3rd Bomb Wing
Wing
One of four original bombardment wings of the Eighth Air Force, the 3rd Bomb Wing comprised four groups of B-26 Marauder medium bombers by September 1943, as part of VIII Air Support Command.
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Military site : non-airfield
Marks Hall's estate was requisitioned in 1941 for the construction of Earls Colne airfield (USAAF Station 358).
The mansion itself became a separate HQ facility for US Eighth and, later, Ninth Air Force units from December 1942; and for the RAF's 38 Group from September 1944 until May 1946.
It was demolished in 1950, having suffered the loss of most of its interior wooden features after the war.
Marks Hall, a Jacobean mansion between Colchester and Braintree in Essex, served as a wing-level and command-level HQ for the US Eighth and Ninth Air Forces between December 1942 and September 1944.
Part of its estate’s deer park had been requisitioned in 1941 to build Earls Colne airfield, which came under USAAF control as Station 358 in the spring of 1943.
The mansion (known as USAAF Station 160), along with its immediate grounds, was selected in 1942 as headquarters for the 4th Bombardment Wing (4BW), one of five such supervisory units the Eighth Air Force planned to bring to the UK.
[The other four original Wing HQs were Brampton Grange (1BW) near Huntingdon; Old Catton (2BW) near Norwich; Elveden Hall (3BW) near Thetford – and Stisted Hall (5BW), which was just a few miles west of Marks Hall. In the event, the 5th Bomb Wing did not join the Eighth Air Force and was diverted to the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa, with Stisted Hall transferring to British military control.]
The 4th Bomb Wing, under Brig Gen Frederick L Anderson, began missions with B-17 'heavy' bombers in May 1943. Its early constituent bomb groups (BGs) included the 94th at Earls Colne, the 95th at Horham, the 96th at Andrews Field (Gt Saling), the 100th at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk and the 390th at Parham, near Framlingham, Suffolk.
The following month the Wing and its groups swapped bases with the 3rd Bombardment Wing (3BW), whose HQ then moved into Marks Hall from Elveden Hall, Suffolk.
Taking over existing and new airfields in Essex for its nascent force of B-26 Marauder ‘medium’ bombers, the 3BW began flying in tactical roles at altitudes around 12,000ft – half the height of the B-17s and B-24s – from July 1943. Earlier attacks at even lower altitudes (on targets in Holland) had incurred heavy losses among Marauders of the Wing's 322nd Bomb Group.
That autumn the 3BW was absorbed into the US Ninth Air Force which, newly arrived from North Africa, now oversaw tactical bombing missions in France and the Low Countries in preparation for the Allied invasion planned for 1944.
Under this reorganisation, Marks Hall became the headquarters of the US Ninth Air Force's IX Bomber Command on October 16th 1943, led by Maj General Samuel E Anderson. Construction of additional hutted facilities (including messes, a dispensary and extra accommodation) was completed by a US Corps of Engineers unit by early 1944.
Marks Hall would eventually control more than 25,000 personnel at 11 airfields across Essex (including three equipped with A-20 ‘light’ bombers) by D-Day, June 6th 1944.
Around 1,000 personnel, including some 120 US Women’s Army Corps members (WACs), were serving at the site by D-Day.
The facility was unusual among such HQ units in being co-located with an operational airfield (Earls Colne; 323rd Bomb Group), although they functioned independently.
Marks Hall also hosted a detachment of the USAAF's 4th Combat Camera Unit, whose output included much of the extant film footage of IX BC missions available today online.
In addition, IX BC's public relations unit at Marks Hall oversaw occasional inclusion on bombing missions by noted US journalists – among whom were Walter Cronkite and Ernie Pyle.
Gen Samuel Anderson and his HQ team moved to Chartres in France in September 1944 – when IX BC was redesignated as the 9th Bombardment Division.
In October, Marks Hall became headquarters of the Royal Air Force's No 38 Group, which controlled Halifax and Stirling squadrons, based at Essex and Suffolk airfields, in support of army and clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) missions.
No 38 Group's squadrons also towed troops in gliders across the Rhine as part of Operation Varsity on March 24th, 1945.
The mansion was demolished in 1950, but today Marks Hall Estate’s gardens and arboretum attract thousands of visitors annually. The 200-acre site includes a memorial to the units that served at the adjacent Earls Colne airfield.
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Wing
One of four original bombardment wings of the Eighth Air Force, the 3rd Bomb Wing comprised four groups of B-26 Marauder medium bombers by September 1943, as part of VIII Air Support Command.
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Wing
Squadron
Squadron
Company
Company
Company
Company
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Bombardier B-26 Marauder | 323rd Bomb Group
Jack T. Arnold, born December 7, 1921 in Dupo, Illinois. Graduated from East High in East St. Louis, Illinois, received a first alternate appointment to West Point and enlisted in the U.S. Army Infantry. Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he...
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator - B-26 Marauder | 323rd Bomb Group
Lt. Burgmeier grew up in Upstate New York. He married his wife, Tedi, in July 1943, just days before he left for his tour of duty as a navigator for the 323rd Bombardment Group. He kept a diary, which has been invaluable to historians studying the...
