Burning fuel and debris exploded, as parts of the aircraft tore into the Holy Trinity School. The aircraft clipped a tree and lost a wing tip before ploughing into the Sad Sack Snack Bar. Bloemendal experienced severe turbulence. Approaching the airfield at 500 feet, Lt. At about the same time a weather station reported a violent storm approaching from the Warrington direction.īoth aircraft were ordered to land back at Warton. Bloemendal informed Lt Manassero that he had spotted an odd cloud formation to the south-east. Read more: English Electric Cold War jets, made in Prestonīoth aircraft headed north at the fairly low altitude of 1,500 feet. On board were two experienced US Air Force test pilots, John Allen Bloemendal and Peter Manassero. This was to be a routine test flight for these newly refurbished aircraft. On the morning of 23 August 1944, two B-24 Liberators took off from Warton. The bomber tragedy Funeral for victims of the Freckleton air disaster Pic: Warfare History Network Here it was to be refurbished and tested prior to re-entering service. Shortly after D-Day, in August 1944, the B-24 Liberator known as Classy Chassis II arrived at Warton. Sad Sack Snack Bar before the tragedy Pic: Warfare History Network The cafe was to become the centre of the later horrific tragedy. Blackpool also proved popular.Īnother popular haunt was the Sad Sack Snack Bar, a cafe set up by the locals to cater for US Forces. Several off-duty personnel socialised in the village, drinking at pubs such as the Ship Inn. US Forces raised funds for the British Army, Navy and Air Force Relief Fund. In fact, they outnumbered the population of Freckleton by a ratio of ten to one! The American invasion of the Fylde The Ship Inn at Freckleton Pic: Warfare History Networkįreckleton became known as Little America, and relations were generally good. Notably, many were assembled near Preston.īy 1944 over 10,000 US personnel were deployed at Warton. However, the B-24 was the most produced bomber of World War II with 18,500 units built. Pilots preferred the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, as it was easier to fly and had better low speed performance. The B-24 Liberator was a large four-engined bomber. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber Consolidated B-24 Liberator Pic: Wikipedia The first American service personnel arrived in late 1942. Consequently, the runways were extended to take heavy bombers. The Warton base was to be operated by the United States Army Air Forces. After Pearl Harbour was attacked in December 1941, large US Forces began to be stationed in Britain. Here aircraft were assembled and tested, prior to front line service in Europe. Warton Aerodrome Warton Aerodrome in 1945 Pic: Wikipediaĭuring 1942 Warton was readied to become one of four air depots spread across the UK. The factory specialised in the building of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Consequently Warton became a major manufacturing site. Preston men were also killed on HMS Courageous and HMS Royal Oak.īy 1942 sites were being sought for aircraft factories in areas less subject to bombing. As the Fleetwood trawler, Davara, was sunk by a submarine. In fact, the first local casualties were reported in late 1939. Previously, 61,964 gas masks had been distributed, during the Munich crisis, in 1938.īy 1940, 200,000 evacuees from the major cities were expected in Preston. The station and public buildings were sandbagged and air raid sirens installed. The paintings in the Harris were removed for safe storage. However, preparations were made in the area. The Fylde coast and Preston were spared most of the bombing during World War II. One of the worst air disasters of World War II occurred near Warton Aerodrome in 1944. Posted on - 16th January, 2022 - 7:00pm | Author - Geoffrey Whittaker | Posted in - Freckleton, Fylde News, History, Preston News, Warton Aftermath of the Freckleton air disaster Pic: The Independent World War II in Preston The Freckleton air disaster, 61 killed as Bomber crashes on the village Preston Guild Hall legal wrangle resolved The Big PNE Sleep Out returning to Deepdale Phoenix Park plans for Preston Docks include ski slope and sailing lake Preston city centre pub captures rude customer on CCTV Preston City Council local elections 2023 full list of results
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