Atlas Antiques

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WW2 RAF Medal Group To 1245083 LAC W G H Pickett RAF Broadwell D-Day

SOLD

Code: 10407



For sale is a WW2 RAF Medal Group To 1245083 LEading aircraft man William George Henry Pickett RAF Broadwell. Station at broadwell for the duration of the war. He enlisted 24.7.1941 and discharged 30.12.1945. From 24.7.1941 to 20th nov 1943 he was stationed at Cardington, and then he was transferred to Broadwell on the 20th November 1943 where he spent the duration of the war stationed. 

 

No. 512 Squadron and No. 575 Squadron were based here, flying the Douglas Dakota.

 

In February 1944, No. 512 Squadron was transferred to No. 46 Group at RAF Broadwell. It was a tactical Dakota squadron and started training glider towing and parachute dropping. Its first operation in the new role was a leaflet drop on 17 April 1944 over France; this was followed by intensive flying in and out of France, including dropping parachutists at Arnhem. In fact, 512 Squadron can claim that they were the first planes over on D Day as 3 Dakotas piloted by Fl Lt Hyde, W.O. James Proctor and a C Flight Flying Officer dropped a specialist team at 00.02 on 6th June to try and disrupt the Merville Battery before the main assault.

 

Broadwell took part in the D-Day assaults alongside nearby RAF Down Ampney and RAF Blakehill Farm. On the eve of D-Day, No. 575 Squadron dropped 5 Para into the invasion drop zone. On 6 June, it towed 21 Horsa gliders into France. In the next few weeks it started a casualty evacuation service from France back to England. In September 1944, it was involved in operations at Arnhem where the squadron suffered severe casualties.

 

The airfield continued to be a terminus for long-range transport operations to Europe, the Middle East and India.