RAF Deenethorpe
Encyclopedia
RAF Deenethorpe is a former World War II
airfield in Northamptonshire
, England, about two miles east of Corby
.
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 128.
, Montana
, in November. The 401st was assigned to the 94th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle-S.
The 401st Bomb Group consisted of the following operational squadrons flying B-17s :
The 401st BG operated chiefly against strategic targets, bombing industries, submarine facilities, shipyards, missile sites, marshalling yards, and airfields; beginning in October 1944, concentrated on oil reserves. The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for striking telling blows against German aircraft production on 11 January and 20 February 1944.
In addition to strategic missions, group operations included attacks on transportation, airfields, and fortifications prior to the Normandy invasion and on D-Day
, June 1944; support for ground operations during the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
in July, the siege of Brest
in August, and the airborne attack on Holland
in September 1944.
The Group flew missions against enemy forces during the Battle of the Bulge
, December 1944 - January 1945, by assaulting transportation targets and communications centers in the battle area; and support for the airborne attack across the Rhine in March 1945.
The worst accident occurred in December 1943 when a Fortress which failed to get off the ground careered over farmland and came to rest after crashing into a cottage on the edge of Deenethorpe village. The surviving members of the crew just had time to evacuate the wreckage and warn the villagers of the imminent explosion of the bomb load before it detonated damaging many houses in the village. The blast was felt in Kettering nine miles away.
After V-E Day, the group departed from Deenethorpe in August 1945 and returned to Sioux Falls AAF where the unit was deactivated, personnel demobilized and B-17 aircraft sent to storage.
The 401st Bombardment Group had flown 255 combat missions from Deenethorpe airfield.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England, about two miles east of Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
.
USAAF use
Deenethorpe was constructed in 1943 and was allocated to the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air ForceEighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 128.
401st Bombardment Group (Heavy)
With the opening of the airfield in October 1943, the 401st Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrived from Great Falls AABGreat Falls
Great Falls may refer to:CommunitiesIn the United States:* Great Falls, Montana* Great Falls, South Carolina* Great Falls, Virginia** Great Falls Park* Great Falls, New Hampshire, previous name of Somersworth, New HampshireWaterfalls...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, in November. The 401st was assigned to the 94th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle-S.
The 401st Bomb Group consisted of the following operational squadrons flying B-17s :
- 612th Bombardment Squadron (SC)
- 613th Bombardment Squadron (IN)
- 614th Bombardment Squadron (IW)
- 615th Bombardment Squadron (IY)
The 401st BG operated chiefly against strategic targets, bombing industries, submarine facilities, shipyards, missile sites, marshalling yards, and airfields; beginning in October 1944, concentrated on oil reserves. The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for striking telling blows against German aircraft production on 11 January and 20 February 1944.
In addition to strategic missions, group operations included attacks on transportation, airfields, and fortifications prior to the Normandy invasion and on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, June 1944; support for ground operations during the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
in July, the siege of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
in August, and the airborne attack on Holland
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
in September 1944.
The Group flew missions against enemy forces during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944 - January 1945, by assaulting transportation targets and communications centers in the battle area; and support for the airborne attack across the Rhine in March 1945.
The worst accident occurred in December 1943 when a Fortress which failed to get off the ground careered over farmland and came to rest after crashing into a cottage on the edge of Deenethorpe village. The surviving members of the crew just had time to evacuate the wreckage and warn the villagers of the imminent explosion of the bomb load before it detonated damaging many houses in the village. The blast was felt in Kettering nine miles away.
After V-E Day, the group departed from Deenethorpe in August 1945 and returned to Sioux Falls AAF where the unit was deactivated, personnel demobilized and B-17 aircraft sent to storage.
The 401st Bombardment Group had flown 255 combat missions from Deenethorpe airfield.