Royal Air Force Glatton or more simply RAF Glatton 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) an ...

station located north of

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

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

United States Army Air Forces use

When completed in late 1943, the facility was placed under the jurisdiction of the Eighth Air Force,

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 ...

. Glatton was assigned USAAF designation Station 130. USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Glatton were: * 468th Sub-Depot * 18th Weather Squadron * 88th Station Complement Squadron * 1061st Military Police Company * 1212th Quartermaster Company * 1790th Ordnance Supply & Maintenance Company * 860th Chemical Company * 2100th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon

457th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

The airfield was first used by the 457th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Wendover AAF, Utah on 21 January 1944. The 457th was assigned to the 94th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle U. The 457th Bomb Group consisted of the following operational squadrons flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses : * 748th Bombardment Squadron (Red propeller hubs) * 749th Bombardment Squadron (Blue propeller hubs) * 750th Bombardment Squadron (White propeller hubs) *

751st Bombardment Squadron The 751st Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. The squadron (aviation), squadron was first activated in July 1943. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it ...

(Yellow propeller hubs) The 457th Bomb Group flew its first combat mission on 21 February 1944 during Big Week, taking part in the concentrated attacks of heavy bombers on the German aircraft industry. Until June 1944, the Group engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets, such as ball-bearing plants, aircraft factories, and oil refineries in Germany and Occupied Europe. The Group bombed targets in Occupied France during the first week of June 1944 in preparation for the Normandy invasion, and attacked coastal defenses along the

Cherbourg peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

on D-Day in support of airborne forces who had landed on the peninsula. It struck airfields, railroads, fuel depots, and other interdictory targets behind the invasion beaches throughout the remainder of the month. Beginning in July 1944, the 457th resumed bombardment of strategic objectives and engaged chiefly in such operations until April 1945. Sometimes flew support and interdictory missions, aiding the advance of ground forces during the

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; br, Sant Lo) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy.

breakthrough in July 1944 and the landing of British 1st Airborne Division at

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

during the airborne attack on the Netherlands in September 1944; and participating in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, December 1944 - January 1945, and the assault across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

in March 1945. The Group flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. The unit had carried out 237 missions. Total number of sorties was 7,086 with nearly 17,000 tons of bombs and 142 tons of leaflets being dropped. After

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

, the 457th transported prisoners of war from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

to France, and returned to Sioux Falls AAF,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

during June 1945 and was inactivated on 18 August 1945.

RAF Bomber Command use

After the war, RAF Glatton was used by the RAF's No. 3 Group under the control of RAF Bomber Command using Avro Lancasters and

Consolidated 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 de ...

s flying to the Middle East. It was closed and sold in 1948.

Current use

With the end of military control, Glatton airfield was largely returned to agriculture. However, parts of two runways have been retained and Glatton now operates as Peterborough Business Airport. All Saints Church Conington churchyard contains a memorial to the men of the 457th Bomb Group who lost their lives on missions that flew from Glatton.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle * Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. *

External links

RAF Glatton Control Tower

The 457th Bomb Group Association Website

457th Bomb Group Association (older version)

Diary Of A B-17 Ball Turret Gunner

Mighty 8th Cross-Reference (Fred Preller): RAF Glatton

* ttp://cambridgemilitaryhistory.com/tag/raf-glatton/ RAF Glatton page on the Cambridge Military History Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Glatton Airfields of the VIII Bomber Command in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force stations in Huntingdonshire Royal Air Force stations in Cambridgeshire Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom