View source for RAF Podington

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station}}
{{For|the civil use of this facility after 1961|Santa Pod Raceway}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}{{Use British English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name       = RAF Podington<br>USAAF Station 109
|ensign     = [[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|100px|alt=]] [[File:Eighth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png|60px|alt=]]
|ensign_size= 
|location   = [[Podington]], [[Bedfordshire]]<ref name=ABCT>{{Cite web|url=https://abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/podington/|title=Podington|website=ABCT.org.uk|publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|date=n.d.|access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref>
|country    = [[England]], United Kingdom
|image      = Podington airfield overlay.jpg
|alt        = Aerial photograph of Podington airfield overlay.
|caption    = Podington airfield overlay
|image_size = 300
|coordinates= {{Coord|52|13|52|N|00|36|21|W|region:GB-BDF_type:airport}}
|gridref    = SP 953603
|type       = [[Military]] [[airbase]]
|pushpin_map= Bedfordshire
|pushpin_mapsize= 300
|pushpin_map_alt= 
|pushpin_mark= 
|pushpin_marksize= 
|pushpin_label= RAF Podington
|pushpin_map_caption= Location in Bedfordshire
|code       = <!--facility/installation code -->
|site_area  = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
|height     = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
|length     = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
|ownership  = [[Air Ministry]]
|operator   = [[Royal Air Force]]<br>[[United States Army Air Forces]]
|controlledby= <!-- such as RAF Bomber Command or the Eighth Air Force -->
|open_to_public= <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
|condition  = 
|site_other_label= <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
|site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->  
|website    = 
|built      = {{Start date and age|1942|08|df=y}}<ref name=ABCT/><ref name=RAFweb>{{Cite web|last=Barrass|first=Malcolm B.|date=15 July 2023|url=https://rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-P.htm#Podington|title=RAF Stations - P — RAF Podington|website=RAFweb.org|publisher=Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation|access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref>
|built_for  = 
|builder    = 
|architect  = 
|used       = {{End date and age|1946|01|07|df=y}}<ref name=ABCT/>
|materials  = 
|fate       = closed, returned to industry and recreation<!--changed from demolished parameter-->
|demolished = 
|battles    = 
|events     = 
|past_commanders= <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
|garrison   = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
|occupants  = <!-- squadrons only -->
|designations= 
|nrhp       = 
|footnotes  = <!--catchall in case it's needed to preserve-->
<!--begin airfield information-->
|elevation = {{Convert|330|ft|0}}
|r1-number = 00/00
|r1-length = {{Convert|6000|ft|0}}
|r1-surface= [[concrete]]
|r2-number = 00/00
|r2-length = {{Convert|3300|ft|0}}
|r2-surface= concrete  
|r3-number = 00/00
|r3-length = {{Convert|3300|ft|0}}
|r3-surface = concrete 
}}
[[File:8AFHQ-boston3-bovington.jpg|thumb|[[Douglas A-20 Havoc|RDB-7B (RAF Douglas A-20C-1-DO Havoc Boston III)]], [[United Kingdom military aircraft serial numbers|registration]] AL672, shown as a staff communications aircraft for [[Eighth Air Force|8th AF]] HQ at [[RAF Bovingdon]].  Prior to its use by 8th AF, this aircraft was originally used to equip the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) and used on 4 July [[1942 in aviation|1942]] a low-level attack on [[Luftwaffe]] airfields in the Netherlands.|alt=]]
'''Royal Air Force Podington''', more commonly known as '''RAF Podington''',<ref name=RAFweb/> is a former [[Royal Air Force]] [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|station]] in northern [[Bedfordshire]], [[England]], {{Convert|6|mi|0|abbr=off}} south-east of [[Wellingborough]], [[Northamptonshire]].

==History==
Podington airfield was originally built as an [[aerodrome]] for the [[Air Ministry]] between [[1940 in the United Kingdom|1940]]<ref name=ABCT/> and [[1941 in the United Kingdom|1941]], to accommodate two [[bomber aircraft]] squadrons of the [[Royal Air Force]].

===USAAF use===
On 18 April [[1942 in the United Kingdom|1942]], it was made available to the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]] (8th AF). Podington was assigned '''USAAF Station Number 109'''.

====28th Troop Carrier Squadron====
The first USAAF unit to use Podington was the 28th Troop Carrier Squadron (28th TCS)<ref name=RAFweb/> in June [[1942 in aviation|1942]], arriving from [[Westover Army Air Field]], [[Massachusetts]]. The 20th was part of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, based at [[RAF Chelveston]].

The 28th TCS flew [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]s from the base until rejoining the 60th at [[RAF Aldermaston]] in August.

