Eye
AirfieldIWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Eye air base was not a Class A base but was constructed to a less demanding standard by the 827th and 859th Battalions of U.S. Army Engineers in 1943 and was finished in early 1944. Unusually, a group of its hardstandings were on the other side of the road that serviced the base and so local traffic had to be stopped whenever aircraft were moving to and from those hardstandings. The B-24 Liberators of the 490th Bomb Group, and then their B-17s had to be mindful, when approaching the NW-SE runway from the south, of the ancient church at Eye, which carried a red obstruction light. NOTE: sold 1962-63; returned to agriculture and new industrial estate and business park since 1960s; Bomb Group natural gas pumping Station 1970s-date; EPR world's 1st poultry-litter fuelled power generating plant 1992-date; PP natural gas fired power Station being planned 2014. Second World War aircraft: B-24 1943-44; B-17 1944-45.
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People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 490th Bomb Group 849th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37416085
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 490th Bomb Group 848th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-692796
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 490th Bomb Group 848th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 490th Bomb Group 851st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-456584
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot / Operations Officer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 490th Bomb Group 849th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15375044
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator - Mechanic Gunner, AAF
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Lil edie
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Raidin’ Maiden
- Unit: 851st Bomb Squadron 490th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 850th Bomb Squadron 490th Bomb Group