Military site : airfield
A farm near Wormingford. Image by Robert Sand, 55th Fighter Group. Written om slide casing: 'Jenkins Farm, Wormingford.' Caption from Sand's file. Slide 3-6 "Farm on Base. Apr. 14, 44"
Lockheed P-38J Lightning 'Droopsnoot*' aircraft 42-67704 'F.U.B.A.R.' CL-Kbar 388th FS, 55th FG, 8AF USAAF. * The 'Droop Snoot' field conversion entailed the removal of the nose armament and associated equipment to make room for a prone bombardiers/observers position with the installation of a plexiglass nose, a Norden bombsight, side windows and an emergency hatch. The theory was for a formation of P-38's to drop their bombs on the formation lead 'Droop snoots' signal with the precision of the Norden bombsight ensuring the accuracy of the formations bombing. An idea championed by Lt Col Cass Hough and Lt Col Dan Ostrander.
Lockheed P-38J Lightning 'Droopsnoot*' aircraft 42-67704 'F.U.B.A.R.' CL-Kbar 388th FS, 55th FG, 8AF USAAF. * The 'Droop Snoot' field conversion entailed the removal of the nose armament and associated equipment to make room for a prone bombardiers/observers position with the installation of a plexiglass nose, a Norden bombsight, side windows and an emergency hatch. The theory was for a formation of P-38's to drop their bombs on the formation lead 'Droop snoots' signal with the precision of the Norden bombsight ensuring the accuracy of the formations bombing. An idea championed by Lt Col Cass Hough and Lt Col Dan Ostrander.
Robert M. McCabe Jr.
P-51D-5-NA #44-13957 "Miss Boomerang Margie" Code: CG-N 55th FG - 38th FS
Captain David F. Jewell Fighter Pilot 55th FG - 38th FS
SSGT Charles Senn Ground Crew Chief 55th FG - 38th FS
P-51D-5-NA #44-13351 "Dottie Q" Code: CL-Q 55th Fighter Group - 338th Fighter Squadron Wormingford
Capt. Earl R Fryer, 38th Fighter Squadron. P-51D 44-13804 CG-Z “Spunktown”. Named for his hometown, Boyertown, PA (known then as Spunktown) This a/c was shared with Lt. Kenneth I Crawford who named it “Arabel” which was painted on the right side in similar style. Capt Fryer was killed in action whilst flying this a/c 8 November 1944. Lt. Crawford had previously been KIA on 11 September 1944 whilst flying Lt. Clifton’s 44-13723 CG-T “One Musthang”.
Lt. Kenneth I Crawford, 38th Fighter Squadron. P-51D 44-13804 CG-Z “Arabel”, shared with Capt. Fryer.
Wormingford was a Royal Flying Corps/RAF anti-Zeppelin aircraft Landing Ground First World War, rebuilt for the Eighth Air Force 1942-43. It was a Ninth Air Force base from 1943-44, and home to the 362nd Fighter Group. Switching back to the Eighth Air Force 1944-45, the 55th Fighter Group operated from the airfield. The 3rd Scouting Force, which began as part of the 55th Fighter Group, operated from Wormingford from 1944-1945. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and it became a civil airfield in 1947 to the 1960s. It was mostly sold and returned to agriculture in the 1960s-70s.
Not yet known
A former World War Two airfield. It was constructed in 1942-1943, opening in the latter year. It was built as a heavy bomber airfield, with three concrete and tarmac runways, suitable hard standings for bombers, aircraft hangars (Type T2) and a bomb dump store on the north side. The technical site was on the east side of the airfield, with mess, other communal sites and barracks dispersed further to the south-east. Despite the heavy bomber layout, it was used by the 9th United States Army Air Force 362nd and the 8th Air Force 55th Fighter Groups as a fighter station; it was designated as USAAF Station 159. it passed to the Royal Air Force at the end of the war, but closed as a military airfield in 1947. During the 1950s it was in limited use as a civilian airfield. Between 1960-1971 the site was sold for agricultural use. In 2000 it was noted that a gliding club used the airfield.