====15th Bombardment Squadron (Light)====
{{See also|27th Fighter Wing}}
The [[15th Bombardment Squadron]] (15th BS),<ref name=RAFweb/> arrived on 15 September 1942 from [[RAF Molesworth]], flying the British [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|Boston III]] light bomber. The 15th was originally part of the 27th Bombardment Group (Light), based in the [[Philippines|Philippine Islands]], however the [[Group (military unit)|group's]] aircraft (A-24's), did not arrive by 7 December [[1941 in aviation|1941]]. Due to the deteriorating situation in the Philippines after the Japanese attack, they were diverted to Australia where they reformed into a combat unit and fought in the [[Dutch East Indies]] and [[New Guinea]] campaigns.

From Molesworth, the squadron joined with six RAF crews from [[RAF Swanton Morley]] in Norfolk for a low-level attack on [[Luftwaffe]] airfields in the Netherlands on 4 July. At Podington, the 15th BS later acquired their own USAAF [[Douglas A-20 Havoc]]s, and flew a number of missions with [[RAF Bomber Command]]. In October, {{Not a typo|the 15th BS}} was transferred to [[Twelfth Air Force]] for support of Allied landings in North Africa, being assigned to [[Ste-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield]], [[Algeria]] on 26 December 1942, its crews were absorbed by the 47th Bombardment Group (Light), and the 15th was inactivated.

====8th Bomber Command Combat Crew Replacement Unit====
The VII BC CCRU moved almost immediately to Podington in August 1942. The unit remained until May [[1943 in aviation|1943]], processing personnel into the UK, then assigning them as replacements to various 8th AF [[Group (military unit)|groups]] in [[East Anglia]].

====301st Bombardment Group (Heavy)====
From 15 August through to 2 September 1942, Podington was briefly used by the 301st Bombardment Group, based at [[RAF Chelveston]] as a satellite airfield for its [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] bombers.

It was quickly found that Podington was inadequate to support the B-17s, and required improvement to [[class A airfield]] standards. As a result, the runways at Podington were lengthened to accommodate the heavy four-engined bombers of the [[Eighth Air Force]] (8th AF). Topographical limitations, however, resulted in the NE-SW [[runway]] being only {{Convert|1100|yard|abbr=off}}, giving Podington an exceptionally short secondary runway. Additional [[Dispersal (military)|dispersed]] hardstands and [[taxiway]]s were also constructed.

====100th Bombardment Group (Heavy)====
In early June [[1943 in the United Kingdom|1943]], the [[100th Bombardment Group, Heavy]]<ref name=RAFweb/> arrived at Podington from [[Kearney, Nebraska|Kearney AAF]] [[Nebraska]]. However the [[Group (military unit)|group]] only stayed for less than a week (2–8 June) before moving on to [[RAF Thorpe Abbotts]] in south [[Norfolk]], East Anglia.

====92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy)====
Podington remained vacant until 23 September, when the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy)<ref name=RAFweb/> moved into Podington from [[RAF Alconbury]]<ref name=ABCT/> in Cambridgeshire, to allow the 482nd Bomb Group to be formed there. The 92nd was the oldest [[Group (military unit)|group]] in the [[Eighth Air Force]], having been the first USAAF bomber group to make the [[transatlantic flight]] to the UK in July 1942.

The 92nd Bomb Group was known as 'Fame's Favored Few', and it was assigned to the 40th Combat Wing, at [[RAF Thurleigh]]. The group tail code was a 'Triangle B'. Its operational squadrons were:
*[[325th Bombardment Squadron]] (NV)
*[[326th Bombardment Squadron]] (JW)
*[[327th Bombardment Squadron]] (UX)
*[[407th Bombardment Squadron]] (PY)

[[File:B-17g-42-39958-92d-pod.jpg|thumb|Lockheed/Vega B-17G-10-VE Flying Fortress (serial 42-39958) of the 92d Bomb Group. This aircraft suffered severe damage during a mission to [[Hamburg]] Germany on 4 November [[1944 in aviation|1944]] attacking the Harburg oil complex. It was written off after it landed safely.|alt=]]

[[File:B-17g-44-8579-92d-pod.jpg|thumb|B-17s of the 92d Bomb Group on a mission over Nazi Occupied Europe.  Visible is Lockheed/Vega B-17G-70-VE Flying Fortress (serial 44-8579).|alt=]]

From Podington, the group flew almost 300 operational missions over Nazi-Occupied Europe. Missions were flown to [[Wilhelmshaven]], a tyre plant at [[Hanover]], airfields near Paris, an aircraft factory at [[Nantes]], and a magnesium mine and reducing plant in Norway.

