Rattlesden | American Air Museum in Britain

Official Air Ministry Record Site Plan-Airfield Site 1945. Rattlesden.

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Airmen inspect a battle damaged B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-107091) of the 452nd Bomb Group. Official caption printed on image: 'ISAD-9-May-44-1011 (WPU, Crash Battle Damage, B17G-42-107091, Rattlesden) FA.' Image stamped on reverse: 'Official Photograph US Photographic section.' [stamp]

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A B-17 Flying Fortress (MZ-E, serial number 42-97554) of the 413th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group after ground collision at Rattlesden. Official caption on image: "594 (44) 4-6-44. W.R.U. Rattlesden. Collision. B-17G. 42-97554. F.A. F.S.A.D." Handwritten caption on reverse: '96th Bomb Group, 45th Combat Wing, 3rd Air Division.'

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In Kingman, Arizona prior to scrapping.

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Rattlesden, England 1945

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Rattlesden, England 1945

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Aerial photograph of Rattlesden airfield looking south, the technical site with T2 hangar is on the left, the fuel store and a second T2 hangar are at the bottom, 9 May 1946. Photograph taken by No. 540 Squadron, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/1490. English Heritage (RAF Photography).

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Aerial photograph of Rattlesden airfield looking west, the technical site with T2 hangar is at the top, 27 May 1944. Photograph taken by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7GR/LOC348. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).

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Aerial photograph of Rattlesden airfield looking west, the technical site with T2 hangar is at the top, 27 May 1944. Photograph taken by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7GR/LOC348. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).

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Aerial photograph of Rattlesden airfield looking west, barrack sites are in the lower middle, 27 May 1944. Photograph taken by 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/7GR/LOC348. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).

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Built for the Eighth Air Force in 1942, Rattlesden had three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Intended to be a twin-engine B-26 bomber base, it was originally a satellite for nearby Rougham, and first occupied from December 1942 to April 1943 by ground personnel of the 322nd Bomb Group. After an exchange of airfields between the 3rd and 4th Bomb Wings, it was eventually occupied in November 1943 by the 447th Bomb Group equipped with four-engine B-17 bombers. The group returned to the USA in July 1945 after which the station returned to the RAF. It was used briefly as a Ministry of Food buffer depot but closed in 1946. Part of the site was used as a Bristol Bloodhound missile base by the RAF during the 1960s, but the whole airfield was sold in 1967-68 and mostly returned to agriculture. The Rattlesden Gliding Club was established in 1976, uses the wartime Control Tower as its club house and operates on the north east part of the airfield.

Detailed history

Not yet known

English Heritage's record description

Not yet known

Service

Units

447th Bomb Group

Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
454th Sub-Depot

Group
322nd Bomb Group

Group
The 322nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium) was activated on 19-Jun-1942 at MacDill Field, Florida with B-26B Marauder aircraft. In late September 1942 the unit moved to Drane Field, Florida. The Ground echelon sailed for the UK aboard the Queen Elizabeth...
18th Weather Squadron

Squadron
Browse 18th Weather Squadron photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/60
57th Station Complement Squadron

Squadron
708th Bomb Squadron

Squadron
709th Bomb Squadron

Squadron
710th Bomb Squadron

Squadron
711th Bomb Squadron

Squadron
842nd Air Engineering Squadron

Squadron

People

Clarence Aaberg

Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Clarence Aaberg was on his 3rd mission, and pilot of B-17 #42-37855 on return from a mission to Regensburg, Germany on 25 February 1944. The Fortress had lost #3 engine 10 minutes after target. The crew saw a lot of German fighters around, a few...
Louis Achuff

Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed at Lochmuhle on 9 Feb 45 in B-17 #44-6581
Richard Adam

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Chester Adams

Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
11-Mar-44 Shot down by AA fire in B-17G 42-97484, 447BG/710BS while serving as Navigator. Aircraft crashed in the North Sea shore off Haamstede, Holland on a mission to Munster, Germany on 11 Mar 1944. Most aircrew landed on sandbank at low tide, but...
Junior Adams

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) crashed into channel in B-17 'Yellow Cab' #42-32081
Richard Adams

Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down by flak and crashed E of Saarbrucken, GR enroute to the target Regensburg, GR on 25 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31431. Prisoner of War (POW). POW
Robert Adams

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Charles Agantovich

Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 #43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA). ...
Ervin Aholt

Military | First Lieutenant | Lead Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
Clyde Allen

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Assigned to 709BS, 447BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Frankfurt in B-17 42-31108 'Devils Mate' crashed 29-Jan-44. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2279 Awards: PH.

