RAF Harrington
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RAF Harrington USAAF Station 179  .png)
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Aerial photograph of Harrington airfield looking north, the main runway runs vertically, 22 April 1944. Note the many aircraft of the 801st Bombardment Group on the various hardstands, also one appearing to be taking off on the main runway.
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator |
United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force |
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| Location | Kettering, Northamptonshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1943–1945, 1958–1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 535 ft / 163 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°23′34″N 000°51′43″W / 52.39278°N 0.86194°WCoordinates: 52°23′34″N 000°51′43″W / 52.39278°N 0.86194°W | ||||||||||||||||||
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 RAF Harrington
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Royal Air Force Station Harrington or more simply RAF Harrington is a former Royal Air Force station in England about 5.6 miles (9.0 km) west of Kettering in Northamptonshire south of the village of Harrington off the A14 road. During the early Cold War, it was a Thor missile site, designed to deliver atomic warheads to the Soviet Union. The nuclear missile site is now protected as a Grade II listed building as an example of Cold War architecture.
The airfield was opened in September 1943 and was originally planned as a satellite for No. 84 Operational Training Unit RAF at RAF Desborough. The airfield was built by 826th and 852nd Engineer Battalions of the US Army intended for heavy bomber use and was completed in the spring of 1944.
Harrington was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force and assigned USAAF designation Station 179.
USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Harrington were:
Regular Army Station Units included:
The first United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force Group to use Harrington was the 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional), arriving from RAF Alconbury on 25 March 1944.
Its initial operational squadrons were:
Both were equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberators
In May, two additional Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress squadrons were attached to the group, those being:
The 801st Bomb Group became best known as the Carpetbaggers. The mission of the Carpetbaggers was to fly Special Operations missions which entailed delivering supplies to resistance groups in enemy occupied countries.
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Wikipedia