CleanupBot II at 20:25, 13 August 2023

2023-08-13T20:25:13Z

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{{short description|Abandoned airfield in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name=Charra Airfield
| ensign=[[File:Twentieth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png|60px]] [[File:Tenth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png|60px]]
| partof = Twentieth Air Force<br>Tenth Air Force
| location= West Bengal, India
| image=
| caption=
| pushpin_map= India West Bengal#India
| pushpin_mark=Airplane_silhouette.svg
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_label= Charra Airfield
| pushpin_mapsize=300
| coordinates= {{Coord|23|21|56.95|N|086|26|12.84|E|display=inline,title}}
| type=Military Airfield
| code=
| height=
| ownership=
| controlledby=
| condition= Abandoned
| built=1942
| builder=
| used= 1942-1945
| materials=
| demolished=
| battles= World War II
| events=
| past_commanders=
| garrison=
| occupants=
}}
[[File:444bg-677bs-42-63577-round-robin-rosie.jpg|thumb|677th Bomb Squadron 42-63577 "Round Robin Rosie"]]
[[File:444ghbg-emblem.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Emblem of the 444th Bombardment Squadron]]
'''Charra Airfield''' is an abandoned airfield in [[India]], located 5 miles (8.0 km) ExNE of [[Purulia]], in [[West Bengal]].

==History==
During [[World War II]], the airfield hosted the [[United States Army Air Force]] [[444th Bombardment Group]]. Charra was originally designed for [[B-24 Liberator]] use. In 1943 it was designated as a [[B-29 Superfortress]] Base for the planned deployment of the [[United States Army Air Forces]] [[XX Bomber Command]] to India. Advance Army Air Forces echelons arrived in India in December 1943 to organize the upgrading of the airfield and thousands of Indians labored to upgrade the facility for Superfortress operations.

On 11 April 1944 the 444th arrived after a month-long deployment over the South Atlantic transport route after completing training at [[Great Bend Municipal Airport|Great Bend AAF]], [[Kansas]]. The deployment consisted of traveling to Morrison Field, [[Florida]], then south through the [[Caribbean]] to [[Natal, Brazil]]. From Brazil the South Atlantic was crossed arriving in [[West Africa]] and re-assembling at [[Marrakesh, Morocco]]. The group then flew north and west from Morocco through [[Algeria]] and [[Egypt]], before arriving at Karachi. By the time the group arrived at Charra, the month-long trip had taken its toll on the aircraft and personnel. Support elements of the group included the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Bomb Maintenance Squadrons; the 12th Photo Lab, and the 25th Air Service Group.

Almost immediately upon arrival, the groups B-29s were grounded due to engine fires, which were caused by the engines not being designed to operate at ground temperatures higher than {{convert|115|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, which were typically exceeded in India. Modifications had to be made to the engines and also to the cowl flaps. After these modifications, B-29 flights were resumed

From India, the 444th Bomb Group planned to fly missions against [[Japan]] from airfields in [[China]]. [[Kwanghan Airfield]] (A-3), located just to the southwest of [[Chendu]] in south-central China was designated as the forward staging base for the group.

However, all the supplies of fuel, bombs, and spares needed to support operations from Kwanghan had to be flown 1,200 miles from India over "[[The Hump]]" (the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the [[Himalayan Mountains]]), since Japanese control of the seas around the Chinese coast made seaborne supply of China impossible. Many of the supplies had to be delivered to China by the B-29s themselves. For this role, they were stripped of nearly all combat equipment and used as flying tankers and each carried seven tons of fuel for the six-hour (one-way) flight, which itself was almost at the limit of the B-29's range. The Hump route was so dangerous and difficult that each time a B-29 flew from India to China it was counted as a combat mission. It took six round-trip flights by each Superfortress to Kwanghan in order to mount one combat mission from the forward base.

The first combat mission by the group finally took place on 5 June when squadrons of the group took off from India to attack the Makasan railroad yards at [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]. This involved a 2261-mile round trip, the longest bombing mission yet attempted during the war.

Difficulties encountered at Charra forced the unit to move to [[Dudhkundi Airfield]] on 1 July 1944, leaving Charra to become a transport base for [[Tenth Air Force]]. [[C-87 Liberator Express|C-87 Liberators]] and [[C-46 Commando]]s flew from Charra into China to support the XX Bomber Command forward bases as well as to the [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]] depot at [[Barrackpore]], picking up supplies. In June 1945 the last Americans left the base, turning it over to the British colonial government.

The postwar history of the airfield is unclear; however, today it is long abandoned. No structures remain though traces of runways and taxiways can be viewed from the air. Some small villages appear to have taken over the former billeting areas.

==See also==

* [[Operation Matterhorn]]

==References==
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.
* [http://www.444thbg.org/unithistoryinfo.htm 444th Bomb Group Website]

==External links==
{{USAAF 10th Air Force World War II}}
{{USAAF 20th Air Force World War II}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India]]
[[Category:Purulia district]]
[[Category:Defunct airports in India]]
[[Category:Airports in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1942]]
[[Category:Purulia]]
[[Category:1942 establishments in India]]

Charra Airfield - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 20:25, 13 August 2023