RAF Podington
Encyclopedia
- For the civil use of this facility after 1961, see Santa Pod RacewaySanta Pod RacewaySanta Pod Raceway, in Northamptonshire, England, opened at Easter in 1966, is Europe's first permanent drag racing venue. It was built on a disused World War II American air base, RAF Podington, once used by the 92nd Bomber Group. It is now the home of European drag racing and has grown...
RAF Podington is a former World War II United States Army Air Force (USAAF) base in England. It is located six miles south-east of Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
Overview
Podington airfield was originally built in 1940/41 to accommodate two RAF bomber squadrons.USAAF use
On 18 April 1942 it was made available to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) 8th Air Force.Podington was assigned USAAF Station Number 109.
28th Troop Carrier Squadron
The first USAAF unit to use Podington was the 28th Troop Carrier Squadron in June 1942, arriving from Westover Army Air Field, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The 20th was part of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, based at RAF Chelveston
RAF Chelveston
RAF Station Chelveston was a military airfield located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom....
.
The 28th TCS flew Douglas C-47
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s from the base until rejoining the 60th at RAF Aldermaston
RAF Aldermaston
RAF Aldermaston was a World War II airfield. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Eighth and Ninth Air Force as a troop carrier group base, and was assigned USAAF station No 467.-Origins:...
in August.
15th Bombardment Squadron (Light)
The 15th Bombardment Squadron15th Bombardment Squadron
The 15th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based at Nouvion Airfield, Algeria...
, arrived on 15 September 1942 from RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
, flying the British Boston III
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20/DB-7 Havoc was a family of American attack, light bomber and night fighter aircraft of World War II, that served with several Allied air forces, principally those of the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States. The DB-7 was also used by the air forces of Australia, South...
light bomber. The 15th was originally part of the 27th Bombardment Group (Light), based in the Philippine Islands
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, however the group's planes (A-24's), did not arrive by December 7, 1941. Due to the deteriorating situation in the Philippines after the Japanese attack, they were diverted to Australia where they reformed into a combat unit and fought in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
Campaigns.
From Molesworth, the squadron joined with six RAF crews from RAF Swanton Morley
RAF Swanton Morley
The former Royal Air Force Station Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force Station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley...
for a low-level attack on Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
airfields in the Netherlands on 4 July. At Podington, the 15th BS later acquired its own USAAF Douglas A-20 Havoc
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20/DB-7 Havoc was a family of American attack, light bomber and night fighter aircraft of World War II, that served with several Allied air forces, principally those of the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States. The DB-7 was also used by the air forces of Australia, South...
s
and flew a number of missions with RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
. In October the 15th was transferred to Twelfth Air Force for support of Allied landings in North Africa, being assigned to Ste-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
on 26 December 1942, Its crews were absorbed by the 47th Bombardment Group (Light), and the 15th was inactivated.
8th Bomber Command Combat Crew Replacement Unit
The VII BC CCRU moved almost immediately to Podington in August 1942. The unit remained until May 1943 processing personnel into the UK, then assigning them as replacements to various 8th AF groups in East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
301st Bombardment Group (Heavy)
From 15 August through 2 September 1942, Podington was briefly used by the 301st Bombardment Group, based at RAF ChelvestonRAF Chelveston
RAF Station Chelveston was a military airfield located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom....
as a satellite airfield for its B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
It was quickly found that Podington was inadequate to support the B-17s and required improvement to Class A airfield
Class A airfield
Class A airfields were military installations originally built for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. Several were transferred to the U.S...
standards. As a result the runways at Podington were lengthened to accommodate the heavy 4-engined bombers of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth 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....
. Topographical limitations, however, resulted in the NE-SW runway being only 1100 yards, giving Podington an exceptionally short secondary runway. Additional hardstands and taxiways were also constructed.
100th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
In early June 1943, the 100th Bombardment Group, Heavy arrived at Podington from Kearney AAFKearney, Nebraska
Kearney is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 at the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney....
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. However the group only stayed for less than a week (2–8 June) before moving on to RAF Thorpe Abbotts
RAF Thorpe Abbotts
RAF Thorpe Abbotts is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles E of Diss in Norfolk.-Overview:Thorpe Abbotts airfield was built during 1942 and early 1943 for the RAF as a satellite airfield for RAF Horham but the rapid buildup of the 8th Air Force resulted in both...
in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy)
Podington remained vacant until 23 September when the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) moved into Podington from RAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
to allow the 482nd Bomb Group to be formed there. The 92d was the oldest group in the 8th Air Force, having been the first USAAF bomber group to make the transatlantic crossing to the UK in July 1942.
The 92nd Bomb Group was known as "Fame's Favored Few", and it was assigned to the 40th Combat Wing, at RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh was a Royal Air Force station located five miles north of Bedford, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942, designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.-Origins:...
. The group tail code was a "Triangle B". Its operational squadrons were:
- 325th Bombardment Squadron (NV)
- 326th Bombardment Squadron326th Bombardment SquadronThe 326th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 4141st Strategic Wing, stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivated on 1 February 1963.-World War II:...
(JW) - 327th Bombardment Squadron327th Bombardment SquadronThe 327th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 4170th Strategic Wing, stationed at Larson Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 1 February 1963-World War II:...
(UX) - 407th Bombardment Squadron (PY)
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, a tire plant at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, airfields near Paris, an aircraft factory at Nantes, and a magnesium mine and reducing plant in Norway.
Although handicapped by weather conditions, enemy fire, and insufficient fighter protection, the 92nd bombed aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January 1944 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission.
