USAAF & Airshow 3 Day Tour

www.airshowtours.com

Then: - In 1942 when Britain was fighting desperately for her survival, help came with the United States’ entry into World War II and the consequent deployment of USAAF in Britain. Their assistance in the heavy bombardment of Nazi Germany heralded one of the biggest civil engineering projects ever seen. The farms of East Anglia were dug up and in their place appeared hundreds of airfields, built to house the 60 heavy bomber groups who would go forward to commit countless heroic and memorable acts. During the build-up to D-Day, as part of the deception plan for the landings, the bombers of the 8th and 9th Air Forces flew many strategic missions in partnership with their RAF colleagues. On D-Day itself, the B-26 ‘Marauder Men’ bombed Pointe du Hoc and other tactical targets, protecting the ‘load carriers’ of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions including ‘The Band of Brothers’. As part of the continuing operations, bomber groups then undertook missions on targets in Normandy.
Afterwards: - By D-Day, June 6th 1944, more than half of USAAF’s combat strength was concentrated in England - most in the East Anglia area. Lasting friendships sprang up between local people and US servicemen, including approximately 60,000 marriages! During almost 3 years of air operations from England, more than 30,000 airmen were reported missing or killed in action and many still have their last resting place in British soil. Airmen cannot return to battlefields in the sky to pay respects to comrades who fell and so the focal point today turns to the old wartime bases and villages nearby. Today: - We invite you to see where the bombers flew from, to visit the villages which once rang with American voices and the U.S. Military Cemetery at Madingley, testament to the sacrifice of the bomber crews. The airshow tour takes in five airfields and chooses from a famous range of buildings and museums, such as Seething, Thorpe Abbot, Parnham, Earls Colne, Bassingbourne, Grafton Underwood, Polebrook, Molesworth, Chiping Ongar and Safron Walden. For the 50th Anniversary in 1992 and since then we have brought back hundreds of USAAF veterans and their families – so travel with us and hear their personal stories.

2008 Airshows
May 18 - Duxford Spring Airshow
July 13 - Duxford Flying Legends Airshow
September 7 - Duxford 90th Anniversary Airshow
October 5 - Duxford Autumn Airshow