Building record 1297/1/4 - Harrington Airfield Memorial Monument

WW2 memorial also known as The Carpetbaggers Memorial, erected for the United States 8th Air Force who flew clandestine night missions to the continent, dropping munitions and supplies to underground resistance fighters in Nazi occupied Europe and parachuted in OSS Agents to carry out espionage activites.

{1} A memorial stands on Harrington to Lamport road.

{2} Photo.

{3} Angled plinth with inscription etched onto top & sides. 8th. Air Force badge in enamel and etched depiction of a B24 Liberator taking off, on front face of memorial. The whole memorial stands on a kerbed raised stone base.
The inscription on the memorial reads: Front : THE UNITED STATES 8TH AIR FORCE/ 801ST/492ND BOMBARDMENT GROUPS/ CARPETBAGGERS/ FLEW CLANDESTINE NIGHT MISSIONS FROM THIS SECRET AIRFIELD/ DURING WORLD WAR TWO IN BLACK B-24 LIBERATOR BOMBERS/ DROPPING MUNITIONS AND SUPPLIES TO UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE FIGHTERS/ IN NAZI OCCUPIED EUROPE/ THEY PARACHUTED AND LANDED OSS AGENTS INTO BELGIUM, DENMARK/ FRANCE THE NETHERLANDS NORWAY AND GERMANY/ TO CARRY OUT ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES AGAINST ENEMY FORCES/ THEY ALSO FLEW NIGHT BOMBING MISSIONS/ 208 AMERICAN AIRCREWMEN GAVE THEIR LIVES FLYING FROM THIS AIRFIELD/ 1944 1945 Side : 406th/858th SQUADRON/ 788th/859th SQUADRON/ 36th/856th/ SQUADRON/ 850th/857th SQUADRON Rear : UNITED STATES 8th AIR FORCE/ STATION 179 / AIR BASE SUPPORTING UNITS/ (Titles of supporting units)

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

<2> Cadman, G., 2002, Harrington Airfield/ Thor Missile Base, (checked) (Photographs). SNN107062.

<3> Imperial War Museum, Imperial War Museum Register, https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/37391 [Accessed 07/11/2023] (Website). SNN110774.

Record last edited

Nov 7 2023 2:52PM