3 - RAF North Witham Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

TeamFizz: Visited area to remove the damaged caches that have now been archived and found this one smashed as well so archiving as well.

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Hidden : 8/17/2015
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

The third cache in this series

You are now just over 1/2 way down Runway 1 RAF North Witham had a key operational role to play in the invasion on D-Day. It became the base for the 9th AAF's Troop Carrier Group's pathfinders, an elite force who would be dropped ahead of the main body of paratroopers to find and identify drop zones and set up beacons for the airborne forces to follow. The men selected for this task had already been chosen and had begun their training at Cottesmore, just across the boundary in the old county of Rutland. They were moved to North Witham in March 1944, putting a further strain on the facilities and accommodation there, where the airfield was already staffed by 75 officers and 1,256 men of the 33rd and 85th (later renumbered 29th) Air Depot Groups. Many of the Air Depot Group personnel were moved out of their hutted accommodation into tents on the northern edge of the airfield to make way for the newcomers. Despite being an almost new airfield, facilities at North Witham were rudimentary and the strain was beginning to show by April, by which time the airfield was occupied by 3,600 USAAF and Army personnel plus a detachment of 86 men from the RAF. The airfield had been built with just two 72 hangars. During the spring of 1944 a further six hangars were erected, with one being taken over by the Pathfinder units for the training of small groups of men. On 5th June North Witham became the first airfield to mount an operation in support of the coming invasion when 20 C47s took off soon after 21.30 hours heading for Normandy, the first aircraft being flown by Lieutenant Colonel Joel Crouch, Commandant of the Pathfinder School. The aircraft carried 200 troops drawn from both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and they began landing at just 15 minutes after midnight on 6th June. All but one Aircraft returned to North Witham (or other airfields in England) safely, and the lost plane made a textbook ditch at sea with all on board rescued by the HMS Tartar with no injuries and returned to England. Although some of the C-47s were hit and damaged by small arms fire and flak. 339 paratroopers out of the 357 landed at the correct drop zones, minus the 18 that were in the C-47 that ditched at sea.

***Congratulations to GESAnderson FTF***

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

onfr bs gerr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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