Although handicapped by weather conditions, enemy fire, and insufficient fighter protection, the 92nd bombed aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January [[1944 in aviation|1944]], and received a [[Distinguished Unit Citation]] for the mission.<ref name=ABCT/>

The group took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during [[Big Week]], 20–25 February 1944. After that, it attacked [[V-weapon]] sites in France; airfields in France, Germany, and the [[Low Countries]], and industrial targets in France, Germany, and Belgium, making concentrated strikes on oil and transportation facilities after October 1944.

In addition to strategic missions, the 92nd performed some interdictory and support operations, assisting the [[Operation Overlord|Normandy invasion]] in June 1944 by hitting gun emplacements, junctions, and marshalling yards in the beachhead area, supporting ground forces at [[Saint-Lô]] during the breakthrough in July 1944, bombing gun positions and bridges to aid the [[Operation Market-Garden|airborne assault on the Netherlands]] in September 1944, participating in the [[Battle of the Bulge]], from December 1944 to January [[1945 in aviation|1945]], by attacking bridges and marshalling yards in and near the battle area and bombing airfields near the landing zone to cover the [[Operation Varsity|airborne assault across the Rhine]] in March 1945.

After [[V-E Day]], the 92nd Bomb Group Moved to [[Istres]] Air Base, France, in June 1945, where the unit transported troops from [[Marseille]] to [[Casablanca]] for return to the United States of America.  The group was inactivated in France on 28 February [[1946 in aviation|1946]], where the personnel demobilised and its B-17 aircraft were sent to storage.

=====Medal of Honor=====
92d Bombardment Group Flight Officer [[John C. Morgan]], co-pilot, received the [[Medal of Honor]] for action aboard a B-17 during a mission over Europe on 26 July 1943. His aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters, the pilot suffered a brain injury which left him in a crazed condition. For two hours, Morgan flew in formation with one hand at the controls and the other holding off the struggling pilot who was attempting to fly the plane. Finally another crew member was able to relieve the situation and the B-17 made a safe landing at Podington.

====479th Antisubmarine Group====
The ground echelon of the [[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command]] [[479th Antisubmarine Group]]<ref name=RAFweb/> moved to Podington in November 1943, after its air echelon was inactivated at [[RAF Dunkeswell]] in [[Devon]]. From Podington, the [[Group (military unit)|groups']] ground echelons of its headquarters and attached operational squadrons were reassigned to various Eighth Air Force units as replacements, and the group being disbanded on 11 November.

====RAF Podington unit emblems====
{{Gallery|title=American unit emblems based at RAF Podington|align=center|width=
|File:28th Air Transport Squadron emblem.jpg|Emblem of the 28th TCS.|alt1=
|File:15th Bombardment Sq (Light).svg|Emblem of the 15th BS.|alt2=
|File:Emblem of the 100th Bombardment Group (World War II), emblem.jpg|Emblem of the 100th BG.|alt3=
|File:Ar-92 bombardment gp.jpg|Emblem of the 92nd BG.|alt4=
}}

===Air Ministry use===
The [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) returned Podington to the [[Royal Air Force]] in July [[1945 in the United Kingdom|1945]], and the airfield was retained by the [[Air Ministry]] for storage.  As late as 1960, [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) personnel were assigned to Podington looking after several million [[sandbag]]s.

In 1961, a [[public inquiry]] was made by a [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) with regards to the need by the MoD to maintain millions of Second World War sandbags, and the outcome of the investigation was the sale of Podington to private interests later that year.

Light aircraft and glider flying continued from Podington airfield until the late 1960s.<ref name=ABCT/>

==Main units==
The main military and subsequent civilian units and organisations based at RAF Podington throughout its military and subsequent civilian history were:<ref name=ABCT/>
<div style=column-width:26em>
*[[4th Antisubmarine Squadron]] – November 1943
*[[5th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron]]
*[[6th Antisubmarine Squadron]] — November 1943
*[[8th Bomber Command]] Combat Crew Replacement Unit
*[[13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron]]
*[[15th Bomber Squadron (Light)]]
*[[19th Antisubmarine Squadron]]
*[[22nd Attack Squadron#World War II|22nd Antisubmarine Squadron]]
*[[28th Troop Carrier Squadron]]
*[[92nd Bombardment Group]]
*[[100th Bombardment Group]]
*[[325th Bombardment Squadron]]
*[[326th Bombardment Squadron]]
*[[327th Bombardment Squadron]]
*[[352nd Bombardment Squadron]]
*[[407th Bombardment Squadron]]
*[[479th Antisubmarine Group]]
*[[Northamptonshire Gliding Club]]
*[[Royal Air Forces Association]] Gliding Club
*[[Tiger Moth Flying Group]]
</div>

