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Burtonwood

Military site : airfield

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Built for the RAF in 1939-40, the RAF's No. 37 Maintenance Unit used the base from 1940 to 1942, before it became a joint Anglo-American maintenance and servicing airfield - a Base Air Depot. After the war it continued to be used as a maintenance and supply site. The final Second World War buildings were demolished in 2008-9.

Detailed history

Built for the RAF and civilian use as Burtonwood Repair Depot in 1939-40, the RAF's No. 37 Maintenance Unit and No 21 School of Technical Training used the base from 1940 to 1942.

On 23 May 1942 an agreement was reached between the RAF and the US Army Air Forces on the plan to transfer repair depot at Burtonwood to US forces following period of joint control to begin at end of June before it became Base Air Depot Area and Base Air Depot #1, as the center of supply and maintenance of all US aircraft in the 8th & 9th Air Forces. Burtonwood later becomes greatest AAF depot overseas

After the war it reverted to the RAF until 1948 when it passed back to the USAF as the support base for the US deterrent continuing in this role until 1965 when the airfield closed.

The US Army took occupation from 1967 to 1993 using it as a supply base for potential war in Europe. The final Second World War buildings were demolished in 2008-9

English Heritage's record description

Not yet known

Service

Units

People

  • Donald Baker

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Mechanic

  • Nick Bebaeff

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter pilot | 55th Fighter Group
    Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1 x kill. Completed Tour of Duty (ETD). Awards: AM (4 OLC), WWII Victory, EAME. Post war: Remained in USAF, making Captain by 1952.

  • Dillard Blankenbaker

    Military | Private First Class | Hydraulic

  • Herbert Booth

    Military
    Served at BAD 1, Burtonwood, 1943-1946.

  • Fred Boswell

    Military | Captain | Flight Control Officer | 361st Fighter Group
    As Fred Boswell told it to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force: ...

  • Robert Brown

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 357th Fighter Group
    Assigned to 362FS, 357FG, 8AF USAAF. Claimed 3rd aerial victory on bomber escort to Ludwigshafen, victims debris damaged A/C P -51B 43-6556 which crashed at Lütisburg on 27-May-44. Baled out, suffering broken leg from collision with tailplane and...

  • Robert Burry

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
    Robert L Burry was killed on 15 December 1944 returning from a mission on Kassel. Weather became very heavily overcast and the aircraft was trying to land using radio beacons. They hit the radio tower at Daventry and all of the crew members who did not...

  • Don Christenson

    Military | Corporal | Base Air Depot 1, US Strategic Air Forces
    'Corporal Don H Christenson, now Chief Master Sergeant (ret) was assigned to the 1st Base Air Depot, AAF, England at Roayl Air Force, Burtonwood, from 19 September 1943 to 5 August 1945. I was never an aircrew member. My duties were to recover down and...

  • Donald Corrigan

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Assigned to 352FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1 x kill. Transferred to 27ATG, 8AF USAAF. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Gordon Fenicle

    Military | Base Air Depot 1, US Strategic Air Forces
    'I served at Burtonwood BAD #1 from 1943 to May 1945.'

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Aircraft

  • 41-24411 Dottie

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned 325BS/92BG Bangor 13/7/42; 97BG Polebrook 8/42; Salvaged NBD 21/10/42. DOTTIE. ...

  • 41-24605 Knock-out Dropper

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-R] Bangor 22-Sep-42; Molesworth 22-Oct-42; First 8th Air Force aircraft to complete 50, then 75 missions- 27-Mar-44; with M/Sgt Buford Pafford as crew chief; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 5-Jun-44; Reconstruction Finance...

  • 41-9022 Alabama Exterminator

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned 341BS/97BG Polebrook 3/42; with C.J. Paine force landed Presque Is, ME 27/6/42; Bovingdon 8/42, used as ferry navigation a/c; transferred 546BS/384BG [BK-L] Grafton Underwood 4/6/43 as t/t & hack 8/43; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 27/7/44;...

  • 42-106438

    P-51 Mustang
    Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Lost 19-Jul-44 on bomber escort to Munich, suffered glycol leak, aborted and forced landed at Ems, Switzerland pilot Lt Curtis Simpson Interned. A/C was subsequently dismantled by Swiss air force mechanics and...

  • 42-29636 'X Virgin'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 23/1/43; Gt Falls 31/1/43; Salina 3/2/43; Nashville 23/2/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-G] Chelveston VANISHING VIRGIN 24/3/43; transferred 546BS/384BG [BK-F] Grafton Underwood 30/9/43; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 15/3/44; Returned to...

  • 42-29860 Snoozin' Susan

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/43; Denver 1/3/43; Gore 12/3/43; Presque Is 8/4/43; Assigned 509BS/351BG [RQ-W] Polebrook 17/4/43; battle damaged Bordeaux 31/12/43 36m, crash landed Sywell, Notts; 1st Base Air Depot, Burtonwood; ...

  • 42-30227 'Wabbit Twacks III' 'Boots III'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 1/5/43; Smoky Hill 17/5/43; Dow Fd 30/5/43; Assigned 413BS/96BG [MZ-R] Snetterton 12/6/43 WABBIT TWACKS III; transferred 612BS/401BG [SC-X] Deenethorpe 13/12/43; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 17/3/44; Returned to the USA Tinker 3/6/44...

  • 42-30237 'Stump Jumper'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 1/5/43; Gore 13/5/43; Smoky Hill 14/5/43; Dow Fd 30/5/43; Assigned 524BS/379BG [WA-V] Kimbolton 1/6/43; transferred 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 4/8/44; APH Knettishall, Crashed due to flak short of target [Oldenburg power station]...

  • 42-30342 "T'aint A Bird II"

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 19/5/43; Gore 20/5/43; Smoky Hill 30/5/43; Wright 30/6/43; Smoky Hill 20/7/43; Kearney 22/7/43; Dow Fd 25/7/43; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-B] Horham 28/7/43; 54m, transferred APH with Azon for Aphrodite missions, Knettishall; Aphrodite...

  • 42-3493

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Denver 14/7/43; Ogden 20/8/43; Assigned 325BS/92BG [NV-H] Podington 28/9/43; transferred 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 7/6/44 for Azon/Aphrodite equipment for Knettishall; Salvaged 20/6/45.

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Number
590
Known as
Base Air Depot Area (BADA)
Construction date
1939
USAAF from date
11 June 1942
USAAF to date
9 June 1946
Closure date
3 June 1993

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
14 August 2019 10:57:41 Emily Changes to history
Sources

USAAF Combat Chronology
Date Contributor Update
25 October 2016 11:52:46 Aldon Changes to known as, usaaf from date, usaaf to date, construction date and closure date
Sources

None of your selected media really has anything to do with Burtonwood and I suggest it is removed. Station summary is incorrect I suggest it is changed to the following:

Built for the RAF and civilian use as Burtonwood Repair Depot in 1939-40, the RAF's No. 37 Maintenance Unit and No 21 School of Technical Training used the base from 1940 to 42, before it became Base Air Depot Area and Base Air Depot #1 as the center of supply and maintenance of all US aircraft in the 8th & 9th Air Forces. After the war it reverted to the RAF until 1948 when it passed back to the USAF as the support base for the US deterrent continuing in this role until 1965 when the airfield closed. The US Army took occupation from 1967 to 1993 using it as a supply base for potential war in Europe. The final Second World War buildings were demolished in 2008-9
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:02:16 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual (London, 2001)

David J. Smith. Action Stations 3: Military Airfields of Wales and the North-West (Cambridge, 1981)

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