RAF Harrington
RAF Harrington
Main page
1701926

RAF Harrington

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
RAF Harrington

Royal Air Force Harrington or more simply RAF Harrington is a former Royal Air Force station in England about 5.6 miles (9.0 km) west of Kettering in Northamptonshire south of the village of Harrington off the A14 road. During the early Cold War it was a Thor missile site, designed to deliver atomic warheads to the Soviet Union. The nuclear missile site is now protected as a Grade II listed building as an example of Cold War architecture.

The airfield was opened in September 1943 and was originally planned as a satellite for No. 84 Operational Training Unit RAF at RAF Desborough. The airfield, intended for heavy bomber use, was built by 826th and 852nd Engineer Battalions of the US Army and was completed in the spring of 1944.

Harrington was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force and assigned USAAF designation Station 179.

USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Harrington were:

Regular Army Station Units included:

The first United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force Group to use Harrington was the 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional), arriving from RAF Alconbury on 25 March 1944.

Its initial operational squadrons were:

Both were equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberators.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.