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RAF Harrington, in Northamptonshire, is one of the most distinctive Second World War airfields in Britain because of its association with clandestine operations rather than conventional bomber sorties. Built as a ‘Class A’ airfield and designated USAAF Station 179, it had the standard heavy-bomber infrastructure – concrete runways, dispersals and technical areas – yet its most important work took place at night and often outside public knowledge until long after the war.
Harrington became the headquarters of the USAAF’s special duties ‘Carpetbagger’ force. These units operated modified aircraft on secret missions to occupied Europe, delivering agents, weapons, radios and supplies to resistance movements and collecting personnel when required. The airfield therefore sits at the intersection of air power and underground warfare. Unlike mass bomber operations, these sorties relied on small crews, strict radio discipline, precise navigation to remote drop zones, and the ability to operate under blackout conditions while avoiding both enemy fighters and friendly defences.
Special duties aircraft were adapted for the role. Modifications could include changes to fuel capacity, navigation and radio equipment, quiet or low-visibility lighting, and the fittings needed to dispatch containers or parachutists quickly. Crews had to master low-level and night navigation over hostile territory, often returning alone rather than in large protective formations. Weather could cancel missions; moonlight could help or expose; and the risks included flak, interception and the ever-present possibility of forced landings far from help.
The station’s ground organisation also differed from a conventional bomber base. Security and compartmentalisation were strict. Stores handling included not only bombs but also containers and equipment meant for resistance networks. Planning staff had to coordinate with intelligence and special operations organisations, ensuring that drop timings matched local arrangements on the ground. The human stakes were unusually personal: success might arm a resistance group or enable sabotage; failure could lead to capture and death for people on the receiving end as well as for aircrew.
- USAAF identity: Station 179.
- Best known role: USAAF special operations (‘Carpetbagger’) missions supporting resistance in occupied Europe.
- Why it mattered: enabled clandestine warfare by moving people and supplies across enemy-controlled territory at night.
Harrington’s significance therefore lies in a different kind of impact. It was not primarily a station of mass tonnage and formations, but a base where aviation served as a covert bridge between Britain and occupied Europe. Today it stands as one of the clearest airfield links to the secret war, demonstrating how runways and aircraft supported not only armies, but also networks of resistance and intelligence that contributed to liberation.
The airfield also had to solve a practical problem that conventional bomber bases did not face in the same way: how to operate with secrecy while still generating reliable flying output. Security, compartmentalised planning, and careful control of movements were part of daily routine. That organisational discipline was itself a weapon, ensuring that clandestine air support could continue without compromising agents and networks on the ground.