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Military site : airfield
Aerial photograph of Great Dunmow airfield looking south, Easton Lodge is bottom left, 8 May 1948. Photograph taken by No. 58 Squadron, sortie number RAF/58/11. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
B-26 Marauder 'La Golondrina' AN-X
386 Bomb Group Memorial. 554th and 555th Bomb Squadrons. Located on the B1256, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow.
386 Bomb Group Memorial. 552nd and 553rd Bomb Squadrons. Located on the B1256, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow.
Dance on the lawn. 386th Bomb Group, Great Dunmow.
"The crew of the Martin B-26 'Carefree Carolyn' stands beside their plane which made a belly landing at its base in Great Dunmow, Essex, England after completing its 100th mission on 15 June 1944." From Left: Pilot 1Lt Earl J Slanker, Copilot 1Lt Don B Wright, Nav 1Lt Solon Humle, Gunner S/Sgt Ned Gorin (on top), Gunner S/Sgt. James A Rowe. - Note the trail of Foamite either side of the fuselage, used to suppress any fire from the radial engines. Lt Solon Humle slipped on the foamite covered wing exiting the A/C and damaged his elbow. Missing from the picture is T/Sgt Burton L Vreeland wounded by flak in the hand and on the way to see the medics. Pilot Lt Earl Slanker had greased her on, but the bottom of 'Carefree Carolyn' had been peeled away as she slowed to a halt and she was written off.
"Fire-fighters of the 386th Bomb Group used foamite to extinguish the blaze on a Martin B-26 Marauder which crash-landed at its base in Great Dunmow, Essex, England on 15 June 1944."
"The Martin B-26 'Carefree Carolyn' of the 386th Bomb Group makes a belly landing at its base in Great Dunmow, Essex, England after it had completed its 100th mission on 15 June 1944."
"Crew of the Martin B-26 Marauder 'Lady Luck' of the 554th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group pose by their plane at their base In Boxted Field, Essex, England On 4 January 1944." - B-26C serial 41-34947 'Lady Luck' (coded RU-K) of the 554th Bomb Sq, 386th BG. Standing, from left: James Baxter, (CP); Emmett Curran, (P); Roy Stroud, (N/B). Kneeling, from left: Robert Mixter, (E); John Lennon, (R); Robert Dall, (G). Pilot is James A Baxter Sr. (top left) here is another picture of the crew on a different day: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1695617196825&l=2d03baae27 Ground crew names on nosewheel door are Sgt Bob 'Shadow' Baron and Sgt Harry 'Wolf' Moore. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A11149-69801AC.
Martin Marauder B-26B 41-31755 'Ye Olde Crocke' of the 554th BS 386th BG, 9AF .
The airfield, two miles north-west of Great Dunmow, was built in 1942-1943 by the US Army's 818th Engineer Battalion (Aviation), alongside British contractors. B-26 Marauders of the 386th Bomb Group moved in in September 1943, and in October the Group transferred from the Eighth to the Ninth Air Force.
General Dwight D Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, made an official visit to the airfield in April 1944. Three months later, the resident 386th Bomb Group began trials of the new A-26 Invader bomber from Gt Dunmow.
In October 1944, the airfield was handed over to the RAF, serving as a base for Short Stirling transporters under 38 Group. The Stirlings were replaced with Handley Page Halifaxes in 1945.
After the war, Great Dunmow was used as a vehicle store, before the airfield was abandoned in 1948. Also in 1948, the Anglo-American Goodwill Association erected a memorial on the southern edge of the site to the crews that once flew from the airfield.
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Group
The 386th Bomb Group flew B-26 Marauders for the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. Whilst with the Eighth, the Group developed the formation release procedure for the B-26 on missions that targeted aerodromes, marshalling yards and V-weapon sites along the...
