USAAF 8TH Airforce Station 474
"WELFORD PARK"
8th AIRFORCE COMMAND
Location :
7 miles NW of Newbury, Berks ,UK
History of "Welford Park" in American Hands
Sept 6th 1943 Handed over the 8th Airforce Command
Nov 6th 1943 First aircraft arrived
(Remnants of the 315th Troop Carrier Wing from Aldernmaston)
December 1943 434th Troop Carrier Group arrived from the Mediterranean
(71st 72nd 73rd 74th Troup Carrier Group )
Dec 1943 435th Troop Carrier Group Undertakes Training With The 101st Airborne
January 1944 435th Troop Carrier Group arrived at Welford
(75th 76th 77th 78th Troup Carrier Group)
LOADING C47'S OF THE 74TH TCF AT WELFORD 1944
434th Troop Carrier Group Departed To Fulbeck
Feb 1944 315th Troop Carrier Group Departed to Spanhoe
438th Troop Carrier Group Arrived From The States
(87th, 88th ,89th 90th Troop Carrier Group)
9th AIRFORCE COMMAND
Feb 22nd 1944 Station 477 Transferred To The 9th Airforce
March 1944 438th Troop Carrier Group departed To Greenham Common
March 23rd 1944 Demonstration to Churchill and Eisenhower and others of airborne operations .Later in the month 97 gliders towed across country for navigation exercise and released near the base .All landed back at base in 10 second intervals .Night towing of gliders commenced and re-supply missions practice flown.
6th June 1944 " D-Day " 435th TCG drop the first wave of paratroops of the 501st PIR and 101st airborne near Cherbourg .The lead aircraft carried General Taylor and his staff . Flack brought down 3 C-47s and 7 more were damaged .Returning serviceable aircraft were marshaled into position to tow 12 Hadrian and 38 Horsa Gliders to Cherbourg that evening
7th June 1944 "D-Day +1) 435th TCG more gliders to Normandy followed by supply drops
When strips became available the 435th TCG delivered freight and medical supplies and brought out injured personnel to hospitals in the Newbury area . During late June Aircraft of the 435th TCG participated in snatch glider trials with the CG-4a Hadrians
July 1944 Detachments of the 435th TCG departed to Tarquinia in Italy for "Operation Anvil " the invasion of Southern France
September 1944 435th TCG detachments returned to Welford and started training for operation "Market Garden "
Sept 17th 1944 36 C-47 carrying elements of the 101st Airborne took off for a Drop Zone north of the Wilhemina Canal near Eindhoven . Glider tow operations followed for the next 2 days followed by re-supply operations for the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne including Howeitzer ammunition . Freight and Medivac operations followed .
Feb 1945 435th TCG moved to Bretigny in France.
Feb 13th 1945 Group Support Units Moved out
June 1945 Base Returned to RAF