Podington airfield was originally built as an
aerodrome for the
Air Ministry between
1940 and
1941, to accommodate two
bomber aircraft squadrons of the
Royal Air Force.
USAAF use On 18 April
1942, it was made available to the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)
Eighth Air Force (8th AF). Podington was assigned
USAAF Station Number 109.
28th Troop Carrier Squadron The first USAAF unit to use Podington was the 28th Troop Carrier Squadron (28th TCS) in June
1942, arriving from
Westover Army Air Field,
Massachusetts. The 20th was part of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, based at
RAF Chelveston. The 28th TCS flew
Douglas C-47 Skytrains from the base until rejoining the 60th at
RAF Aldermaston in August.
15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) The
15th Bombardment Squadron (15th BS), arrived on 15 September 1942 from
RAF Molesworth, flying the British
Boston III light bomber. The 15th was originally part of the 27th Bombardment Group (Light), based in the
Philippine Islands, however the
group's aircraft (A-24's), did not arrive by 7 December
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 and
New Guinea campaigns. From Molesworth, the squadron joined with six RAF crews from
RAF Swanton Morley in Norfolk for a low-level attack on
Luftwaffe airfields in the Netherlands on 4 July. At Podington, the 15th BS later acquired their own USAAF
Douglas A-20 Havocs, and flew a number of missions with
RAF Bomber Command. In October, was transferred to
Twelfth Air Force for support of Allied landings in North Africa, being assigned to
Ste-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield,
Algeria 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 Anglia.
301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) From 15 August through to 2 September 1942, Podington was briefly used by the 301st Bombardment Group, based at
RAF Chelveston as a satellite airfield for its
Boeing 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 standards. As a result, the runways at Podington were lengthened to accommodate the heavy four-engined bombers of the
Eighth Air Force (8th AF). Topographical limitations, however, resulted in the NE-SW
runway being only , giving Podington an exceptionally short secondary runway. Additional
dispersed hardstands and
taxiways were also constructed.
100th Bombardment Group (Heavy) In early June
1943, the
100th Bombardment Group, Heavy arrived at Podington from
Kearney AAF Nebraska. However the
group only stayed for less than a week (2–8 June) before moving on to
RAF Thorpe Abbotts in south
Norfolk, East Anglia.
92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) Podington remained vacant until 23 September, when the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) moved into Podington from
RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire, to allow the 482nd Bomb Group to be formed there. The 92nd was the oldest
group in the
Eighth Air Force, having been the first USAAF bomber group to make the
transatlantic flight 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. The group tail code was a 'Triangle B'. Its operational squadrons were: •
325th Bombardment Squadron (NV) •
326th Bombardment Squadron (JW) •
327th Bombardment Squadron (UX) •
407th Bombardment Squadron (PY) Germany on 4 November
1944 attacking the Harburg oil complex. It was written off after it landed safely.|alt= From Podington, the group flew almost 300 operational missions over Nazi-Occupied Europe. Missions were flown to
Wilhelmshaven, a tyre plant at
Hanover, 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 took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during
Big Week, 20–25 February 1944. After that, it attacked
V-weapon sites in France; airfields in France, Germany, and the
Low Countries, 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, assisting the
Normandy invasion in June 1944 by hitting gun emplacements, junctions, and marshalling yards in the beachhead area, supporting ground forces at
Saint-Lô during the breakthrough in July 1944, bombing gun positions and bridges to aid the
airborne assault on the Netherlands in September 1944, participating in the
Battle of the Bulge, from December 1944 to January
1945, by attacking bridges and marshalling yards in and near the battle area and bombing airfields near the landing zone to cover the
airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. After
V-E Day, the 92nd Bomb Group Moved to
Istres Air Base, France, in June 1945, where the unit transported troops from
Marseille to
Casablanca for return to the United States of America. The group was inactivated in France on 28 February
1946, where the personnel demobilised and its B-17 aircraft were sent to storage.
Medal of Honor 92d Bombardment Group Flight Officer
John C. Morgan, co-pilot, received the
Medal of Honor 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.
479th Antisubmarine Group The ground echelon of the
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command 479th Antisubmarine Group moved to Podington in November 1943, after its air echelon was inactivated at
RAF Dunkeswell in
Devon. 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.
RAF Podington unit emblems Air Ministry use The
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) returned Podington to the
Royal Air Force in July
1945, and the airfield was retained by the
Air Ministry for storage. As late as 1960,
Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel were assigned to Podington looking after several million
sandbags. In 1961, a
public inquiry was made by a
Member of Parliament (MP) with regards to the need by the MoD to maintain millions of Second World War sandbags, and the outcome of the investigation was the sale of Podington to private interests later that year. Light aircraft and glider flying continued from Podington airfield until the late 1960s. ==Main units==