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Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Hubert Altvater was a Co-Pilot in the 386th Bomb Group. He was on B-26 # 42-96184 on his 64th mission on 6 August 1944 when it was hit by Flak and crashed into the sea off Trouville-sur-Mer, France. Gunner Franklin Swanson was killed and the five...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist gunner | 386th Bomb Group
Robert Becker served as a waist gunner with the 555th Bomb Squadron of the 386th Bomb Group. On 13 December 1943, he was flying in B-26 41-31625 'Hell's Fury' when it was shot down near Schiphol, Holland. He is buried in a shared grave in Arlington...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer / Gunner | 386th Bomb Group
Assigned to 451BS, 322BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) 10-Feb-44 in B-26 41-34947 'Lady Luck' when flak shell hit fuel tank of starboard wing, wing detached at nacelle and A/C tumbled on fire. France. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2082
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail gunner | 386th Bomb Group
Assigned to the 553BS, 386tBG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to bomb a bridge near Ecouché 28-Jul-44. Collided with Fw190 fighter. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 7016.
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Assigned to the 553BS, 386BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to bomb a bridge near Ecouché 28-Jul-44. Collided with Fw190 fighter. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 7016.
Awards: AM (4OLC), PH.
Military | Major | Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Henry Brown was the first of his family to be born in the US, January 8, 1919. He lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, where his family owned Western Meatpackers. He graduated from the University of Arkansas where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. The...
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot - Squadron Commander
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 386th Bomb Group
Assigned to the 553BS, 386BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to bomb a bridge near Ecouché 28-Jul-44. Collided with Fw190 fighter. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 7016.
Awards: PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator; Bombardier | 386th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on 27-Sep-43 in B-26C 41-34987 'Danny Boy II', 386BG/552BS while serving as Navigator/Bombardier. The aircraft took a direct hit from AA fire in the left engine enroute to bomb the German airfield at Conches, France. The aircraft...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 386th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on 27-Sep-43 in B-26C 41-34987 'Danny Boy II', 386BG/552BS while serving as Pilot. The aircraft took a direct hit by AA fire in the left engine while enroute to bomb the German airfield at Conshes, France. The aircraft crashed...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-C] Bangor 31/8/42; Bassingbourn 1/10/42; on return from Cognac 43+m 31/12/43, diverted through weather to Gt Dunmow, Andrews Field, then Hunsdon Afd, with Hilary Evers, Co-pilot: Paul McDuffee, Navigator: Frank Keneley,...
B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
Shot down 13 December 1943 near Schiphol, Holland.
For an account of this mission see: http://www.b26.com/historian/chester_klier/055.htm
B-26 Marauder
Assigned to 555BS, 386BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) St Omer, France 8-Sep-43 last seen with engine feathered dropping out of formation escorted by several Spitfires.
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B-26 Marauder
Assigned to the 553rd Bombardment Squadron of the 386th Bomb Group, 9th AF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to bomb a bridge near Ecouché 28-Jul-44. Collided with Fw190 fighter. 6 x KIA. MACR 7016.
B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder Serial 41-31852 was shot down on 25 April 1944 on a mission to Northern France. Pilot William C. Reynolds; Co-Pilot George R. Freeman; Bombardier/Navigator Bernard Tallerico; Radio Operator/Gunner Robert L. Kegg; Tail gunner Norman H....
B-26 Marauder
554BS, 386BG, 9AF "Lady Luck". Lost 10-Feb-44 when flak shell hit fuel tank of starboard wing, wing detached at nacelle and A/C tumbled on fire. France. 1 x POW, 5 x KIA. MACR 2082.
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B-26 Marauder
B-26C-15-MA 41-34987 "Danny Boy II" was assigned to the 386BG/552BS at Great Dunmow, UK.
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B-26 Marauder
42-96184 was on its second mission of the day on 6 August 1944. The target were fuel dumps near the Forêt d'Andainne, East of Domfront, Calvados, France. Hit by 88mm Flak shell above Le Havre, causing fire in the right engine. Three parachutes were...
B-26 Marauder
Assigned to 554BS, 386BG, 9AF USAAF. Transferred to 451BS, 322BG, 9AF USAAF. Destroyed in fatal mid air collision. 2Lt James A Shettles Killed in Action (KIA). 18-Mar-45.
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 29 December 2016 17:06:48 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Added Eisenhower and A-26 testing. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2016 17:05:20 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Added Eisenhower and A-26 testing. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2016 16:58:24 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Clarified RAF use as being under 38 Group (ie not Bomber Command). |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:02:16 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978). |
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