Base Air Depot 2 | American Air Museum in Britain

Aerial photograph of C-47 Skytrains, B-24 Liberators and Gliders at the 2nd Base Air Depot at Warton, January 1945

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Dick VanDuyn and his telephone crew at BAD2, Warton, England. Dick is on the far left.

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Dick VanDuyn, Telephone Engineer, Base Air Depot 2)

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Charles Tuttle (circled) and other aircraft engineers of Base Air Depot 2 with a B-24 Liberator at Warton,

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Downtime at Base Air Depot 2 (BAD-2). Bombsight repair mechanics. My father-in-law, Sergeant Theodore (Ted) Rasch on the left. Photographer unknown.

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"Consolidated B-24's of the 2nd Base Air Depot on the line at an airfield in Lancashire, England. 10 March 44. Note B-17E 41-9112 on right with power turrets in nose and tail, and radio op position? " B-17E 41-9112: The "Reed Project" B-17, nicknamed "Dreamboat". Modified by Major Robert J Reed, Bovingdon CCRC Engineering Officer. Consolidated hydraulic power turrets fitted in the nose and tail, Sperry upper turret replaced with Martin type. Power-assisted twin guns in radio hatch, concertina bomb bay doors.

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Sgt. Theodore "Ted" Rasch, Bombsight mechanic, Base Air Depot 2, Warton

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Bombsight Mechanics, Base Air Depot 2, Warton

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Sgt. Theodore "Ted" Rasch (left), with unknown, Base Air Depot 2, Warton

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Sgt. Theodore "Ted" Rasch, Base Air Depot 2, Warton, with weekend pass.

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During 1942 to 1945 Warton Aerodrome was Base Air Depot No. 2, Station 582 of the U.S. 8th Air Force. In the three years it was active it processed over 10,000 aircraft and saw over 45,000 aircraft movements. Every type of American aircraft used in the European Theatre of Operations visited B.A.D.2. The unit also processed over 422,120 aero engines, parachutes, accessories, armaments, radios and instruments. The work done here was essential to the war in Europe. Please also see: https://bad2.co.uk/

Structure

Part of

Maintenance Division

Division

Encompassing

Military Admin Section (Base Air Depot 2)

Section
Supply Section (Base Air Depot 2)

Section
Maintenance Division (Base Air Depot 2)

Misc

Previously was

Not yet known

Became

Not yet known

Stations

Station	Location	Date
Based	Warton	18 August 1942 – 3 September 1945

Connections

People

Ishmael Abernathy

Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter pilot | Base Air Depot 2
Trained with 312FS, 338FG. Assigned to 82FS, 78FG, 8AF USAAF.
Byron Amundsen

Military | Sergeant | Ground Crew | Base Air Depot 2
ETO, Good Conduct
Jimmie Andrews

Military | Flight Officer | Fighter Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
Assigned to 487FS, 352FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 310th Ferry Squadron, 27th Air Transport Group, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to Base Air Depot 2, 8AF USAAF.
John Baldauf

Military | Corporal | BAD Ground Staff | Base Air Depot 2
Marion Barnell

Military | Corporal | Mechanic | Base Air Depot 2
Cardell Barton

Military | Staff Sergeant | Ground Crew | Base Air Depot 2
Packed parachutes for airmen. At Freckleton at time of B 24 crashing into local school during thunderstorm.
Irving Bienstock

Military | Corporal | Medic | Base Air Depot 2
Originally served as a combat medic attached to the 253rd Combat Engineers. After being wounded in France, he was transferred to the Eighth Air Force, 2nd Strategic Air Depot. Good Conduct Medal; World War II Victory Medal
Lloyd Bingham

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | Base Air Depot 2
Killed in Action (KIA). P-51B #43-12415. On 4 Jan 1944 believed to have crashed at sea west of Fleetwood, Lancashire on local test flight.
Ernest Bloemendal

Military | Private First Class | Supply | Base Air Depot 2
John Bloemendal

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | Base Air Depot 2
Assigned to 2BAD, 8AF USAAF. Test pilot on B-24J 42-50291 'Classy Chassis II' which had completed an air test, when hit be lightning in a thunderstorm, having aborted it's landing at base. A/C crashed into the Frekleton school and adjacent snack bar....

