Tour of RAF and USAAF WW2 BOMBER BASES

TUES. May 31

Meet at 19 Hale Gardens, Acton, London W3 (tube Ealing Common - District / Piccadilly lines) at 10 a.m. [Those making own way need to be at DUXFORD at midday – see below]

Drive to Duxford. Leave M11 at Junction 10. Drive past first entrance on left to Duxford Museum & Airfield - the Visitor Entrance - and on to the next entrance, the Staff Entrance (also on left). Meet LINDA MASON (Special Visits Officer 01223 499312) at gate at 12.00 p.m. for tour of AMERICAN (Norman Foster) MUSEUM. [see PETER WARD of Classic Wings – by Control Tower – upon arrival] Then -

12.30 Visit inside B17 Flying Fortress
13.15 LUNCH Runway RESTAURANT
14.30 Visit inside LANCASTER
15.15 Visit inside SUNDERLAND flying boat
16.00 Trip in De Haviland RAPIDE over Cambridge and Madingley (contact is: Peter Ward 07931 500591). Briefing before flight

BBT passengers boarding Duxford's de Haviland Rapide, June 05

DUXFORD IN WW2 Many RAF and USAAF units served during WW2 at Duxford (and its satellite Fowlmere) and it is notable for being the RAF’s first Spitfire station. But it is forever associated with Bader and the Duxford Wing. Flying Officer Douglas Bader was posted to No. 19 Squadron at Duxford, seven years after being discharged from the same airfield after the loss of both legs in a flying accident. In March ‘40 he transferred as a flight commander to No. 222 Sq. (Spits) and left with them in May before the Battle of Britain (No. 264 Sq. replaced them, equipped with vulnerable Defiants, replaced in turn in July - when the Defiant proved a failure - by Czech 310 Sq. flying Hurricanes). Bader, now Sq. Leader, returned end Aug. with the Hurricanes of 242 Sq. from Coltishall and immediate success led Air V-M Leigh-Mallory (comm. 12 Group) to authorise Bader to lead the other two Duxford squadrons as well (19 – now at Fowlmere - and 310) and eventually a total of five – 302 (Polish) and 611 were added in Sept. On Sept. 15 this ‘Big Wing’ claimed 42 victories for the loss of 6 planes. By the Battle’s end the Wing claimed an optimistic 152 enemy planes destroyed.

But Air V-M Keith Park, No. 11 Group commander in the thick of the fighting, criticised the Wing for being unwieldy – and late. After the Battle L-M and Bader won the PR war and Park and Dowding, C-in-C Fighter Comm., were all but airbrushed from the official history.

In April 1943 Duxford became USAAF Station 357, the home first of 350th Fighter Group and then 78th FG, equipped with P-47C Thunderbolts and (Dec. ’44) P-51D Mustangs with their trademark b/w chequered markings. The 78th flew 450 ops. in support of US 8th AF heavies.

Drive to Louth, Lincs for 2-night stay plus dinners at PRIORY HOTEL [01507 602930]

WED. June 1

The EAST KIRKBY Lanc as it taxis around the peri track, June 05

Drive to EAST KIRKBY (9.30 arrival – HAROLD PANTON 01790 763207) Bomber Command WW2 airfield for day's visit to museum (with briefing) including trip around perimeter track in WW2 vintage Avro Lancaster. Lunch included. East Kirkby was part of No. 5 Group from 1943-45 (630 and 57 Squadrons). 212 operations were flown from which 121 Lancasters failed to return.

Inside the EAST KIRKBY Lanc, June 05

10.00 – 11.15 Visit to Battle of Britain Flight (contact: Phil Tetlow) at RAF Coningsby (No. 5 Group in WW2). Only the Dakota will be missing; thus planes will include the only operational Lanc in Britain (1 in Canada), several marks of Spits / Hurricanes etc.

