Typical 8th AF air base
 

Looking for a good reference (book or whatever) to have an overview of a typical 8th AF base in England, such as number of personnel flying, non flying, mechanics, riggers, armourers, guards, dogs (no, I'm kidding)... vehicles, accomodation, PX... and so on.
Thanks in advance.

Chris

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

Here's a bibliography:

http://books.stonebooks.com/subject/1000544/

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

Thanks Larry.
That's a start, but I fear they might focus too much on the airfields themselves and not the people who were there.

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

The books may be the only alternative to base occupancy reports with ration strengths by unit that may be in the archives. Such reports, if they even existed, may not have been retained as permanent records. The only report that I know of that had the sort of detail you want was the unit morning report. Each unit on the base would have filled out one each day and a copy sent to the Air Base Group of Wing responsible for that particular air base.

Whether or not it would have then prepared a consolidated report that would have given all the units stationed on that air base with personnel strengths broken down by job function is unknown to me. In any event, I have never seen one.

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

OK.
I'll start with that and see where it's leading me to.
Thanks.

Chris

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

The 303rd Bombardment Group webpage has some good detail on Ground Support units at airfields: http://www.303rdbg.com/support-photo.html

TomT

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

This station detail for the 303d Bomb Group is quite interesting in a side-by-side comparison with a German equivalent. They are almost identical with those components found at a large Luftwaffe bomber base.

The 325th Service Detachment (later the 3rd Station Complement) was the equivalent of a Fliegerhorstkommandantur;
444th Sub Depot = Werftkompanie or Flughafenbetriebskompanie;
2097th Engineers Fire Fighting Platoon = Luftwaffen-Feuerwehrzug
1114th Quartermaster Company = Nachschubkompanie d.Lw.
1199th Military Police Company = Landesschützenkompanie d.Lw.
1681st Ordnance Company = Waffen-Werkstattkompanie d.Lw.
303d Station Hospital = Ortslazarett d.Lw.

Same setup, approximately the same size for the most part, independently numbered so the base components could be moved about as needed, same function, same duties. Either similar organizational arrangements were common in all air forces of the time, or the USAAF "borrowed" a lot of ideas from their Luftwaffe enemy or vice versa!

L.

Re: Typical 8th AF air base
 

The US Army was known for being influenced by the Prussian Army at the end of the 19th Century, so I suspect any organisational influence long predated either the Luftwaffe or the USAAC. However, all airforces will have had much the same needs, and where needs lead organisation tends to follow.