Aircraft

42-102395

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Gr Island 15/3/44; Grenier 2/4/44; Assigned 711BS/447BG Rattlesden 8/4/44; Missing in Action Brux 12/5/44 with Tom Mandrell, Co-pilot: Bill Popovich, Navigator: Don McDougall, Bombardier: Okley Wheeler{Wounded in Action},...
42-102419

B-17 Flying Fortress
Cheyenne 2/3/44; Hunter 16/3/44; Nashville 23/3/44; Dow Fd 12/4/44; Assigned 709BS/447BG [IJ-E] Rattlesden 20/4/44; crashed on take off for mission28/6/44 with Tom Brown, Co-pilot: Bob Jacobs, Navigator: Herbert Wolf, Bombardier: T/Sgt Tom Middleton,...
42-102421

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 2/3/44; Gr Island 16/3/44; Presque Is 2/4/44; Assigned 709BS/447BG [CQ-M] Rattlesden 6/4/44. ...
42-102431 Slick Chick

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 4/3/44; Kearney 6/4/44; Dow Fd 21/4/44; Assigned 447BG Rattlesden 22/4/44; transferred 550BS/385BG [SG-Y] Gt Ashfield 23/4/44; battle damaged Mannheim 21/1/45 with Alfred Jacobsen; crash landed Pottswick Hall, Bradwell, Ex, UK,...
42-102441 'TNT KATIE'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 3/3/44; Gr Island 13/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 711BS/447BG Rattlesden 8/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 7/10/44 with Bob Harwood, Jim Kelley, Karl Wendell, Russell Tolle, Sam Manipella, Dick Roberts, Ron Fleming (7 Prisoner of...
42-102471

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 7/3/44; Kearney 6/4/44; Dow Fd 14/4/44; Assigned 710BS/447BG [IJ-B] Rattlesden 22/4/44; Missing in Action Chemnitz 11/9/44 with Leroy Hyder (KIA-chute failed, crashed through factory roof); Co-pilot: Harry Wood, Navigator: Jim...
42-102479

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 7/3/44; Gr Island 29/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ- ] Rattlesden 8/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 29/4/44 with Edgar Farrell, Co-pilot: John Benedict, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Peters, Radio Operator:...
42-102494

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 8/3/44; Kearney 5/4/44; Dow Fd 19/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ- ] Rattlesden 20/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 24/5/44 with Ralph Simon, Co-pilot: Ed Tully, Navigator: Joe Teixeira, Bombardier: Ralph Pittman, Flight engineer/top...
42-102567

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 15/3/44; Gr Island 1/4/44; force landed base with Clark Graham 19/4/44; Dow Fd 24/4/44; Assigned 709BS/447BG Rattlesden 3/5/44; crashed on take off with Jesse Sills 1/1/45, Salvaged.
42-102591 Cactus Pete

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/44; Kearney 1/4/44; Dow Fd 14/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ-] Rattlesden 22/4/44; returned from Caen 6/6/44 with Phil Chase, Co-pilot: George Phillips, Navigator: Francis PrendercastWounded in Action, Bombardier: George Betker,...

Date	Contributor	Update
20 May 2021 10:13:24	general ira snapsorter	Changes to media associations
Sources
Removed associations to images which do not depict Rattlesden.
Date	Contributor	Update
03 September 2018 02:45:11	jhuck	Changes to person associations
Sources
John G. Huck
Date	Contributor	Update
06 January 2017 15:43:20	Lucy May	Changes to aircraft associations
Sources
Connected aircraft records that have Rattlesden in their biography fields.
Date	Contributor	Update
13 October 2016 20:24:47	Jeff Coleman	Changes to person associations
Sources
Jeff Coleman
Date	Contributor	Update
19 October 2015 19:46:59	LUCKY PARTNERS	Changes to known as, usaaf from date and construction date
Sources
Harold Kiena
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:02:18	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978) Roger Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual (2nd edn, London, 2001) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Rattlesden (RGC location error) http://www.controltowers.co.uk/r/rattlesden.htm http://www.in-england.co.uk/Gliding_Clubs/England7033.htm