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RAF Rackheath, just north-east of Norwich in Norfolk, was a USAAF heavy bomber station known as Station 145. Built as a Class A airfield in 1943, it became operational with the arrival of the 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in the spring of 1944. The 467th flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the Eighth Air Force’s strategic bombing campaign, and the station’s identity is inseparable from those four-engined aircraft and the intense operational tempo of 1944-45.
The 467th was assigned to the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing and carried the tail code ‘Circle-P.’ Its operational squadrons were the 788th (code X7), 789th (6A), 790th (Q2) and 791st (4Z) Bomb Squadrons. From Rackheath, Liberator crews attacked a wide range of targets: ports, airfields, industrial plants, communications hubs and oil infrastructure. The group also undertook tasks tied directly to Allied land operations. On D-Day and the days around it, raids against shore installations and bridges were intended to reduce German ability to respond to the invasion, and later in the summer the group supported the push across France through attacks on transport nodes.
One of the more unusual episodes associated with Rackheath was a logistical operation in September 1944, when bombers flew aviation fuel forward to an airfield in France to support mechanised forces – an illustration of how heavy bomber units could be adapted to immediate operational needs. The 467th also gained a lasting reputation for accuracy; late-war precision efforts culminated in record-setting results, reflecting both improved training and the cumulative experience of crews and navigators.
Operating B-24s required a highly disciplined maintenance and operations system. The Liberator’s complexity – engines, hydraulics, bomb bay systems, turrets, radios and oxygen – demanded constant attention, and the station’s technical areas worked continuously to keep aircraft serviceable. Mission planning involved weather forecasting, routeing to minimise losses, and the coordination needed to launch large formations on time. Like all Eighth Air Force stations, Rackheath also carried the human cost of daylight bombing: aircraft lost to flak and fighters, crews missing, and the emotional strain of repeated operations.
Rackheath’s war was relatively short but intense. Beginning operations in April 1944 and continuing until June 1945, the station represents the late-war peak of Eighth Air Force effort, when Allied air power achieved massive concentration and sustained pressure. Today, Rackheath is remembered through memorials and surviving traces of the wartime layout, telling the story of a Norfolk landscape transformed into a platform for the air offensive.
WW2 units, roles and aircraft:
- USAAF Station 145 – Eighth Air Force
- 467th Bombardment Group (Heavy) – Consolidated B-24 Liberator; tail code ‘Circle-P’
- Bomb squadrons: 788th (X7), 789th (6A), 790th (Q2), 791st (4Z)
Rackheath’s late-war period also illustrates how bombing doctrine shifted as Allied advantage grew. Improved navigation, better intelligence and accumulated crew experience increased effectiveness. Stations that maintained high serviceability while adapting to new target priorities were crucial in turning air superiority into strategic effect on the ground.
Rackheath’s late-war period also illustrates how bombing doctrine shifted as Allied advantage grew. Improved navigation, better intelligence and accumulated crew experience increased effectiveness. Stations that maintained high serviceability while adapting to new target priorities were crucial in turning air superiority into strategic effect on the ground.