europe or Germany
 

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Last edited:
More excellent stuff guys, thanks for posting.
Have you thought of putting all this into booklet form, together with short descriptions, unit backgrounds, and probably airfiled plans? It's the sort of thing the Regional Council's heritage people could well be interested in. (No doubt you've seen the similar booklet from Newark Air Museum, as an example.)
Just a thought ....
 
We would love to do that Terry and would welcome easy ways of doing it! I could do a Mac Book (likely) and then post a link so people could get a copy if they wished....
 
I'm starting to feel like I've been to all these sites after all... The memorial at Knettishall is beautifully done, one I have particularly wanted to visit as I have photos of it in many of my books. Great job guys.
 
Tony, put a brief example portfolio together, text and pics, and contact the PR Officer for the Regional Councils of Suffolk and Norfolk (might just be one, for East Anglia?), probably from the Tourism or Heritage departments. I'd suggest that you suggest that you provide the copy, in 'finished' format, and they take it on and print and publish, if they have an interest.
Some of these things I've seen in othe regions are laudible, but obviously written by a well-meaning individual with little knowledge of the subject.
 
Sunday started with us rising from our favourite Country pub/inn with a full english breakfast. Sunday we decided would be our 'day of rest' - we were tired from the previous two days, so thought an airshow and a couple of 8thAF bases would be sufficient!

We then set off to the 8th AF base that started the whole thing off! Bassingbourn was the home of the Memphis Belle. When I acquired my B17 tail wheel from Robert in Arizona, I told him that I would take it to one of the 'spiritual homes' of the B17. Bassingbourn started as an RAF base, then was used by the 8th AF before going back to the RAF and now is an Army base. There is a nice display in the tower and a super memorial. It was home to P51s for a while too. As it is an active base, entry is sporadic but open days are held in the warmer months. We started with the Memorial then moved to the tower. It was amazing standing at the very window where the top brass stared out of....anxiously awaiting the Belle's return.
As ever, Gary is the 'links' king so will fill in the history.
 

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Good stuff again. I have a friend who was stationed at Bassingbourn for a year, ( in the Army)about four or five years back, and he didin't even know the tower museum existed !!
 
Bassingbourn, a name synonymous with the B-17, has an impressive memorial and also a tower museum. Please note that as Tony has already alluded to, it is on active military base and the opening times are strictly adhered to.

It was the home of both the 91st Bomb Group and also the 94th Bomb Group

Welcome to the 91st Bomb Group!
91st Bomb Group
RAF Bassingbourn airfield - 91st Bomb Group in WW2

94th Bomb Group
Plane Names Painted Noses - 94BG

The memorial is almost immediately on the left of the camp entrance and consists of a prop asembly from a Fort. It is quite an imposing memorial but is set back (just) from the road and holds both your attention and respect. The Tower museum itself has an entry fee and apart from a section based solely on the Memphis Belle has a good number of additional exhibits. The tower does not follow the normal 8th AAF Tower design but you can find further details on one of the links above.

The highlight of the tower for me , was the internal door on the entrance floor that has been signed by 'Vets and finally the sole brass plaque on the wall of the front of the Tower, honoring a crew man who 'came home'
 

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