RAF Shipdham

Royal Air Force Shipdham or more simply RAF Shipdham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles south of Dereham, Norfolk, England.

The airfield now operates as Shipdham Airfield.

History

USAAF use

RAF Shipdham was the first US heavy bomber base in Norfolk and was also the continuous host to Consolidated B-24 Liberators longer than any other Eighth Air Force combat airfield in Britain - from October 1942 to late 1945. It was constructed 1941-42 and was assigned USAAF designation Station 115 (SJ).

From 13 September 1943 though 13 June 1945, Shipdham served as headquarters for the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, 2d Air Division, VIII Bomber Command (later Eighth Air Force).

319th Bombardment Group (Medium)

The 319th Bombardment Group (Medium) was a Twelfth Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group which arrived at Shipdham on 12 September 1942 from Harding Army Air Field, Louisiana.

The personnel of the group used the base as a staging and assembly point before moving in early October for RAF Horsham St Faith in Norfolk. From there the unit moved to Algeria in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in November as part of the Operation Torch invasion forces.

44th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

With the departure of the 319th BG, Shipdham was assigned to the 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma on 10 October 1942.

The 44th was assigned to the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-A". Its operational squadrons were:
* 66th Bombardment Squadron (WQ)
* 67th Bombardment Squadron (NB)
* 68th Bombardment Squadron (QK)
* 506th Bombardment Squadron (GJ)

The group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. The 44th was the first USAAF group to be equipped with the Liberator and the unit had helped form other groups destined to fly the type. The Group was initially under strength, one of its four squadrons having been detached in the US. In March 1943 the 506th Squadron was assigned to the group.

The 44th Bomb Group's operations consisted primarily of assaults against strategic targets in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Romania, Austria, Poland, and Sicily. Among the targets attacked were submarine installations, industrial establishments, airfields, harbors, shipyards, and other objectives, November 1942 - June 1943.

The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for an extremely hazardous mission against naval installations at Kiel on 14 May 1943: Its B-24's flew in the wake of the main formation and carried incendiaries to be dropped after three Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress groups had released high explosive bombs, thus the group's aircraft were particularly vulnerable lacking the protection of the firepower of the main force. This vulnerability increased when the group opened its own formation for the attack; but the 44th blanketed the target with incendiaries in spite of the concentrated flak and continuous interceptor attacks it encountered.

Late in June 1943 a large detachment moved to Libya to help facilitate the Allied invasion of Sicily by bombing airfields and marshalling yards in Italy. The detachment also participated in the famous low-level raid on the Ploesti oil fields on 1 August 1943. The group was awarded a DUC for its part in this raid and its commander, Colonel Leon W. Johnson, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his daring and initiative in leading his men into smoke, flame, and alerted fighter and antiaircraft opposition over the target, which already had been bombed in error by another group.

Before returning to England at the end of August, the detachment bombed an aircraft factory in Austria and supported ground forces in Sicily. In September 1943 the group struck airfields in the Netherlands and France and convoys in the North Sea. Also in September, a detachment was sent to North Africa to support the Salerno operations.

This proved to be the 44th's last detachment and in October when several new B-24 groups were arriving in Norfolk, the 44th was fully committed to the combined bomber offensive from the UK. From November 1943 to April 1945, the group carried out operations against targets in western Europe, concentrating on airfields, oil installations, and marshalling yards.

The group took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20–25 February 1944. The group flew support and interdictory missions. Struck airfields, railroads, and V-weapon sites in preparation for the Normandy invasion; supported the invasion in June 1944 by attacking strong points in the beachhead area and transportation targets behind the front lines. The group aided the Caen

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