In 1944 the US Air Force (USAF) 438th Troop Carrier Group were based at RAF Greenham Common Airbase, near Newbury, Berkshire UK. This would be critical in transporting men of the US Army 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions in the build up to D-Day in June 1944. The airbase had over 400 of the Waco CG-4A gliders (figure 1), along with their Douglas C46 & C47 towing aircraft, and were used to carry troops, jeeps and munitions for the D-Day operation.
US General Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force, himself paid an important visit to Greenham Airbase on the eve of D-Day and saw the first of the Airborne troops take off for France (figure 2).
June 6th 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the recently restored air traffic Control Tower at Greenham is being recognised as an important part of the WW2 commemoration in West Berkshire. To make a contribution to this very important time in WW2, the Newbury And District Amateur Radio Society (NADARS) will be using a very special call sign at our permanent HF radio station at the Control Tower
Earlier this year, Phill Morris G6EES submitted a detailed proposal to Ofcom (the UK Government Regulator) requesting that we be issued with a very unique callsign GB80DDAY (80th D-Day). This is unique because GB special event call signs are usually only a single number and two or three letters (we needed two numbers and four letters ! ). After requests for more information from Ofcom they granted us the call sign.
Using the call sign GB80DDAY, and the explanations we will give on-air and to visitors to the Control Tower, will help recognise the troops of all nations involved in D-Day and the many who did not return. It is expected to generate a lot of interest both on-air and in the TV & press.
You are invited to take part, on-air, in the 80th anniversary of D-Day and make contact with GB80DDAY. The call sign will be active from 1st to 28th June, and in addition to operating the HF station remotely during the weekdays and evenings, we will be active at the Control Tower (figure 3) each Saturday in June. We will also have a special focus of our operation at the Control Tower on Thursday 6th June (D-Day) when there will be a number of other activities at the tower, organised by both the towers team of volunteers and other organisations.
Join us and help commemorate WW2 D-Day with ‘GB80-D-DAY’.
For details of the Newbury And District Amateur Radio Society
visit www.NADARS.org.uk
