Every prisoner of war camp in the uk mapped and listed news. May 04, 2017 michael jones book, fairoaks airport, an illustrated history, was a real labour of love and he continues to share his passion about the chobham airfield, currently under threat of closure to. The group flew b17 flying fortresses as part of the eighth air forces strategic bombing campaign. Vernon ferguson obituary gainesville, fl gainesville sun. Nov, 2011 the airfield that we did visit was at deopham green and was the home to the 452nd bomber group of the usaaf. Saxmundham library walking book visits parham airfield in august 20 iceni post news. It gives a good insight of what the training was and how life was there. Should you wish to leave a small donation towards the upkeep and ongoing running of the website, it. General resources and sites eighth air force historical society 8th air force bases in england air force historical research agency, maxwell afb air force personnel center barksdale afb, louisiana current 8th af headquarters department of veterans affairs fold 3 by macarthur memorial kassel mission national archives and records.
Raf deopham green usaaf station 142 geograph britain and. Battleswars, european theatre of world war ii air offensive, europe july 1942 may 1945. The 452nd bomb group association station 142 deopham green. Ten miles south east of norwich, just to the east of kirstead green which is on the b32 road to bungay, seething airfield was home to the 448 th bomb group from november 1943 to july 1945. The 452nd bombardment group heavy of the usaaf were based at raf deopham green. Mostly farm land now and remnants of the runways and hard standing. It was the home of the heavy boeing b17 flying fortress bombers of the 452nd bombardment group. Are you interested in the history of the 8th army air force, 452nd bg. The following organisations are either based at, use andor have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield as at 01092011. Later in sep, assisted the airborne attack on holland. Army in world war ii series the armys official history of world war ii commonly referred to as the green books are. Raf wattisham opened on 5 april 1939 as a medium bomber station, the squadrons there being equipped with bristol blenheim bombers. A former military airfield, constructed 19421943, opened in 1944 and closed in 1959.
My father flew from there in the early months of 1944. Aerial photo of deopham green airfield 9 july 1946. Raf deopham green was built in 1943 and was used between 1944 and 1945 by. Debach was one of the last eighth air force heavy bomber bases to be completed. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
Raf chalgrove project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Fairoaks airport book reveals history of airfield earmarked. We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our vision a reality. Ferguson usaf retired, age 87, of gainesville, fl passed away on monday december 21, 2009 at harbor chase of gainesville. Most of the old airfield has reverted to farming, the eastern section is used by the waveney flying group. Welcome to the 452nd bomb group association station 142 deopham green. At least one hangar and one shelter, ground under crop. Should you wish to leave a small donation towards the upkeep and ongoing running of the website, it is really appreciated.
The 8th air force was the largest air striking force ever committed to battle, with the first units arriving in may 1942. I very short 15 minute research confirms ssgt ortega listed on 452nd websites. Airfields included are bury st edmunds, debach, deopham green eye, framlington, great ashfield, horham, knettishall, lavenham, mendlesham, rattlesden, snetterton heath, sudbury and thorpe abbot, which has one of the finest aviation museums in england. Did you have a relative stationed at deopham green. Photo i just removed from usaaf joseph ortega 1940s 1950s photo album. Raf deopham green, latterly home to 452nd bombardment group heavy, becoming usaaf designation station 142. Breckland district council state that one building has a contemporary mural. Raf deopham green in the second world war 19391945 the. A video of deopham green airfield that i took on 23 january 2016 this website is run entirely as a hobby and in my spare time, it is paid for out of my own pocket. The site search at the top of each main page searches articles, photos, videos, crew information pages, etc. The building became known by the villagers as the tin tabernacle.
Trained as a b17 pilot at airfields in arizona, louis was shipped off to deopham green airfield in england to become a member of the 452nd bomb group. This dvd was more of two peoples stories and memories when they were at deopham green. The airfield was equipped with three intersecting concrete runways, around 50 hard standings, two type t2 aircraft hangars and a blister aircraft hangar. It was built by the 820th engineer battalion aviation between late 43 and early 44. Since childhood he has been fascinated by all aspects of aviation history. A video of deopham green airfield that i took on 23 january 2016. During the cold war it was a major frontline air force base before closing in 1993 and is now operated by the british army as wattisham airfield. Raf rattlesden in the second world war 19391945 the. Flying b17 bombers, the group flew a total of 250 missions from deopham green between feb 1942 and april 1945 and lost 110 aircraft in the process.
