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Royal Air Force Station Kimbolton
USAAF Station 117

Located Near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England

Aerial Photo of Kimbolton Airfield - 10 August 1945
Type Military Airfield
Coordinates 52°18′53″N, 000°22′59″W
Location code KI
Built 1941
In use 1942-1946
Controlled by United States Army Air Forces
Garrison Eighth Air Force
Occupants 379th Bombardment Group
Battles/wars European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
RAF Kimbolton (Cambridgeshire)
RAF Kimbolton
Map showing the location of RAF Kimbolton within Cambridgeshire. Huntingdon is a town in the county of Cambridgeshire in East Anglia, England. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate 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 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 Kimbolton 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 8 miles west of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. Huntingdon is a town in the county of Cambridgeshire in East Anglia, England. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate

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USAAF use

The airfield was originally built in 1941 for RAF Bomber Command, then expanded for use by American heavy bombers during 1942. RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968 Kimbolton was assigned United States Army Air Force 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 USAAF Station 117.

91st Bombardment Group (Heavy)

The airfield was opened in 1942 and was first used by the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Walla Walla AAF, Washington during September. Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC Walla Walla Regional Airport is a public Airport located three miles (5 km northeast of the Central business district of Walla Walla, a city in Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

The 91st was assigned to the 1st Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle-A. Its operational B-17 Flying Fortress squadrons were:

The 91st stayed at Kimbolton only a few weeks, because the runways at Kimbolton were not strong or long enough for the safe operation of Fortresses. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The group then was transferred to RAF Bassingbourn on 14 October. RAF Bassingbourn is a former military Airbase located in Cambridgeshire approximately north of Royston Hertfordshire and south west of Cambridge Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces

17th Bombardment Group (Medium)

The next USAAF unit to use Kimbolton was the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium), arriving in October from Barksdale AAF Louisiana. Barksdale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located three Nautical miles (6 km) east of the Central business district of The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The 17th was originally intended to use RAF Bassingbourn, however with the move of the 91st, the unit utilized Kimbolton as its shorter runways could accommodate the smaller, twin-engined medium bombers.

The 17th consisted of the following squadrons:

The 17th flew the B-26 "Marauder" medium bomber, and used Kimbolton as a transitory airfield on its way to the North African campaign. B26, B-26 or B26 may refer to A-26 Invader, by Douglas Aircraft Company, which carried the designation "B-26" from The Group departed in November for Telergma, Algeria, with its last elements leaving in early December. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's With the departure of the B-26s, extensions were made to the NW-SE runway to facilitate the operation of fully-loaded B-17s.

379th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Boeing B-17G-45-BO Fortress 42-97229 524th BS, "Hi Ho Silver".
Boeing B-17G-45-BO Fortress 42-97229 524th BS, "Hi Ho Silver".
Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-30-DL Fortress 42-38111 525th BS.
Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-30-DL Fortress 42-38111 525th BS.
Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-45-DL Fortress 42-3325 524th BS, "Paddy Gremlin".
Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-45-DL Fortress 42-3325 524th BS, "Paddy Gremlin".
Lockheed/Vega B-17G-15-VE Flying Fortress Serial 42-97462 of the 527th Bomb Squadron after a belly landing. This aircraft was repaired and returned to combat duty.
Lockheed/Vega B-17G-15-VE Flying Fortress Serial 42-97462 of the 527th Bomb Squadron after a belly landing. This aircraft was repaired and returned to combat duty.

On 21 May 1943 the 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrived from Sioux City AAF, Iowa. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sioux City (ˌsuːˈsɪti is a city located in northwest Iowa in the United States. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America.

The 379th was assigned to the 41st Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle-K. Its operational B-17 Flying Fortress squadrons were:

The 379th BG operations with Eighth AF on 19 May 1943, and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations over Europe from May 1943 through July 1944. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The group engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets such as industries, oil refineries, storage plants, submarine pens, airfields, and communications centres in Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, and Poland. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

Specific targets included a chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, an aircraft assembly plant in Brunswick, ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt and Leipzig, synthetic oil refineries at Merseburg and Gelsenkirchen, marshalling yards at Hamm and Reims, and airfields in Mesnil au Val and Berlin. Ludwigshafen am Rhein is a City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Braunschweig, known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245810 people (as of 31 December 2007 located in Lower Saxony, Germany. Schweinfurt ( German for Swine ford) is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Merseburg is a Town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx Gelsenkirchen (ˌgɛlzənˈkɪʁçən is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW Germany. It is located on the Lippe River, in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. Reims (alternative English spelling Rheims; riːmz in English and /ʁɛ̃s/ in French) is a city of the Champagne-Ardenne région of northern Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.

The Group received another DUC for flying without fighter protection into central Germany to attack vital aircraft factories on 11 January 1944. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On several occasions the Group attacked interdictory targets and operated in support of ground forces. Bombed V-weapon sites, airfields, radar stations, and other installations before the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and bombed defended positions just ahead of the Allied landings on 6 June; and struck airfields, rail choke points, and gun emplacements during the campaign that followed. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year

During the Battle of France, the Group bombed enemy positions to assist ground troops at St Lo during the breakthrough, 24-25 July 1944, attacked German communications and fortifications during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, and bombed bridges and viaducts in France and Germany to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine, February-March 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

The combat record of the 379th was the most successful of all the Eighth Air Force heavy bomber groups. It held records as far as bomb tonnage dropped - 26,459 tons - more than any other unit including those operational before the 379th arrived in the UK. It also exceeded all other UK Bomb Groups in the total number of missions flown. carrying out 330 between May 1943 and May 15, 1945. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar One B-17G, "Ole Guppy" itself completed 157 missions, probably more than any other Eighth Air Force bomber.

After V-E Day, the 379th Bomb Group was transferred to Casablanca, French Morocco during June 1945. Victory in Europe Day ( V-E Day or VE Day) was May 7 and May 8, 1945, the dates when the World War II Allies Casablanca (in Standard Arabic: الدار البيضاء ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ; Moroccan Arabic: dar beïda الدار البيضا The unit was deactivated in place in Morocco during July.

Legacy

The 379th Bomb Wing and 524th Bomb Squadron were reactivated by Strategic Air Command at Homestead AFB Florida on 1 November 1955 and throughout the Cold War played a major role in the defense of the United States. The Strategic Air Command (SAC was both a major command and a "specified command" in the U Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Upon activation, the unit was bestowed the honors, history and colors of the World War II Eighth Air Force 379th Bomb Group.

The wing participated in combat meritoriously during the Vietnam War and 1990-1991 Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm flying the Boeing B-52G Stratofortress which still had the "Triangle K" tail flash. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia In 1993 the unit was deactivated while stationed at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America.

Postwar Military use

After World War II, Kimbolton was closed in 1946, however it was maintained in a "standby" status until the early 1960s.

Civil Use

With the end of military control, most of the buildings were torn down and the concrete areas removed, however parts of the old hardstands are used for go-kart racing. Kimbolton Kart Club is a circuit for both gearbox and non-gearbox Karts. The kart clubs flag is the 379th "Triangle K" symbol. In one of the buildings at the kart track there is a collection of memorabilia including photographs and pieces of aircraft wreckage.

On saturdays, "Banger racing" is held on one of the old loop hardstands. Banger racing or enduro racing is a tarmac or Dirt track racing type of Motorsport event popularised in Europe and especially Great

See also

References

External links

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