Halesworth

Airfield
P-47 Thunderbolt pilots of the 61st Fighter Squadron chat to one another after their latest mission, at Halesworth air base where the 56th Fighter Group were stationed. Left to right they are: Lieutenant-Colonel Francis S. Gabreski, Lieutenant Eugene E. Barnum and Lieutenant Frank W. Klibbe. Passed for publication 26 November 1943. media-377462.jpg FRE 218 P-47 Thunderbolt pilots of the 61st Fighter Squadron chat to one another after their latest mission, at Halesworth air base where the 56th Fighter Group were stationed. Left to right they are: Lieutenant-Colonel Francis S. Gabreski, Lieutenant Eugene E. Barnum and Lieutenant Frank W. Klibbe. Passed for publication 26 November 1943. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 218 - P-47 Thunderbolt pilots of the 61st Fighter Squadron chat to one another after their latest mission, at Halesworth air base where the 56th Fighter...

Halesworth was constructed in 1942-1943. Initially planned as a bomber airfield, its location close to the Suffolk coast meant that it was in an ideal position to operate escort fighters, where range was a critical factor. Consequently, the 56th Fighter Group with their P-47 Thunderbolts moved in - one of the most successful Fighter Groups in the USAAF. In April 1944 the fighters were replaced with the B-24 Liberators of the 489th Bomb Group, who occupied the airfield until November. The 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron occupied Halesworth from January 1945, equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts, CA-10 Catalinas and lifeboat-equipped B-17s. The airfield was also briefly used as a training base for P-51 pilots before the end of the war in Europe. The Royal Navy took over Halesworth in August 1945, using it as a training base, before it was closed for flying in early 1946. It was sold in 1963.

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People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 565th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 8514660
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 489th Bomb Group 846th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
Charles Darby
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 844th Bomb Squadron 489th Bomb Group
  • Service Numbers: 13061730 / O-698873
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33554238
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 62nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Round Trip Topsy
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Liberty Belle
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron

Revisions

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978)

Roger Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual (London, 2001)

Michael Bowyer, Action Stations 1: Wartime Military Airfields of East Anglia 1939-1945 (Cambridge, 1979)

Halesworth: Gallery (156 items)