175 Bomber Command aircraft were lost in ops flown from here, 17 Manchesters, 57 Hampdens (both troublesome aircraft) and 101 Lancasters. The following squadrons all served – 83, 97, 106, 617, 619, 61. 617 (Dambusters) Squadron moved here from Scampton in August ’43 and stayed until Jan. ’44. They were involved in specialist ops. Their most notable op was the disastrous low-level raid on the Dortmund-Ems canal when 5 out of the 8 Lancs despatched were lost. 11.30 Private visit to Metheringham Bomber Command WW2 airfield and small museum (in the old ration store) by courtesy of Peter and Zena Scoley (01526 378270). Metheringham was home from 1943-46 to 106 Squadron (flying Lancasters) of No. 5 Group. They lost 65 Lancasters in ops.

12.45 LUNCH Royal Oak, Scopwick (Angela Robinson 0152 6320285) 14.15 3 mile drive to a private visit in the restored WW2 OPS ROOM at the only fighter station in No. 5 Group, RAF DIGBY – still an RAF fighter station.

Nicky Bird in the WW2 Ops Room at RAF DIGBY, Lincs.

DIGBY was host in WW2 to 30 or more RAF fighter squadrons (from Sept.1942 it was known as RCAF Digby - 13 Canadian squadrons were based here) and saw Hurricanes, Spitfires, Blenheims, Beaufighters etc. Bader was here in 1941 (222 Sq.), Guy Gibson (29 Sq.) before he transferred to Lancasters. RAF DIGBY is the oldest RAF station, dating from 1918. In June ’40, many of 46 Sq. and 263 Sq., based at Digby, were lost when the carrier HMS Glorious was sunk, an event featured in the museum. In Feb. ’44, 144 Wing was formed here (441, 442, 443 Squadrons) under the command of Wing Co. ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, the top RAF ace with 38 kills. Meet contact (Corporal Richard Casey 01526327422) in Guard Room [Main contact: Sgt. Yvonne Gray 01526327505].

17.30 Arrive Thorpe Abbotts (Norfolk/Suffolk border) WW2 USAAF base, home of the 'Bloody Hundredth' 100 Bombardment Group, 3rd Air Division, 8th USAAF (contact: Sam Hurry 01553766089; if delayed to ring museum 01379740708). Tower and museum opened specially for our group. Airfield is accessible and unspoilt. The 100 BG flew 306 missions and lost 229 aircraft. 860 officers and men were killed in action from Thorpe Abbotts. Although a high loss rate, it was comparable to that of other groups; but the 100th was known as a ‘Hard-Luck Group’ because high losses came in individual missions, reducing strength to critical levels.

Night and dinner at Cornwallis Hotel, Brome [01379 870326]. Memorial to the 490th BG nearby.

FRI. June 3

10.00 Visit by special arrangement to SEETHING tower, museum and airfield [Patricia Everson 01508 550787]. Home - from 1942 to ’45 - to the 8th USAAF 448 BG, 2nd Air Division (712, 713, 714, 715 Squadrons flying B24 Liberators). The 448 also suffered a high loss rate – 101 Liberators lost in 262 ops. On the evening of April 22, 1944, 5 Liberators were bounced by Me410s as they circled to land, returning from a raid over Germany.

11.00 Two light aircraft – a Cessna 172 and a Piper PA28 Archer – will take the group on a 20 min. tour of USAAF bases, from where naturally the layout of runways and buildings are best seen [contact: Alan Young of Waveney Flying Club 01508 550 222 – Home; 01508 550 453 - Club]. Flight time and thus time of museum visit is flexible and depends on vagaries of weather.

12.30 Lunch at The Mermaid, Hedenham (Jackie Sweeney 01508 482480).

Return to LONDON by 16.30 at the latest.
On the tour will be the following: NICKY BIRD, TONY BIRD, DODIE BUCHANAN, BRIAN ELVIN, HANNAH ELVIN, AYHAN DAWOOD, MIKE OREILLY, ERNIE FRANKLIN (until late 1/6), FRED CARR (until 2/6)

Nicky Bird, RUSI