97th Combat Bomb Wing
Wing
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Little Walden
Military site : airfield
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Lt. Robert G Young Jr., 374th Fighter Squadron. P-51D 44-15365 B7-G “GaLLoping Goose”. Photo of Lt. Young taken on return from an escort mission to Berlin. This photo appeared on the front cover of “Air Force” Magazine, September 1945 edition.
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A P-51 Mustang (E9-O, serial number 44-13763) of the 376th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group in flight. Handwritten on slide casing: '361st F.G.'
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376th Fighter Squadron Pilots' Room. Little Walden, Essex. Station F165. The Roll of Honor; also contains the members in photographic form of A, B, C and D flights of the squadron. Museum object reference no. BAM_0186
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Major George Rew, Operations Officer of the 374th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group; later commanded the 374th Squadron. Little Walden, Essex. Museum object reference no. BAM_0290
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A-20G-30-DO #43-9671 Code: 7G-B 409th BG - 641st BS
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Lt. (later Captain) James J Sullivan, posing with his P-51 Mustang 44-15596 E2-J "Betty's Delight". 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group.
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361st FG pilot, Captain Urban "Ben" Drew being helped onto the wing of his P-51 (most likely #44-14164) by a ground crew member.
Little Walden was built as a Class A airfield suitable for American heavy bombers. The 409th Bomb Group, as part of the Ninth Air Force, was stationed at the base between March and September 1944, flying A-20 Havocs.
The base was then handed over to the Eighth Air Force's P-51 Mustang-flying 361st Fighter Group, which flew from Little Walden before setting up on the Continent in December 1944 to help counter the German offensive in the Ardennes from closer range. The Group flew from a base in Belgium before returning to Little Walden in April 1945.
In March 1945, the Eighth Air Force's 493rd Bomb Group temporarily based its B-17s here while runways at its base at Debach underwent repairs.
Detailed history
Not yet known
English Heritage's record description
Not yet known
Service
Units
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409th Bomb Group
Group
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4th Service Group
Group
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361st Fighter Group
Group
The 361st Fighter Group was the last P-47 Thunderbolt Group to join the Eighth Air Force. Between 21 January 1944 and 20 April 1945, the Group flew 441 missions, the majority in an escort role in support of bombers flying over occupied Europe. The... -
56th Fighter Group
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any... -
21st Weather Squadron
Squadron
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302nd Station Complement Squadron
Squadron
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40th Mobile Communications Squadron
Squadron
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483rd Service Squadron
Squadron
People
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Walter Allard
Military | First Lieutenant | bomber | 409th Bomb Group
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Joseph Armistead
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 409th Bomb Group
Joseph Armistead served as a pilot with the 641st Bomb Squadron of the 409th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Little Walden, England. On 11 June 1944, he was piloting A-20 43-9703 when it collided with A-20 43-9946 soon after take-off. Armistead died... -
Edward Backus
Military | Brigadier General | Pilot, Commanding Officer | 12th Bomb Group
Edward N. Backus was born in Vernon, Texas, in 1906. He graduated from Vernon High School in 1924 and attended the University of Oklahoma and Washington and Lee University where he received his bachelor of arts degree in 1929. ... -
Glenn Beeler
Military | Major | Fighter pilot | 355th Fighter Group
Assigned to 354FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1 x kill [secured with a bold claim in the combat report, as the pilot of the already damaged Fw190 baled out, with Beeler's P-51D firmly attached to his tail, without a shot having been fired]. Transferred... -
Fred Boswell
Military | Captain | Flight Control Officer | 361st Fighter Group
As Fred Boswell told it to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force: ... -
Will Butts
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 361st Fighter Group
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Robert Dawson
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
Shot down 3 March 1945 in B-17 #43-39050. Prisoner of War (POW). -
Gerald Doll
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
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John Donnelly
Military | Sergeant | 409th Bomb Group
John Donnelly served with the 641st Bomb Squadron of the 409th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Little Walden, England. On 11 June 1944, he was flying in A-20 43-9703 when it collided with A-20 43-9946 soon after take-off. Donnelly died when the... -
Urban Drew
Military | Captain | Pilot | 361st Fighter Group
Urban L "Ben" Drew joined the US Army Air Force in 1942, and trained P-51 Mustang pilots after graduating from Marian, Florida. He arrived in England in October 1944 and joined the 361st Fighter Group. Drew completed 75 missions with the 361st and...
Aircraft
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43-22027
A-20 Havoc
Assigned to 642BS, 409BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Cologne hit by flak in wing span out of control and crashed Liblar, Germany [1 x POW, 3 x KIA] 2-Feb-45 MACR 12056. ... -
43-39050
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Hunter 19/11/44; Dow Fd 2/12/44; Assigned 863BS/493BG Debach 4/12/44; Missing in Action Brunswick 3/3/45 with George Graff, Ray Goetschius, Paul Edmunds, Dwain Kantor, Bob Dawson, Cameron McKin, Francis Mungavin (7 Prisoner of War); Bill... -
43-9457
A-20 Havoc
Shot down by AA fire on mission to Bonnieres, France on 9 May 1944. Pilot 1Lt Gordon R. Argyle, Bombardier/Navigator Ralph Corey and Mechanic/Gunner SSgt William H. Oglesbee were killed. Armorer/Gunner SSgt Louis W. Dirickson became POW. MACR 4677 -
43-9903
A-20 Havoc
Assigned to 643BS, 409BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Over Water (OW) mission to Campagne-lès-Hesdin. Hit by flak over target, headed for base, having crossed the French coast, crew ordered to bale out. 2 x RTD, 1 x KIA. MACR 12274. ... -
44-13357 Tika IV, Sailor Girl Shirl
P-51 Mustang
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44-15365 Queen Jean, Galloping Goose
P-51 Mustang
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44-14600 Curiosity Betty II
P-51 Mustang
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43-25044
P-51 Mustang
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44-13704 Ferocious Frankie
P-51 Mustang
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44-13319
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 358FS, 355FG, 8AF. Transferred to 376FS, 361FG 8AF.
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 29 December 2016 16:43:51 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
493BG presence added |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:02:17 | 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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