Bicycles of the USAAF in England, WW2

[Huffy45]

Neat original photo on ebay. From the small inscription could be 100th Bomb Group.

"The good looking lad with out the cap is me. Your pal, Don. Bernard Salmond 100 BG"

 

[DaGasMan]

The guy in the middle looks a lot like the Johnathan Winters character in
"It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World." The tow truck driver.
IT'S THE BIG DUBAYAH!

 

[Pedro96]

I appreciate that it's not nessecarily a USAAF bike but thought I'd share this with everyone.
I spent the weekend camped out at Debach airfield in Suffolk, England. In the war this was home to squadrons 860, 861, 862 and 863 of the 493rd bomb group. Below is a link to their website:

WWII Museum - 493bg Debach - American 8th Army Air Force

Home of the world war II Helton's Hellcats 493rd GB(H), Debach airfield, Suffolk, England.

www.493bgdebach.co.uk

It's well worth a visit to the airfield if you are in the UK and their website is equally as good with many good reference photos and information. The amount of kit and displays on site are staggering.

I took my RAF stamped bike in original paint for the weekend and did a few small rides in between jeep runs and trips to other museums.

As I say, not nessecarily a bike of the USAAF but it did come from RAF Saltby. It was rescued out of a shed which was scheduled for demolition which hadn't been opened since 1948.

 

[Mercian]

From Facebook / World War Pictures

USAAF Personnel play cards near a B-17F at RAF Polebrook - October 1942. The B-17F is 41-24392 “Hell’s Kitchen”.

41-24392 (MSN 3077) Accepted by USAAF at Boeing Field, Seattle, WA 28Jun42.
San Antonio Air Depot, Duncan Field, San Antonio, TX 30Jun42. 4
07th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, Dow Field, Bangor, ME 13Jul42.
North Atlantic Division, Air Transport Command, Presque Isle Field, ME.
Assigned to BOLERO (strategic movement of aircraft to Great Britain) 25Aug42.
North Atlantic Division, Air Transport Command, Presque Isle Field, ME.
Ferried overseas on the North Atlantic route; Gander, Newfoundland to Prestwick (Station 500), Scotland 26/27Aug42.
VIII Bomber Command, England.
407th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, Bovingdon (Station 112), Hertfordshire Aug42.
414th Bomb Squadron, 97th Bomb Group, Grafton Underwood (Station 106), Northamptonshire Aug42.
Polebrook (Station 110), Northamptonshire 8Sep42.
Battle damaged by enemy fighters during a mission to the submarine yards at Lorient, France 21Oct42.
Assigned to WILDFLOWER (Eighth Air Force, United Kingdom) 26Sep42.
Departed RAF Hurn, Bournemouth, Hampshire to North Africa 20Nov42.
Twelfth Air Force, Operation Torch Nov42.
414th Bomb Squadron, 97th Bomb Group, Maison Blanche, Algiers, Algeria 20Nov42.
Tafraoui, Oran, Algeria 22Nov42. Biskra, Algeria 25Dec42.
Châteaudun-du-Rhumel (Helen), Constantine, Algeria 8Feb43.
Battle damaged on a tactical mission to a convoy of Italian cruisers forty miles off Palermo, Sicily 26Feb43 (3WIA:7RMC).
Attacked by enemy Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters. With his guns frozen, the tail gunner was injured when struck by a 20mm cannon shell.
Seeing the fighters attacking the tail, the ball turret gunner instructed the pilot to raise the tail but
at that moment a cannon shell struck the ball turret, originally aimed at the tail.
The shell exploded in the turret, injuring the gunner. The radio operator had also been wounded,
the no.3 engine propeller was feathered and the no.1 engine was on fire.
As the pilot headed back to Châteaudun, the fire in no.1 engine had extinguished.
On approach to land, a tire was found to have been shot out but the plane landed safely
then grounded looped when the flat tire touched the runway, bending a couple of propellers.
Assigned to GLEN (Twelfth Air Force, Oran, Algeria) 1Jun43. Pont-du-Fahs, Tunisia 11Aug43.
Depienne, Sminja, Tunisia 15Aug43.
Fifteenth Air Force, Italy 1Nov43.
2nd Bomb Group, Massicault, Tunis, Tunisia 14Nov43.
Foggia #7, Amendola, Italy 10Dec43.
Destroyed in collision with B-17F 41-24382 while taxying 4May44.
Assigned to DUKO (Twelfth Air Force, Italy). Condemned salvage 6May44.
Named HELL'S KITCHEN

Photo Credit: LIFE Magazine Archives - Margaret Bourke-White Photographer WWP-PD

Battle damaged by enemy fighters during a mission to the submarine yards at Lorient, France 21Oct42.

Perhaps this is why it has a new rudder?

 

[Mercian]

Undated photo. Stanstead UK, USAAF personnel.

I think the "Hut too thee fo" on the door is a joke based on “Hup, two, three, four” used to set a cadence, helping soldiers to march in rhythm.

Edited to add, just noticed the white socks and slippers with the Tankers gear. That's got to be a rare combination (-:

 

[DaGasMan]

Undated photo. Stanstead UK, USAAF personnel.

View attachment 2121395

I think the "Hut too thee fo" on the door is a joke based on “Hup, two, three, four” used to set a cadence, helping soldiers to march in rhythm.

Edited to add, just noticed the white socks and slippers with the Tankers gear. That's got to be a rare combination (-:

This is my next WW2 event uniform! And I'm popping the tent with the "Hut, too, thee, fo"
sign on the tent rope too! Awesome. Of course, I don't have hair like that anymore.
But, I mean C'mon, chinos and loafers? Rockin' it. Way to go ole man!

 

[Mercian]

England. June 8th 1942.

Photo: AP

 

[Mercian]

Members of the Women Army Corps (WAC) stationed at a U.S. medium-bomber station in England ride bicycles on their way to work on December 22, 1943.

Photo: AP