M5Clive Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Thorpe Abbotts airfield in Norfolk was home to the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy) US Eighth Air Force from mid 1943 until the summer of 1945. As you can see from the photographs, it has now reverted back to whence it came - Agriculture. The photos show all that remains of the intersecting shorter NW - SE runway, one of the drains that once bordered the edges of all airfield runways every few yards and a family of hardy souls accompanied by our Black Lab ike. The last picture shows the only remaining Hardstanding left on the entire airfield, and even that is not totally intact. You can almost hear the B-17 running its engine up against the chocks. Very little now remains to tell the passer-by of the heroics that took place on this airfield, but as you walk around the remains of the airfield on a blowy Sunday afternoon, you can only imagine as to what the grounds crews must have felt on the Sunday afternoon of October 10th 1943, when only one B-17 returned to Thorpe Abbotts after the Group were annihilated over Munster earlier in the day. Just as we were concluding our walk, an aircraft could be heard above in the clouds, when a Lockeed C-5 Galaxy loomed out of the sky on a direct flight path to RAF Mildenhall, some 16 miles away as the crow flies. Lumbering low over the Norfolk landscape, the moment was very poignant to me in particular, demonstrating the on-going connection between East Anglia and the USAAF/USAF, 65 years on from when the airfield was built. The Operation Bolero - Tour of the Dromes convoy will stop for lunch at Thorpe Abbotts on Saturday June 30th en-route from Eye airfield Suffolk to Hardwick Field in Norfolk. Lets hope its a little warmer than when we took these pictures last week :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Great pics. There is something very moving about that place, very sobering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Hi Clive, Thanks for posting the pics. As Bodge says there is something about old airfields,I have visited many of the Eighth bases in Norfolk and Suffolk and as you know sometimes it's hard to find anything,at others it's amazing what is left. Will your tour be going to the club at Bungay? I went around with the landowner in 1998 and saw the wall paintings,photos just don't do them justice. Another base with impressive "wall art" is Polebrook,home of the 351st BG although the mural is under threat from the weather and vandals. Do you have any places left on the tour? Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 This sounds like another HMVF roadshow to me. Can we see any of this stuff on Op Bolero???? Brilliant stuff Clive and all you other aerodrome experts. More please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 There's much more left of TA than meets the eye. The most interesting areas are on private property, but I had the chance a while back to have a good wander with a camera. Several buildings remain, like the emergency generator house, a shower block, Red Cross nurses Nissen hut, ablution block, several blast shelters, some concrete Orlit huts ( I think that was the correct name for them ), sewage farm, emergency control bunker. Foundations remain for many more. There's also a second dispersal intact on the other side of the field with a small hangar built on it. I'll dig out some pictures of some of these hidden areas and post them here. Clive, I hope your truck survived me blasting it with my P-47 at Debach a couple of years ago? I didn't find any .50 cal strikes on my plane! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Beautifill pics, thanks for posting them, I sure have to visit such a place too! (I fixed two broken photo links) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Thanks Clive - glad you let Suzanne take over the PC....at least now we get to see more pictures! Keep them coming and the stories too mate - great reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Only 1 B-17 returned from the mission? How many started from the airfield? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 The 100th BG had several spectacular losses. On the Munster mission, I think 13 set out. On the Berlin mission of March 6th, they lost 15, through being in the wrong place at the wrong time, without escort. The 1st Division took the wrong course to the target, the 100th realised the mistake and continued on the correct course. They had been at the centre of the bomber stream, and semi protected. After the formation split due to the navigation error, the 100th was in the lead without any fighter cover. All 15 from the 100th were lost within a few minutes. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Thorpe Abbotts, Station 139, was still incomplete when the 100th BG arrived in June 1943. They were the only Bomb Group to be stationed there. Over 60 years later, the airfield can still be clearly seen from the air, but on the ground, many of the obvious airfield signs, such as runways have gone. They were removed around 1981. The dispersals were removed earlier as they made farming the surrounding land more difficult. Much of what remains at Thorpe Abbotts is on private property, so don't go exploring yourself, I had permission to wander and record what is left. Some of the pictures ( in no particular order ) are shown in the following posts. Steve The water treatment plant and chlorine tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shane taylor Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Great Steve. Are you to on the Bolero Tours :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Next to the tower were 5 dispersals. On dispersal 11, a machine gun began to fire as it was removed from the ball turret. Stg H Parish was killed as he ran from the turret. The dispersals have long been removed, but the different top soil causes changes in the crops which still show where they were. An excellent museum is now located in the tower and associated buildings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Great Steve. Are you to on the Bolero Tours :-D Unfortunately, no. I live 300 miles away from TA and have a local event that weekend. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Almost all the roads still exist around the airbase, but most are now completely overgrown. Clear away the moss, leaves, etc, and the concrete is still there. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/tech_road.jpg[/img] This Electrical Sub Station still stands on the edge of the Tech Site http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sub_station.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Several Nissen huts survive in various states on the main road towards Upper Billingford. These formed the Sub-Depot. One was removed and shipped to the "Mighty Eighth Heritage Centre" in Savannah, Georgia. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sub_depot1.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sub_depot2.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sub_depot3.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sub_depot4.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Excellent pics I seem to remember that one fo the rounds from that .50 in the Sperry turret shattered a farmhouse window some distance away... much to the surprise of the farmer, who was sat in the room at the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 The Speech Centre and its blast walls are still there. It was from here that all base announcements were made. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/speech1.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/speech2.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Near to Communal site 2 and the Base HQ is the Sewage Farm. The three overgrown sediment tanks can be seen centre right. The wooded area upper left was where the communal site and HQ was located. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/sewage.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 On Communal Site 1, most of the sgts shower block is still there. The area behind the large tower has either fallen or been demolished, but the tiled floor can still be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Not far from the shower block is the Emergency Generator building. While this was frequently test run, it was never needed during the war. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/set_house.jpg[/img] A little further along the road is the Nissen hut that was used by the base Red Cross girls. This was used for domestic accomodation, along with many others, into the 1960's. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/red_cross_hut.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Also on Communal Site 1 is one of the water pump houses, which survives today. Inside, you can still see the borehole which is approximately 150-200 feet down to the water table. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/pumphouse1.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/pumphouse3.jpg[/img] http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/pumphouse2.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 The Operations block was demolished in the early 1980's I believe, and the area is now completely overgrown. This picture overlays a watercolour painting I did onto the area where the Ops Block used to be. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/op_block.jpg[/img] Not far away, there is still a rusting Fire Hydrant sign, standing out of the undergrowth. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/hqfirehyd.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Back in the Technical site, a concrete base can be found that was the mounting for the Motor Transport petrol pump. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/mv_pump.jpg[/img] Also in the Tech Site is the remains of the Maintenance Unit, now only a few layers of bricks http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/maintenance_unit.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 WOW - great work Steve......keep them coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 From the air, the outline of the main runway can still be seen, while the 351st BS perimeter track is intact. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/main_runway.jpg[/img] On the other side of the airfield, the poor topsoil shows the location of the main hangar base. The Technical Site was in the wood to the right. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b304/vultee35/ta/hangar_base.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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