Lavenham
Airfield
This photo was probably taken soon after the 487th Bomb Group arrived in England in April 1944. Roger Freeman Collection
Transferred biographical details to peoples' biographies
Object Number - FRE 2045 - Edmund F "Misch" Auer, Mayfield R Shilling, Francis C "Eb" Eberhart and Ralph R Searle of the 487th Bomb Group outside the 838th Bomb Squadron...
Lavenham was built as a standard USAAF bomber airfield, with fifty hardstandings, T2 hangars and 2,000 and 1,400 feet runways. John Laing and Son Ltd. carried out the work in 1943, and the airfield opened in April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group occupied the base until the end of the war in Europe. Initially equipped with B-24 Liberators, the Group switched to B-17 Fortresses, and it was with these aircraft that the Group completed most of its 185 missions by April 1945. The airfield was not used by any other military flying units after the war.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Detailed History
On the control tower, there are now two memorial plaques. Some original paintwork has also been preserved inside the building, which is STRICTLY PRIVATE. It is possible to visit the site, but not the inside of the building, and permission must be obtained from the Lavenham Tourist Information Office before visiting.
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 837th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-?
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 838th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32605802
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Flight Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13023210
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron 836th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 839th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16040221 / O-?
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Big Drip, Jr.
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 839th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 838th Bomb Squadron 487th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 839th Bomb Squadron
Revisions
Connected aircraft records that have 'Lavenham' in their biography fields.
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Michael Bowyer, Action Stations 1: Wartime Military Airfields of East Anglia 1939-1945 (Cambridge, 1979)