The group part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during Big Week
Big Week
Between February 20–25, 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign, the United States Strategic Air Forces launched Operation Argument, a series of missions against the Third Reich that became known as Big Week. The planners intended to lure the Luftwaffe into a decisive battle by...
, 20-25 February 1944. After that, it attacked V-weapon sites in France; airfields in France, Germany, and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, and industrial targets in France, Germany, and Belgium, making concentrated strikes on oil and transportation facilities after October 1944.
In addition to strategic missions, the 92nd performed some interdictory and support operations. Assisted the Normandy invasion
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
in June 1944 by hitting gun emplacements, junctions, and marshalling yards in the beachhead area. Supported ground forces 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...
during the breakthrough in July 1944. Bombed gun positions and bridges to aid the airborne assault on the Netherlands in September 1944. Participated in 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 attacking bridges and marshaling yards in and near the battle area. Bombed airfields near the landing zone to cover the airborne assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in March 1945.
After V-E Day, the 92nd Bomb Group Moved to Istres
Istres
Istres is a commune in southern France, some 60 km northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture...
Air Base, France in June 1945 where the unit transported troops from Marseilles to Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
for return to the United States. The group was inactivated in France on 28 February 1946 where the personnel demobilized and B-17 aircraft sent to storage.
Medal of Honor
92d Bombardment Group Flight Officer John C. MorganJohn C. Morgan
John Cary "Red" Morgan was a United States Army Air Forces pilot in World War II who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 1943 bombing run over Germany, which also inspired a character of the novel and film Twelve O'Clock High.-Background:Born August 24, 1914, at Vernon, Texas, and...
, co-pilot, received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for action aboard a B-17 during a mission over Europe on 26 July 1943. His aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters, the pilot suffered a brain injury which left him in a crazed condition. For two hours Morgan flew in formation with one hand at the controls and the other holding off the struggling pilot who was attempting to fly the plane. Finally another crew member was able to relieve the situation and the B-17 made a safe landing at Podington.
Legacy
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the 92d was a major wing under various designations in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. The 92d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy was organized and activated on 17 November 1947 at Spokane (later Fairchild) AFB where it has been on active duty for almost 60 years. The wing deployed Boeing B-29 Stratofortress aircraft to Far East Air Forces during Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, where in 1950 it engaged in combat operations flying propeller-driven bomber aircraft against enemy MiG-15 jet fighter aircraft.
The 92d Bombardment Wing, Heavy was bestowed the honors and history of the USAAF 92d Bombardment Group in 1952. Returning from Korea, the wing was equipped with the Consolidated B-36 "Peacemaker" aircraft, later the Boeing B-52 "Stratofortresses", and stood nuclear alert during the Cold War years of the 1950s and early 1960s. The wing also supported SAC combat operations in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
from 1968-1973.
During the post Cold War era, the 92d Wing was a major B-52H bomber wing of the new Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
during 1992-94. Redesignated as the 92d Air Refueling Wing in 1994, the wing was assigned to Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
as a very large KC-135 tanker wing.
The 92d ARW is currently on active duty.
479th Antisubmarine Group
The ground echelon of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine CommandArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy U-boat threat.-Lineage:...
479th Antisubmarine Group
479th Antisubmarine Group
The 479th Antisubmarine Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at RAF Podington, England...
moved to Podington in November 1943 after its air echelon was inactivated at RAF Dunkeswell in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. From Podington the groups ground echelons of its headquarters and attached operational squadrons were reassigned to various Eighth Air Force units as replacements and the group being disbanded on 11 November.
Air Ministry use
The USAAF returned Podington to the RAF in July 1945 and the airfield was retained by the Air MinistryAir Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
for storage. As late as 1960, Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
personnel were assigned to Podington looking after the well-being of several million sandbags.
In 1961, a public inquiry was made by a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
with regards to the need by the MoD to maintain millions of World War II sandbags, and the outcome of the investigation was the sale of Podington to private interests later that year.
Civil use
With the end of military control, some demolition and concrete removal was performed in the early 1960s, however before all the airfield was ground into aggregate, a group of drag-racing enthusiasts approached the owners to use the main runway as a drag racing strip. In 1964 an agreement was reached for what became Santa Pod RacewaySanta Pod Raceway
Santa Pod Raceway, in Northamptonshire, England, opened at Easter in 1966, is Europe's first permanent drag racing venue. It was built on a disused World War II American air base, RAF Podington, once used by the 92nd Bomber Group. It is now the home of European drag racing and has grown...
, which opened during Easter weekend, 1966.
In 1972, the concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
was resurfaced with asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
and Santa Pod became a major European centre for drag racing.
Some of the buildings in the old Technical Site remain, though most have succumbed to vandalism or demolition. The two main T-2 hangars are gone - one was dismantled and the other lost in a fire. The old control tower is one of the few to have been converted into an unusual private house. Those buildings that remain are generally in use by local businesses though some are derelict. The old HQ and Operations Block in particular has seen recent use as a stables, and is not in the best of condition. The perimeter track remains in many places, though reduced in width, and the runways have long since gone (with the exception of the portion now in use as a drag racing track).
Podington may yet serve the nation once again - there is a proposal by Nuon Renewables to build 9 wind turbines (downgraded from the original proposal of 15) on the old airfield site. Though this is running into significant local opposition as is usually the case with proposed windfarms. The proposed Windfarm would generate electricity for 10,000 local homes.
RAF Podington unit emblems
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