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Signal Squares on the airfield at Tibenham, B-24 Liberators of the 398th Bomb Group are visible in the background. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Tibenham Signal Squares.'
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Alvern G. Kovanes application for headstone
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Tebenham England. 445 gathering point for missions
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S/SGT Phillip N. Barker 445th BG 700th Bomb Squadron DOB: 25 July 1918 // KIA 24 Mar 1945
T/SGT Irving "Sparks" Silverman 445th Bomb Group 700th Bomb Squadron DOB: 8 Sept 1922 // KIA 24 Mar 1945
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T/SGT Irving "Sparks" Silverman
445th Bomb Group
700th Bomb Squadron
DOB: 8 Sept 1922 // KIA 24 Mar 1945
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B-24H-30-CF #42-95308 "Silver Dollar" Code: WV-C
445th BG - 702nd BS - 8th AF
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George Fagerquist’s Crew, all survived the war. WWII.
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Crew
Jim Misenheimer
Ted Firestone
Joe Mintner
Francis Marooney
Fred Maine’s
Dick Wesson
George Pilot
Earl Smith. Smitty. Co pilot
John Gotte
Jim Reilly
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Marvin's Madhouse Air Crew
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42-50619 Marvin's Madhouse B-24J
Tibenham was built in 1941-1942 by W and C French Ltd with a standard 2,000 yard main runway, and two other runways both 1,400 feet in length. Accommodation was provided for a full USAAF heavy bomber group in dispersed sites. Personnel of the 320th Bomb Group moved in briefly before the airfield was occupied full time by a combat unit from November 1943: the 445th Bomb Group. This unit flew over 250 missions from the airfield. The film star James Stewart was one of the 445th’s squadron commanders while at Tibenham. The airfield was handed back to the RAF after the war, and sold in 1964-1965.
The airfield is still used today, by the Norfolk Gliding Club. They have a large archive of photos and documents from the 445th BG (H). At its core are four very thick Lever Arch files, one for each squadron. To enquire about viewing this excellent archive of 445th Bomb Group material, please contact the Club: http://www.norfolkglidingclub.com/contact-us/
Detailed history
The 445th Bomb Group (H), flying the B-24 Liberator, flew 280 combat missions between 13 Dec 43 and 25 Apr 45. Two notable missions were 1. the attack on the German Me-110 aircraft factory in Gotha on 24 Mar 44 (midway through 'Operation Big Week' - the destruction of the German Air Force). Through a timing error (11 minutes early) the 445th failed to connect with their fighter escort. They pushed on, enduring two and a half hours of determined fighter attacks and flak, but at the loss of 13 of their 25 aircraft.
Six months later, the 445th was almost wiped out when, on 27 Sept 44, they set out to bomb the Henschel facility in Kassel, Germany. Through a gross error in leadership and navigation, the 445th left the main bomber stream and their fighter escort, and proceeded north of Kassel to bomb the western edge of the town of Göttingen, some 25 miles NE of Kassel. After coming off the target, the 445th was subjected to a swarm attack of approximately 150 Luftwaffe fighters - some 100 Fw-190's and 50 Bf-109G's. In a line-abreast climbing attack coming from the rear, the fighters slashed through the formation. In a period of less than 6 minutes, 25 of the 35 B-24's had gone down in flames; the sky dotted with parachutes of both American and German air crews that were shot down. Of the remaining 10 aircraft, 3 crash-landed behind friendly lines on the Continent; 2 landed at the emergency strip by the Dover coast (Manston); 1 crashed near Old Buckenham (453rd Bomb Group); and the remaining 4 planes landed back at Tibenham. Of those 4 planes, only 1 was able to make the same mission back to Kassel on 28 Sept 44 along with the 9 remaining planes left at Tibenham.