Military | B-26 Marauder Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
Mentioning Chief Collins to any member of the 456th BS elicited an immediate smile and chuckles. "He was a character!" according to, it seems, everyone. Hands down, Chief Collins is one of the most endearing members of the 456th. He combined a sense...
Military | Private First Class | Flight Surgeon/Pet | 323rd Bomb Group
One of PFC Gin Fizz'a puppies. Pat made the trip form Earls Colne to Lessay to Chartes to Laon and probably a few other stations.
Military | Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
Lawrence was from Houston, Texas, a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He was best man in Lt. Foster's wedding. He later worked for Brown & Root (Houston) as a mechanical engineer, later to become...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 323rd Bomb Group
From Lt. Lesher B-26.com entry -
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Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Bombardier | 323rd Bomb Group
Lt. Walt Foster was a navigator and bombardier from Upstate New York who served with the 456th BS during the Second World War. His first combat mission was flown from Earls Colne Airfield on February 3, 1944 to the Ruisseville "No Balls” secret weapon...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
Killed leading a raid on a Nazi German airfield Amsterdam/Schiphol Airfield.
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Military | Flight Surgeon/Pet | 323rd Bomb Group
See Marauder Men, Maj. Gen. John O. Minch (USAF Ret.)
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Crew Chief/Flight Engineer | 323rd Bomb Group
Date | Contributor | Update |
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08 October 2021 09:17:47 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Altered to reflect similarity to 2nd Air Division HQ's proximity to Hethel airfield. |
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24 April 2021 18:40:57 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Parentheses added. |
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31 August 2020 15:20:05 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Spelling error |
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31 August 2020 14:57:48 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Added 95BG to 4BW's constituent list. |
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31 August 2020 14:52:33 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Corrected 2BW's original, albeit shortlived, HQ as Old Catton (Apr to Oct 1943). |
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24 March 2020 16:42:55 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Roger Freeman: Airfields of the Ninth; Airfields of the Eighth |
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20 March 2020 16:53:28 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Roger Freeman: Airfields of the Ninth; Airfields of the Eighth |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
20 March 2020 16:49:29 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Roger Freeman: Airfields of the Ninth; Airfields of the Eighth |
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20 March 2020 16:38:40 | SavvyGA | Changes to description and history |
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Roger Freeman: Airfields of the Ninth; Airfields of the Eighth |
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13 June 2019 10:18:45 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Clarifications |
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13 June 2019 10:15:39 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Clarifications added |
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29 March 2017 10:29:33 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Corrected factual error |
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10 March 2017 09:22:11 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended Bombt Divs' function. |
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24 February 2017 20:33:30 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Punctuation change |
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16 February 2017 19:21:34 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Dates amended |
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16 February 2017 19:20:26 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Dates amended |
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16 February 2017 19:17:34 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Dates corrected |
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16 February 2017 19:14:44 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended punctuation |
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16 February 2017 19:13:34 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended punctuation |
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16 February 2017 19:12:23 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Added Frederick Anderson details. |
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08 January 2017 11:18:43 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Added 4 CCU and IX BC PR functions (from Marks Hall archives) |
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05 January 2017 16:06:50 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended nomenclature |
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05 January 2017 16:03:18 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended nomenclature |
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05 January 2017 16:01:24 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended nomenclature |
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05 January 2017 15:55:45 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Amended nomenclature |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
05 January 2017 15:46:02 | SavvyGA | Changes to description and history |
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Corrected nomenclature |
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01 January 2017 14:31:10 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Added RAF 38 Group to summary section (from RAF records). |
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01 January 2017 14:03:57 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Addendum |
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01 January 2017 13:44:10 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Estate requisition date added |
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29 December 2016 16:11:53 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Additional details on the mansion's demolition. |
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29 December 2016 16:10:09 | SavvyGA | Changes to description |
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Additional information on Marks Hall mansion. |
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10 December 2016 17:43:37 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Punctuation edit |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
10 December 2016 15:48:00 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Punctuation edit |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
10 December 2016 15:40:43 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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The Mighty Eighth (Roger Freeman) 1970 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
10 December 2016 15:28:35 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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Air Force Combat Units of World War II (Maurer/US Air Force 1983); |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
10 December 2016 15:17:42 | SavvyGA | Changes to closure date |
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Marks Hall archives |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
09 December 2016 15:04:19 | SavvyGA | Changes to usaaf from date and usaaf to date |
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Air Force Combat Units of World War II (Maurer/US Air Force 1983) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
09 December 2016 14:57:06 | SavvyGA | Changes to history |
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The Mighty Eighth, Roger Freeman, 1970 |
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29 September 2015 08:43:21 | Carl | Changes to history |
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US Air Force Historical Research Agency archives (ref EO 11652) |
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24 July 2015 14:54:15 | Lucy May | Changes to media associations |
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Associated images to the entry from the identification given in their captions. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:02:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Office of History, Headquarters Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe; Installations and USAAF Combat Units in the United Kingdom 1942-1945, Revised and Expanded Edition (February 1967, Revised October 1980). |