Nuthampstead Airfield Aerial Photos

Introduction

In April 2008, Malcolm (Ozzie) Osborn presently Treasurer/Secretary of the English Friends of the 398th BGMA and joint founder of the Nuthampstead Airfield Research Society offered to provide several annotated aerial views of the "old" base for the 398th web site. It was a terrific offer and we heartily accepted. Ozz went right to work and we now have five very fine annotated views of the old base from 1944-45.

In Ozz's own words, "Now visitors can see where their Dad/Grandad/Great Grandad flew from, where he ate, got briefed, or maintained the big ships for the aircrews. Orientation on the ground requires much imagination, but I usually use the aerial photographs when I take visitors around dear old 131. It is really quite an emotional experience standing on the end of runway 35, or 05/23, then listening for the sound of an approaching B-17 carried on the breeze.

Can you imagine what it must have been like standing on the balcony of the control tower, looking into the distance, suddenly somebody exclaims "look there they are", then sure enough they appear as little dots in the distance. Everybody starts counting - 3, 6, 9, 12......34, damn there's two missing.............the first ship fires red flares, injured on board, it touches down, bounces, then touches down again, hard. The ambulance races out, the ship has many jagged holes all over the tail, fuselage and cockpit. They carefully lift the injured crewman to the ground on a stretcher, then into the back of the ambulance..."

Return to 398th Nuthampstead Air Base Photos to see the annotated photos.