The US 8th Air Force operated the B-17s from England. VIII Bomber Command had three "divisions"; the 1st and 3rd operated B-17s, and the 2nd operated B-24s. Each division had a number of Bombardment Groups (Heavy) assigned to it. The 1st Bomb Division had 13 Groups operating B-17s; the 2nd Division had 16 Groups operating B-24s; and the 3rd Division had 13 Groups operating B-17s. Thus, ultimately, there were over 40 Heavy Bombardment Groups operating from southeast England. Each Group had its own airfield. Each group had four squadrons, and each had its own ground echelon - of mechanics, armorers, sheet metal repairmen and so on, and at each airfield these ground crews labored mightily, sometimes days on end with little rest, to repair damaged bombers for the next raid. Each airfield (housing a group) had its own hangers and repair facilities. In addition the 8th AF operated a vast repair and supply depot at Burtonwood, on the west coast of England. By the end of the war 18,000 men were stationed at Burtonwood, which was the largest airfield in Europe, doing repairs and modifications for the 8th, 9th and 15th US Air Forces. New crews flew their B-17s across the Atlantic, via Bangor Maine, Gander Newfoundland, "Bluie 8" on Greenland and Prestwick Scotland, then to Burtonwood where the latest modifications inspired by operations in the theater of war would me made, such as armor plate, additional guns, etc. Then the new crew would be assigned to an old, tired "war weary" aircraft to begin their missions, and their shiny new airplane taken away and given to an experienced crew.
See related links below for a Wikipedia article which lists the various Bombardment Groups (Heavy) of the WWII 8th AF along with the airfield from which they operated, and for a link to an article on Burtonwood.
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