Also known as Station 139
The story of RAF Thorpe Abbotts
The 100th Bombardment Group arrived on 9 June 1943 with B-17 Flying Fortresses and the Square-D tail marking. Its squadrons were the 349th, 350th, 351st and 418th. Heavy losses on several missions earned it the name 'Bloody Hundredth'. It won a Distinguished Unit Citation for the Regensburg raid of 17 August 1943. On 10 October 1943, over Münster, only Robert Rosenthal's Royal Flush came back from the group's formation. A second citation followed for the Berlin raids of March 1944. The group flew its 306th and last mission on 10 April 1945.
The RAF took the airfield back in June 1946 and closed it in 1956. Most of the runways and hardstands were dug up for farming. The control tower was restored in 1977 and became the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum. The group's story reached a wider audience in 2024 through the series Masters of the Air.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), USAAF | 1943–1945 | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
What survives
- Restored control tower, home of the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum
- A light-aircraft strip on part of the old perimeter track
- Several wartime buildings in varying condition
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, Thorpe AbbottsDiss, Norfolk | Free | — | The tower itself. Climb to the glasshouse, look down the ghost of the main runway, and the entire Eighth Air Force story reorganises… |