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Royal Air Force Station Old Buckenham
USAAF Station 114

Located Near Old Buckenham, Norfolk, England

Aerial Photo of Old Buckenham Airfield - 30 March 1946
TypeMilitary airfield
Coordinates52°30′10.57″N, 001°03′39.32″E
Location codeOE
Built1942
In use1943-1960
Current
owner		Air Ministry
Controlled byUnited States Army Air Forces
GarrisonEighth Air Force
Occupants453rd Bombardment Group
Battles/warsEuropean Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
RAF Old Buckenham (Norfolk)
RAF Old Buckenham
RAF Old Buckenham, shown within Norfolk
Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 453d Bomb Group on a mission over enemy-occupied territory.
Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 453d Bomb Group on a mission over enemy-occupied territory. Old Buckenham is a village and Civil parish in Norfolk, England, approximately 29km (18 miles south-west of Norwich. Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC The European Theatre of Operations ( ETO) was an area of heavy fighting across Europe during World War II, from Nazi Germany's Invasion of Poland

RAF Old Buckenham is a former World War II airfield in England. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The field is located 2 miles SE of Attleborough in Norfolk, and is currently in civilian use as Old Buckenham Airport. Attleborough is a Market town and Civil parish in Norfolk, England situated between Norwich and Thetford. Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. Old Buckenham Airport, formerly RAF Old Buckenham, is located 12 Nautical miles (22

Contents

USAAF use

Old Buckenham airfield was built during 1942-43 for the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC It was given designation Station 114.

453rd Bombardment Group (Heavy)

The airfield was opened in late 1943 and was used by the 453d Bombardment Group (Heavy) , arriving from March AAF, California on 23 December 1943. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 453d was assigned to the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-J". Its operational squadrons were:

The group flew B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.

The 453d BG entered combat on 5 February 1944 with an attack against an airfield at Tours. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Tours is a city in France the Préfecture (capital city of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Throughout combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organization. Targets included a fuel depot at Dulmen, marshalling yards at Paderborn, aircraft assembly plants at Gotha, railway centres at Hamm, an ordnance depot at Glinde, oil refineries at Gelsenkirchen, chemical works at Leverkusen, an airfield at Neumunster, a canal at Minden, and a railway viaduct at Altenbeken. Dülmen is a municipality in the district Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Paderborn (paːdɐˈbɔʁn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. Gelsenkirchen (ˌgɛlzənˈkɪʁçən is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the eastern bank of the Rhine, half way between Cologne and Neumünster (nɔʏ̯ˈmʏnstɐ is one of four independent towns in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Minden-Lübbecke. Altenbeken (altənˈbeːkən is a municipality in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The group took part in the concentrated attack against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 February 1944. Between February 20 and February 25 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign, the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Besides strategic operations, the group engaged in support and interdictory missions. Bombed V-weapon sites, airfields, and gun batteries in France prior to the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; on 6 June hit shore installations between Le Havre and Cherbourg and other enemy positions farther inland. Vergeltungswaffe ( German for "retaliatory weapon" "reprisal weapon" or "vengeance weapon" was a term assigned during World War II by the Nazis This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Le Havre is a city in the northwest region of France situated on the right bank of the mouth of the Seine River as it outlets into the Bay of the Seine Attacked enemy troops in support of the Allied breakthrough at St Lo in July. Saint-Lô is a town and commune of France, the Préfecture (capital of the Manche département, in Bombed German communications during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945. The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains Ferried cargo on two occasions: hauled gasoline, blankets, and rations to France in September 1944; dropped ammunition, focal, and medical supplies near Wesel during the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Operation Varsity was a joint American&ndashBritish airborne operation that took place in March 1945 towards the end of World War II.

James "Jimmy" Stewart, the Hollywood movie star, was Group Operations Officer at Old Buckenham during the spring of 1944.

The 453d Bomb Group flew its last combat mission in April. Initially it was prepared for possible redeployment to the Pacific theatre using B-29 Superfortresses. The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO was the World War II military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it a geographic scope However hostilities in Europe had ceased before the group had time to start its movement. It returned to New Castle AAFld, Delaware on 9 May 1945 and was inactivated on 12 September 1945. Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar

Air Ministry use

In May 1945, Old Buckenham reverted to Air Ministry control and was used as a, satellite for maintenance units until being closed on 20 June 1960. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Civil use

With the end of military control Old Buckenham has largely been converted back to agriculture with much of the concrete areas being ground into aggregate and being sold in the Norwich area. History Roman The Romans had their regional capital at Venta Icenorum on the river to the south which is near modern-day Caistor St Edmund Today a single-bay perimeter track remains and one small section of full-width runway which is used by crop spraying aircraft in the 1970s and 80s and is now part of a 100 acre airfield site.

In May 1983, during the 2nd Air Division reunion, the 453rd Bomb Group dedicated an extension to the Village Hall at Old Buckenham as a memorial to the members of the Group who lost their lives serving in the UK. In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for Villages It functions much as a City hall does within cities Old Buckenham is a village and Civil parish in Norfolk, England, approximately 29km (18 miles south-west of Norwich. The room contains various wartime artefacts and memorabilia and a large bronze plaque listing those who are remembered.

Another memorial to the 453rd was dedicated during the reunion in 1990. It is of black granite in the shape of a B24 fin and is near Touchdown Aero Centre buildings.

See also


References

External links

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