Monument record 1297/1 - Harrington Airfield (WWII)

A Second World War military airfield, occupied between 1943-45 by the US Eighth Airforce (formerly USAAAF Station 179). The main unit using the site during World War Two was the 801 Bomb Group. Their role included supporting resistance movements in occupied Europe by making drops of equipment and agents. During the war the airfield was provided with three concrete runways and four aircraft hangars (type T2), which were placed on opposite east and west sides of the airfield. The main technical site was to the west and barracks were disperse to the north-west of the flying field. Ammunition dumps and bomb stores were situated to the south-west of the flying field in the angle of two runways. Wartime construction methods typically involved the use of "temporary materials" for many types of buildings. Part of the site was reoccupied in the late 1950s as the site for a Thor missile squadron (See 1297/2). Sections of the concrete runway and perimeter track remain in place and isolated airfield structures survive, including a butts and temporary wartime buildings. One of these structures has been used to house a small aviation museum. The Thor missile site, pyrotechnic store and classified storage building, constructed in 1959, are designated at Grade II.

{1} Harrington airfield, WWII and post-War airfield. 801st Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force flew special missions from Harrington. On-site museums hold exhibitions and an archive (this is known as The Carpet Baggers Museum).

{2} Three runways were in use during WWII, the former Lamport to Harrington road being stopped up for a while to enable perimeter tracks and one of the runways to be built across its route. Part of what appeared to be the concrete perimeter track were identified by Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group (NIAG) in June 1994 together with " a few concrete structures". One inspected was "surrounded on three sides by a thick and high earth bank and it is thought these concrete buildings date from the late 1950's…..".

{3} Identifies "Ops Block (now museum), Pyrotechnic stores, Butts; also THOR site buildings and pads."

{4} Plan of the airfield and associated sites in May 1945, list of resident flying unit and aerial photo from August 1945. USAAF Station 179; airfield code HR; elevation 535ft amsl. (p.258-59)(p.233-34): Harrington housed 218 Squadron from Dec 1959 with the arrival of the Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile unit. The unit held 3 missiles. Both Harrington and Polebrook, the other Northants missile base were part of the North Luffenham Wing, which controlled five sites. The missiles were stored horizontally in a movable shed being raised to the vertical firing position. Twenty old airfields in eastern England were used for Thor squadrons. The American missile had a range of 1750 miles and carried a two-megaton thermo-nuclear warhead. The entire operation was a joint Anglo-American affair. Because of their surface storage and launching pads the missiles were increasingly vulnerable to 'first strike ' attack. The new generation of missiles were underground US based missiles. Consequently disbandment was inevitable particularly after the political dealing that followed the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Polebrook and Harrington were amongst the last batch of five units to be disbanded.

{5} Harrington was originally an RAF satellite to Desborough airfield. It opened in late 1943 though lacking some usual features being incomplete at this time. It had been mainly built by the US 852nd Engineering Aviation Battalion. The RAF subsequently decided that they did not require the station and in March 1944 the 801st Bomb Group (Provis) arrived. Later used by the 492nd Bomb Group. The Americans departed in 1945. Conversion to agricultural land was gradual before 1958. It became a (joint RAF/USAAF) base for three Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles of 218 Squadron formed in December 1959 to look after them. Their stay was brief the squadron being disbanded on August 23rd 1963 "after which Harrington was sold for agricultural purposes".

{10} SP 774 77. Harrington Airfield was occupied for a short time between 1943 and 1945 by the United States Eight Air Force, during which time it was known as Station 179. The principal unit which operated from the Airfield was the 801/492 Bombardment Group (H), nicknamed the `Carpetbaggers'. Units which flew from the Airfield included the 406/858, 788/859, 36/856 and 850/857 squadrons. In addition to the bombing raids clandestine flights were also made into Europe from Harrington.
Few features of the wartime Airfield survive except for brick practice butts at SP 7703 7786, and sections of the concrete runway and perimeter track. A small aviation museum occupies one of the temporary wartime brick buildings. A section of the airfield was reoccupied during the late 1950s as the site for a Thor missile squadron (SP 77 NE 43).

{11} No change. Most of the site is now under arable farming. Only part of the site falls within this km square.

{12} Harrington/ Station 179. The main unit using the site during World War Two was the 801 Bomb Group. Their role included supporting resistance movements in occupied Europe by making drops of equipment and agents. An annotated reproduction of an air photograph (presumably taken during or immediately after the war) shows that the wartime site was provided with three concrete runways and four aircraft hangars (type T2), which were placed on opposite east and west sides of the airfield. The main technical site was to the west and barracks were disperse to the north-west of the flying field. Ammunition dumps and bomb stores were situated to the south-west of the flying field in the angle of two runways.

<1> Northamptonshire Enterprise, 1994, World War II American Airfield Nostalgia, (checked) (Pamphlet). SNN28528.

<2> 1994, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN39517.

<3> OSBORNE M., 1998, Letter, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN39526.

<4> Gibson M.L., 1982, Aviation In Northamptonshire: An Illustrated History, (unchecked) (Book). SNN100276.

<5> Bowyer M.J.F., 1990, Action Stations 6: Military Airfields of The Cotswolds and The Central Midlands, (unchecked) (Book). SNN39505.

<6> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1996-2013, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, Issue 108 p.5 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN55360.

<7> Bourn, R., 2008, Archaeological desk based assessment: Land at the former RAF Harrington, Northamptonshire, (checked) (Report). SNN108076.

<8> CLARKE R., 1992, The Carpetbaggers, Fly-Past, p.12-20 (Article). SNN39525.

<9> DIX B., 1990, Upper Faxton: Archaeology, (unchecked) (Report). SNN62938.

<10> Cocroft, W D, Field Investigator's Comments, Wayne D Cocroft/12-AUG-1998/RCHME: Cold War Project (Notes). SNN113478.

<11> Bowden, M, 2003, Field Investigators Comments, M.BOWDEN 19-FEB-2003 (Note). SNN114812.

<12> Freeman, R.A., 1978, Airfields of the eighth: then and now, p. 120-2 (Book). SNN111557.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:16PM