Aircraft

42-106720

P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 505FS, 339FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort to Chatres, A/C P-51B 42-106720 suffered engine troubles, A/C abandoned and crashed near Châteaudun on 17-Jun-44. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 5945.
42-30167 Destiny's Tot, Angel Pumpkin

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 21/4/43; Tinker 27/4/43; Smoky Hill 5/5/43; Tinker 12/5/43; Lincoln 20/5/43; Bangor 23/5/43; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-H] Framlingham; Horham 15/6/43; ...
42-3090 'T'aint A Bird'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 6/2/43; en route to UK aircraft force landed Clonakilty, N. Ireland 7/4/43 with Bill Thomas, Co-pilot: Jim Stapleton, Navigator: Bill Prochaska, Bombardier: Collis Hayes, Ball turret gunner: Floyd Thompson frost-bitten feet, Radio...
42-3095 'Peggy Ann'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26-Jan-43; Pueblo 1-Feb-43; Dow Field, Bangor, Maine 10-Jun-43; Assigned 412BS/95BG [QW-Z] Horham 2-Jul-43; 14m, (force landed Eye AF 22/2/44), transferred SAD 1-Mar-44; 94BG Rougham 25-Jul-43; 25BG Watton 1-Apr-44; 2 BAD 19-Jun-44;...
42-31581

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; Paine Fd 28/11/43; Portland 2/12/43; Gt Falls 5/12/43; Kearney 16/12/43; Chicago 21/12/43; La Guardia 22/12/43; Grenier 24/12/43; Presque Is 30/12/43; Assigned Soxo 1/1/44 at Toome, N.I. ...
42-5156 'Lallah V'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 4/10/42; Salina 19/1/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-D/B] Chelveston 1/2/43; transferred AFSC 5/4-9/5/43 and 29/7-12/10/43; 2 Base Air Depot, Lt Staughton 20/3/44; Returned to the USA 8/5/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for...
42-5816 'Polly' aka 'Judy'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 25/2/43; Cheyenne 3/3/43; Sioux City 16/3/43; Kearney 4/8/43; Dow Fd 19/4/43; Assigned 527BS/379BG [FO-Q] Kimbolton 23/4/43; 2 Base Air Depot, Lt Staughton 4/4/44; Returned to the USA Homestead 25/7/44; Tinker 6/8/44; Patterson 27...
MM310

Mosquito
Crashed, RAF Warton, Belly Landing. 17th June 1944. Charles W Himes (pilot) USAAF. Written Off, Damaged Beyond Repair.
MM340

Mosquito
Minor damage ground looped, RAF Warton / USAAF Station 582, 18th March 1944. Charles W. Himes (pilot) USAAF. Struck Off Charge 17th June 1946.
42-52693 'Aries'

B-24 Liberator
After leaving 486th BG in July 1944, was put in storage at a depot and not received by 492nd BG at Harrington until between 7 & 23 Dec 44. Never flew in 492nd BG as a Carpetbagger. It remained a bomber (even after being painted black) and flew on all...

Citations

None

Date	Contributor	Update
02 March 2020 11:34:31	miAmigo	Changes to description
Sources
Added BAD 2 Association website
Date	Contributor	Update
17 March 2015 16:18:55	BAD-2 UK	Changes to description and stations
Sources
Details from research carried out by BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome Heritage Centre and "Bomble Bee".
Date	Contributor	Update
17 March 2015 12:04:26	BAD-2 UK	Changes to type, nicknames, motto, air forces and aircraft types
Sources
Details from research carried out by BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome Heritage Centre and "Bomble Bee".
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:42:46	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)