RAF Glatton

Royal Air Force Station Glatton USAAF Station 130
Located Near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England
Aerial Photo of Glatton Airfield - 16 October 1945
Type	Military airfield
Coordinates	52°27′58.23″N 000°15′07.27″W
Location code	GT
Built	1943
In use	1943-1948
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force
Garrison	Eighth Air Force RAF Bomber Command
Occupants	457th Bombardment Group No. 3 Group
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 RAF Glatton, shown within Cambridgeshire

RAF Glatton Control Tower, 31 March 1945

B-17s of the 457th Bomb Group attacking a target. Aircraft in forgeround is Boeing B-17G-40-BO Fortress Serial 42-97075 "Flak Dodger" of the 750th Bomb Squadron. This plane survived the war and returned to the USA in June 1945.

Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-25-DL Fortress Serial 42-38056 "Queen Bea" of the 751st Bomb Squadron. Queen Bea was returning from a mission to Rouen, France on June 22nd, 1944 and was badly shot up from flak with no hydraulic system. After landing, the plane swerved out of control and collided with another aircraft on landing.

RAF Glatton is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 10 miles N of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.

USAAF use

Glatton was constructed in 1943 and was assigned to the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force as a heavy bomber airfield. Its layout was unique in that the three runways surrounded Rose Court Farm which continued to operate in the centre of the airfield. Glatton was assigned USAAF designation Station 130.

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 B-17s :

• 748th Bombardment Squadron
• 749th Bombardment Squadron
• 750th Bombardment Squadron
• 751st Bombardment Squadron

The 457th Bomb Group flew its first 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.

The Group bombed targets in France during the first week of June 1944 in preparation for the Normandy invasion, and attacked coastal defenses along the Cherbourg peninsula on D-Day. 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 breakthrough in July 1944 and the landing of British 1st Airborne Division during the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944; and participating in the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, and the assault across the Rhine 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, the 457th transported prisoners of war from Austria to France, and returned to Sioux Falls AAF, South Dakota 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 Bomber Command with Lancasters and Liberators flying to the Middle East. It was closed and sold in 1948.

Civil 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 Conington Airport. The 457th Bomb Group has a memorial dedicated to the men who lost their lives flying from Glatton in All Saints Church Conington churchyard.

Gallery

• 

  Water Tower Memorial at base entrance

• 

  Rose Court Farm still lies between the runways

• 

  Looking roughly north along Runway 34

• 

  Piper aircraft lined up on Runway 28

See also

• List of RAF stations

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
• Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.

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
• NATS - Modern airfield plan and details
• Mighty 8th Cross-Reference (Fred Preller): RAF Glatton
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present