Raf North Pickenham

Royal Air Force North Pickenham or more simply RAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force station located East of Swaffham, Norfolk, England. It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1967. HistoryUSAAF useNorth Pickenham was constructed in 1942 /1943 as an "A" class heavy bomber station. It was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force in April 1944. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 143. 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy)The first USAAF group to use North Pickenham was the 492d Bombardment Group , arriving from Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico on 18 April 1944. The 492d was assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-U". Its operational squadrons were: 856th Bombardment Squadron 857th Bombardment Squadron 858th Bombardment Squadron 859th Bombardment Squadron The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. The 492d Bomb Group entered service in May 1944, and suffered tremendous losses in July. In the words of one veteran, "the whole group was wiped out. " In the three months it was operational it had flown a total of sixty-four missions losing fifty-one aircraft to enemy action and six by other causes. Subsequently, due to its heavy losses the organization was transferred to RAF Harrington on 5 August for special operations duty less personnel and equipment and the surviving personnel transferred to other B-24 units.

Royal Air Force North Pickenham or more simply RAF North Pickenham is a former Royal Air Force station located East of Swaffham, Norfolk, England. It was originally opened in 1944 and finally closed in 1967. HistoryUSAAF useNorth Pickenham was constructed in 1942 /1943 as an "A" class heavy bomber station. It was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force in April 1944. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 143. 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy)The first USAAF group to use North Pickenham was the 492d Bombardment Group , arriving from Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico on 18 April 1944. The 492d was assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-U". Its operational squadrons were: 856th Bombardment Squadron 857th Bombardment Squadron 858th Bombardment Squadron 859th Bombardment Squadron The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. The 492d Bomb Group entered service in May 1944, and suffered tremendous losses in July. In the words of one veteran, "the whole group was wiped out. " In the three months it was operational it had flown a total of sixty-four missions losing fifty-one aircraft to enemy action and six by other causes. Subsequently, due to its heavy losses the organization was transferred to RAF Harrington on 5 August for special operations duty less personnel and equipment and the surviving personnel transferred to other B-24 units.