This is a remnant of the north runway and a runaway summer storm travelling across it. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. This website is run entirely as a hobby and in my spare time, it is paid for out of my own pocket. The friendly invasion norfolks american connections. History the 452nd bomb group association station 142.
Usaaf designation station 142, 8 af, part of the eighth in the east. It is close to the old raf airfield of deopham green and the tower of its parish church is one of the tallest in the county of norfolk. Opened in 1943, it was used by both the royal air force and united states army air forces. There was, of course, the usual perimeter track and fiftyone hardstands. Deopham green airfields of britain conservation trust uk. The wartime memories project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Constituted as 452d bombardment group heavy on 14 may 1943. Currently there is little left of the airfield, the only thing left is a portion of the.
Royal air force deopham green or more simply raf deopham green is a former royal air. Aerial photograph of the north east end of deopham green airfield, looking north, the t2 hangar, fuel store and firing buts are upper left, 9 july 1946. The airfield was opened on 3 january 1944 and was used by the united states army air forces eighth air force 452d bombardment group heavy, which arrived at deopham green from walla walla aaf washington. This site uses two separate and distinctly different search engines. Since passing his gft for a private pilots license on the 30th june 1989 in the cessna 152 gwacb at wycombe air park the gates of opportunity opened and he has, for example, flown an aircraft in every country in western europe registered in each country. The largest concentration was in the east of england, where most of the 8th air force and some of the 9th were located on near a hundred bases. Royal air force deopham green or more simply raf deopham green is a former royal air force station located near deopham. Deopham is a village and civil parish in the south norfolk district, in the county of norfolk, england. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in deopham green or the war in the european theater. To quote ron smith again, the last aircraft to be built at joyce green was the vickers vellore gaasw which was flown at brooklands in 1930. Currently there is little left of the airfield, the only thing left is a portion of the runways and. See more ideas about green, norfolk england and ww2 planes.
Hit enemy communications in and near the combat zone during the battle of the bulge, dec 1944jan 1945. When the 452nd bomb group arrived in january 1943 they found a main runway of 2,000 yards, two auxiliary runways, each 1400yards in length, two t2type. The 452nd was assigned to the 45th combat bombardment wing, and the group tail code was a squarel. There is a photo of his idd crew which should help with research. By 1943 there were over 100,000 us airmen based in britain. Raf deopham green was built in 1943 and was used between 1944 and 1945 by the usaaf 8th air force. Michael jones book, fairoaks airport, an illustrated history, was a real labour of love and he continues to share his passion about the chobham airfield, currently under threat of closure to. Pronounced locally as debidge, the base was built to a class a standard with accommodation for nearly 3,000 men, the majority in newlybuilt nissen huts to the southwest of. Military history deopham green airfield description and pictures. Deophamgreenworldwartwoairfield norfolk heritage explorer. Bombed an airfield in support of the airborne assault across the rhine in mar 1945. Only a couple of miles north of the market town of attleborough is the old usaaf base of deopham green, where the 452nd bomb group made its home in february 1944. Raf deopham green usaaf station 142 geograph britain.
If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the first or second world war, please do not destroy them. Deopham green airfield raf deopham green, also known as usaaf airfield 142 and locally as ellington airfield was an airfield. The 452nd bombardment group heavy of the usaaf were based at raf deopham green, norfolk between january 1944 and august 1945. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our po box as packages are not accepted. Collection of nearly 4,000 books on american topics, with approximately a quarter. There are individual videos, each about the memorials associated with a particular airfield. For some reason, presumably because the airfield was now too small and couldnt be easily expanded, vickers were also happy to see the aerodrome closed. Most of the sites described above can be seen by travelling along the minor road which traverses the airfield from bush green farm in the south to stallard farm at stalland common in the northwest, and by following the minor road leading northeast to deopham stalland which was built on the main runway. Royal air force bodney or more simply raf bodney is a former royal air force station located 4. This page was last edited on 9 february 2019, at 14. It had a 2,000 yards length of main runway with two 1,400 yards auxiliary runways.
Author sophie jackson has written a book, churchills unexpected guests, examining this overlooked period of britains history, looking at what. During the war it was used primarily as a combat reconnaissance airfield. Although it was intended to be a temporary school, catering for up to 100 children, it was in use for exactly 15 years. Memorial at frans green on southern edge of airfield. Jan 23, 2016 a short flight over the old deopham green airfield. Born in rockville, connecticut on may 25th, 1925, he was the son of andrew stanley gill and.
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