Halesworth
AirfieldIWM, Roger Freeman Collection
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.
Connections
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People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 845th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-665628
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Commanding Officer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-793686
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 847th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 846th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Cover Girl (V1)
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 845th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Stinky, Wynn Our Little Lady
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 565th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Donna J II aka The Duchess
- Unit: 457th Bomb Group 96th Bomb Group 413th Bomb Squadron 750th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: B.T.O. (Big Time Operator)
- Unit: 453rd Bomb Group 466th Bomb Group 489th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 734th Bomb Squadron 785th Bomb Squadron 846th Bomb Squadron 857th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: Mosquito
- Unit: 325th Photographic Reconnaissance Wing 25th Bomb Group 654th Bomb Squadron
Revisions
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)