Royal Air Force Rackheath or more simply RAF Rackheath is a former
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
station located near the village of
Rackheath
Rackheath is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, and is roughly north-east of Norwich city centre. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,551 in 625 households at the 2001 census, increasing to a population of ...
, approximately north-east of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
History
![467bg-b241](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/467bg-b241.jpg)
Airfield construction began in 1943 for the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
and followed the lines of other heavy bomber bases with a main runway of and two auxiliary runways of each. The perimeter track was in length and this and the runways had a concrete screed finish. Mark II airfield lighting was installed, two T-2 hangars were erected for major aircraft maintenance, and dispersed temporary building accommodation provided for some 2400 men in the wooded countryside of the estate to the south-west of the airfield. During construction, of soil were excavated, of soakaway drains installed and of concrete laid. A major overhead power line had to be put underground to clear the flying approaches.
USAAF use
The airfield was laid out on agricultural land between the two settlements of Rackheath Parva and Rackheath Magna.
The airfield was given USAAF designation Station 145.
467th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The airfield was opened on 11 March 1944 and was used by the
467th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from
Wendover AAF Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. The 467th was assigned to the
96th Combat Bombardment Wing
The 96th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
As the 96th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the pri ...
, and the group tail code was a "Circle-P". Its operational squadrons were:
*
788th Bombardment Squadron
The 788th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. During World War II, as the 788th Bombardment Squadron, it was assigned to the 467th Bombardment Group as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator squadron in 1943. After t ...
(X7)
*
789th Bombardment Squadron (6A)
*
790th Bombardment Squadron (Q2)
*
791st Bombardment Squadron (4Z)
The group flew the
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.
The 467th began operations on 10 April 1944 with an attack by thirty aircraft on an airfield at
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
in central France.
![467bg-b242](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/467bg-b242.jpg)
In combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking the German navy harbor at
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...
, chemical plants at
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
, textile factories at
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, power plants at
Hamm
Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
, steel works at
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
, the aircraft industry at
Brunswick, and other objectives.
In addition to strategic operations, it was engaged occasionally in support and interdiction missions. It bombed shore installations and bridges near
Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
on
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
, 6 June 1944. It struck enemy troop and supply concentrations near
Montreuil on 25 July 1944 to assist the
Allied drive across France.
In September, over two weeks the bombers flew
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
from Rackheath to a forward base at
Clastres
Clastres () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Aisne department
The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne.
The com ...
in France for use by the US mechanized forces. Attacked German communications and fortifications during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
, December 1944-January 1945. To assist the
Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945 it attacked enemy transportation.
The group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945 and then returned to the US to
Sioux Falls AAF South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
during June and July 1945. Subsequently the 467th was redesignated as the 467th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) with
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
es in preparation for
the planned invasion of Japan. The 467th was inactivated on 4 August 1946.
The airfield was returned to the Royal Air Force and a number of units were posted here:
*
No. 94 Maintenance Unit RAF
*
No. 231 Maintenance Unit RAF
Current use
![Rackheath control tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Rackheath_control_tower.jpg)
With the end of the war, the airfield was closed permanently in late 1945 and the airfield site was returned to farming use. Very little of the runways, perimeter track, or hardstands now remain. Most of the concrete has been broken up for aggregate.
The technical site has become the Rackheath Industrial Estate with several of the wartime buildings being modified or extended, and used for light industry. The major access road on the estate was named Wendover Road to commemorate the airbase in the US where the 467th Bomb Group was formed. Other roads carry related names, including one after Albert Shower the base commander, "Witchcraft Way" after an individual aircraft of the group, and "Liberator Close".
The control tower still exists has been converted to use as an administrative building. The T-2 hangar nearby is virtually beyond recognition as compared to how it looked in 1943. Brickwork has been added to the front and the whole building has been repainted cream and green. Inside the building the roof girders appear to be original and identical to those seen on photographs taken in 1944. The other hangar, on the eastern side of the airfield, was dismantled many years ago.
A memorial to the 467th Bomb Group consisting of a plaque and a bench was dedicated in 1983, and is situated near the Rackheath village sign on the
Salhouse
Salhouse is a village and civil parish in the Broads in the English county of Norfolk. It lies south of the River Bure and Salhouse Broad, about north-east of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population o ...
Road, adjacent to the Holy Trinity Church.
October, 2022. Rackheath Pathfinders - Site 6 (467th) USAAF
File:Pathfinders 4 July 2020.jpg
Site 6 was a small part of the airbase comprising, amongst others, Commanding Officer's (and his deputy's) quarters. Officers' club, shower blocks, dining rooms, cinema, kitchen areas and several blast shelters. The site is bisected by Newman Road.
In March 2020 a volunteer group (The Pathfinders) was formed to help manage and “re-claim” the site.
A Facebook Group has been formed to enable people to follow the volunteers progress.
See also
*
List of former Royal Air Force stations
This list of former RAF stations includes most of the stations, airfields and administrative headquarters previously used by the Royal Air Force.
The stations are listed under any former county or country name which was appropriate for the du ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Freeman, Roger A. (1991) ''The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record''. Cassell & Co.
*
Rackheath www.controltowers.co.uk
Rackheathat http://mighty8thaf.preller.us
External links
Rackheath photo gallery467th Bomb Group website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rackheath
Airfields of the VIII Bomber Command in the United Kingdom
Royal Air Force stations in Norfolk