RAF Thorpe Abbotts battle headquarters

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 14 May 2014

Rooms branch off to the left of the entrance passage. The toilet cubicle can be seen at the end of the passage. Most WW2 aerodromes had a Battle Headquarters (BHQ) - all built to a similar design and commonly situated on the edge of the airfield - which could be used to co-ordinate the defence of the airfield in the event of a land or air attack. The BHQ at RAF Thorpe Abbotts (USAAF station 139) comprises several small brick-built rooms > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3976723 some with small windows > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3976725 for passing information between the plotting and communications rooms. Many of the original fittings are still in place > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3976728. There is an above-ground observation post > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3976714 with all-around viewing apertures and a bomb-proof concrete cap. The escape hatch, reached via a short ladder > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3976727 emerges beside it. The airfield has long since been returned to agriculture > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1780473. The control tower > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1779828 was restored and now houses the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, dedicated to the USAAF's famous 'Bloody Hundredth' Bomb Group. The Communal Site A > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2337850 was located in Upper Street near Billingford. The Technical site was situated further to the north-west > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2337887. See also: http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/RAF-Thorpe-Abbotts---USAAF-Station-139

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