English Heritage's record description
A former World War Two military airfield on the site of a World War One military airfield. In the First World War an area of the later airfield was said to have been used as a landing ground. The rebuilt later airfield opened in 1942 and closed in 1959. The airfield consisted of three concrete runways, with aircraft hangars (Type T2 and Blister designs), a control tower (demolished in 1978) and other technical buildings on the eastern side of the flying field. On the north- west side there were bomb stores, ammunition dump and fuel store. To the south-west there were firing butts. There was a dispersed military camp for 2,900 personnel to the east away from the main flying field. During World War Two the United States Army 8th Air Force 320th and 445th Bomb Groups used the airfield, the latter in particular sustaining heavy casualties. One of the Squadron Commanders for the 455th was the actor James Stewart. The airfield was designated as USAAF Station 124. After the war the airfield was transferred to the Air Ministry. In 1955 the main runway was lengthened for jet aircraft but was never actually used for this purpose. At the start of the 21st century it is used by a gliding club who have a clubhouse at the airfield.
Service
Units
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Group
The 445th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Tibenham, Norfolk. The crews' first mission was bombing U-boat installations at Kiel on 13 December 1943. The Group continued to hit strategic targets in Germany, including the aircraft components factory...
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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
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Headquarters
Earned Distinguished Unit Citation for the 24 Feb 44 mission to Gotha, Germany. Suffered the greatest loss by a bomb group for a single mission on 27 Sept 44 going to Kassel, Germany. Due to a navigation error, the 445th left the main bomber stream and...
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People
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Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Wounded in action. Killed in civilian flying accident in NM in 1969.
PH
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Military | First Lieutenant | B-24 Pilot | 445th Bomb Group
B-24 - #42-7554 - 8th AF, 445th BG, 702nd BS - stationed in NOV 1943 at RAF Tibenham.
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Military | Sergeant | Nose Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Warren Anderson was Nose Turret Gunner on board of B-24 42-51506 on the 27 February 1945 mission to the Halle Marshalling Yards, Germany. Crashed Betzenhausen, 1,5km NW of Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW).
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down 12 September 1944 in B-24 #4295247. Dixie Flyer Killed in Action (KIA)
AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster/ PH
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Military | Sergeant | Aircraft Mechanic | 445th Bomb Group
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down near Gnebenaeau on 9/27/44 in B-24 #42-50961, Prisoner of War (POW).
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 448th Bomb Group
2nd Lt. Robert C. Ayrest was born on April 21, 1921. His hometown was Inglewood, California. His wife was Mary L. Ayrest, two sons Robert Claud and Howard Donald, and a brother Alan. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity at UCLA.
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Crashed near Hanau in B-24 #44-10493, Killed in Action (KIA).
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 445th Bomb Group
One of crews assigned after Kassel losses.
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down by 20mm cannon fire from fighers and crashed near Fulda, Germany on return from the mission to Gotha, Germany on 24 February 1944 in B-24J #42-100312. Killed in Action (KIA). His remains were never recovered and he is still listed as Missing...
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Aircraft
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B-24 Liberator
Assigned 458BG re-assigned to 703BS, 445BG, 8AF USAAF as a replacement aircraft. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Friedrickshafen left formation under control on reciprocal course, hit by 3 x Fw190 fighters causing fire in bomb bay, most of crew baled...
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B-24 Liberator
B-24 "LADY MARIE" SHOT DOWN OVER GERMANY ON 24 FEB 1944
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B-24 Liberator
In mid-December, 1943, Lt. Suitch received orders to proceed to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take possession of a newly-built B-24 Liberator bomber. The bomber assigned to Lt. Suitch's crew was built at the Consolidated plant in San Diego, California, as part...
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B-24 Liberator
On 12 April 1944, two crew members of 42-109789 bailed out near Dunkirk as they believed the aircraft was going down, however it returned to its base with its crew. MACR 4379.
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B-24 Liberator
On 1 April 1944, B-24 42-110029 was shot down by enemy aircraft. Of its 10-man crew, five evaded, three were taken as Prisoners of War and two were Missing in Action.
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