==Current use==
With the end of [[British Armed Forces|military]] control, some [[airfield]] demolition and [[concrete]] removal was performed in the early 1960s, however before all the airfield [[runway]]s were ground into [[Construction aggregate|aggregate]], a group of [[drag racing]] enthusiasts approached the owners to use its former main runway as a drag racing strip.  In [[1964 in the United Kingdom|1964]], an agreement was reached for what became '''[[Santa Pod Raceway]]''',<ref name=RAFweb/> which opened during Easter weekend, [[1966 in the United Kingdom|1966]].  Now informally known as 'The Pod', it is the premier drag racing facility in the United Kingdom, and a top circuit for European dragster racing.<ref name=ABCT/>

Its main runway was used in the title sequences for ''[[The Prisoner]]'', a British television drama series about science-fiction and espionage.<ref name=ABCT/>

In [[1972 in the United Kingdom|1972]], the concrete was resurfaced with [[Bitumen|asphalt]] and Santa Pod became a major European centre for drag racing.

Some of the buildings of the former Technical Site remain, though most have succumbed to [[vandalism]] or demolition.  The two main T-2 [[hangar]]s are gone; one was dismantled and the other lost in a fire.  The former [[air traffic control]] tower is one of the few to have been converted into an unusual private house.<ref name=ABCT/>  Those buildings that remain are generally in use by local businesses, though some are derelict.  The old Headquarters and Operations Block in particular have seen recent use as a stables, they are not in the best of condition.  The perimeter track remains in many places, though reduced in width, and the runways have long since gone (with the exception of the portion of the former main runway now in use as the drag racing track).

On 26 May 2013, a ceremony and dedication service took place to officially unveil an inscribed granite memorial stone within Santa Pod Raceway, on the site of the former Podington Airfield.<ref name=ABCT/>  Organised by the [[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]] (ABCT), the service included the chief executive of Santa Pod Raceway, chief of ABCT, an [[air officer]] of the Royal Air Force, and standard bearers of the [[Royal British Legion]], and culminated with a [[flypast]] consisting of a [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] bomber aircraft flanked by [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricane]] and [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] fighters from the [[Battle of Britain Memorial Flight]] (BBMF).<ref>{{Cite AV media|last=Bannerman|first=Kenneth|date=25 Jul 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2yyJyS1SYY|title=Podington: ABCT marker unveiling #30|format=video|location=[[Santa Pod Raceway]]|via=YouTube}}</ref>

Podington may yet serve the nation once again; there is a proposal by Nuon Renewables to build nine wind turbines (downgraded from the original proposal of fifteen) on the old airfield site, though this is running into significant local opposition; as is usually the case with proposed wind farms.  The proposed wind farm would generate electricity for 10,000 local homes.

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Aviation|History}}
*[[List of former Royal Air Force stations]]

==References==
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{Wikicite|ref={{harvid|Freeman|2001}}|reference=Freeman, R. ''Airfields of the Eighth - Then and Now. After the Battle''. London, UK: Battle of Britain International Ltd., 2001. {{ISBN|0-9009-13-09-6}}.}}
*{{Wikicite|ref={{harvid|Maurer|1980}}|reference=Maurer, M. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.}}
*{{Cite book|last=Ravenstein|first=Charles A|date=1984|title=Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977|location=[[Maxwell AFB]], Alabama|publisher=Office of Air Force History|isbn=0-912799-12-9}}
*{{Cite book|last=Rogers|first=Brian|date=2005|title=United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978|location=[[Hinckley]], England|publisher=Midland Publications|isbn=1-85780-197-0}}
*[http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/usafserials.html USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF aircraft serial numbers — 1908 to present]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW9psN7YnY4 World War Two footage 92nd Bomb Group Podington England 1944 airfield and huts] — historic 5 minute video, at YouTube
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060507012749/http://www.armyairforces.com/dbgroups.asp?Group=82 60th Troop Carrier Group]
*[http://www.301bg.com 301st Bombardment Group] — at ArmyAirForces.com, via Archive.org
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060426211355/http://www.afa.org/magazine/valor/0591valor.asp 15th Bombardment Squadron] — at AFA.org, via Archive.org
*[http://www.100thbg.com 100th Bombardment Group]
*[http://www.92ndma.org 92nd Bombardment Group] — at 92ndma.org
*[http://8thcontrails.com/ipw-web/gallery/album74 Historic Podington photo gallery] — at 8thContrails.com
*[http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/php/1Loc.php?Base=Podington United States Army Air Forces - Podington] — at Mighty8thAF.preller.us

{{Royal Air Force}}
{{USAAF 8th Air Force UK}}
{{USAAF Antisubmarine Command}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Podington, RAF}}
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Airfields of the VIII Bomber Command in the United Kingdom]]