North Witham
Location:
Dates of Operation:
close to the A151Corby Glen to Colsterworth
road, with off road parking in the ‘Twyford
Wood’ Forestry Commission car park.
1942 to 1945 – 9th USAAF
base – Station 479
1945 – 5 Group airfield
1945 to 1946 – Maintenance Command
base & RAF Regiment
1948 – Closed and subsequent
forestry planting
Construction work on North
Witham began in late 1942
and the following year it
was allocated to the 9th
United States Army Air
Force (USAAF) as
Station 479.
It became
an important
location as the
Squadrons / Units:
Headquarters
9th USAAF HQ Unit for 1st
for the 1st
Advanced Air Depot Area (AADA)
Advanced Air
Depot Area
1st Tactical Air Depot (TAD)
(AADA),
US 9th Troop Carrier Command
Pathfinder Group
30
responsible for supply and
maintenance of all of the
bomber and troop carrying
aircraft of the 9th USAAF.
The AADA was sub-divided
into 12 Air Depot Groups
(ADGs) and typically ADGs
paired up to form a Tactical Air
Depot (TAD). North Witham
itself housed one TAD with
others deployed to other 9th
USAAF bases to carry out
maintenance work.
Soon another important unit
was formed at North Witham,
the US 9th Troop Carrier
Command Pathfinder Group
with specialist aircrew trained
to use radio navigation aids for
airborne operations.
They c