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in...
Group
Group
The Group trained in P-47s and moved to England in November 1943. Arriving earlier than many other Ninth Air Force fighter groups, the pilots main occupation was escort work for heavy bombers. The Group's first mission on 8 February 1944 was one...
Group
The 3rd Scouting Force was unique in that it operated P-51s and B-17s simultaneously, flying weather reconnaissance and escort missions for the 8th Air Force's Bomb Groups.
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Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Technical Sergeant | Communications Supply Technician (MOS 581) | 55th Fighter Group
Arnold Abalos was born in Mexico and emigrated to the United States with his parents at age 8 or 9. The family settled in Elko, Nevada. Arnold enlisted in November 1941 and served overseas with the 1029th Signal Company, attached to the 55th Fighter...
Military | First Lieutenant | Thunderbolt fighter pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
Shot down by enemy aircraft on the 8th of March 1944.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 55th Fighter Group
Assigned 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bomber escort to Munich. Last seen whilst strafing enemy aircraft in P-51D 'Jills Jalopy VII' 44-64159 near Zorneaing. Pilot 2nd Lt Richard K Abel Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 13950.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 3rd Scouting Force
Assigned to 832BS, 486BG, 8AF USAAF.
Transferred to 3rd Scouting Force. Ended Tour Duty (ETD).
Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 353rd Fighter Group
Assigned to 555FTS, 496FTG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 38FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 350FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. Ended Tour of Duty (ETD). Walter Achramowicz also went on to serve in the Korean War. He retired from the US Air Force in 1964 with the...
Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 31st Fighter Group
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. 2 x missions. Credited with 2 destroyed and 2 damaged (ground).
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Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 353rd Fighter Group
Assigned to 350FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 338FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Flew 70+ combat missions. Credited 1 probable. Killed in Mid Air Collision in P-51D 44-15598 2 miles SW Kaufbuern/ R-70. 5-Aug-45. KIA.
Awards: DFC, AM (6 OLC), PH.
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 339th Fighter Group
Born in Pasadena, California, Michael Alba grew up in Simi Valley where his family worked in the orchards. He was a 1937 teammate of future baseball star Jackie Robinson at the Pasadena City College, practicing on Catalina Island with the Cubs team....
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 55th Fighter Group
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory.
Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 55th Fighter Group
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Flew seven combat missions. On 5-Sep-44, returning from an escort mission to Stuttgart, Germany, he spotted several aircraft taking off from the airport at Göppingen. His flight of four P-51s went down, and when the...
P-38 Lightning
Shot down, flak hit, crashed near Coulommiers on 10 Apr 44. MACR 3620.
P-38 Lightning
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort to Dijon, shot down by Fw190 and crashed near Évreux on 6-Feb-44 in P-38J 42-67893 on return from a bomber support mission to Dijon. Pilot 2nd Lt William Ashton heard to be baling out....
P-38 Lightning
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort to Hamm. Shot down in melee with Bf109's Waldbröl 22-Apr-44 - Lt Clair A Penners POW. MACR 4121.
P-38 Lightning
Assigned to 338FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bomber escort Wittstoch, Germany
hit by flak near Dokkum, Holland 21-Jun-44 Lt Malcolm G Armstrong baled out POW. MACR 5942.
P-38 Lightning
Assigned to 38FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 434FS, 479FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) fighter sweep Melun - Dijon 10-Aug-44 Crashed into Epernay Forest Lt James E Fleming Jr KIA MACR 7622
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 338FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort mission to Frankfurt. Became separated from squadron in overcast. Pilot Lt John E Bauer Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 8545.
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 38FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort to Merseburg, hit by flak in coolant system, strafing a train between Osnabrook and Hannover, heading for base with a failing engine, abandoned A/C near Hilversum, 8-Nov-44. Capt Earl R...
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 38FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort mission to Lonnewitz, engine failed, A/C abandoned Limberg, Germany 2-Mar-45 pilot 1st Lt Samuel F Anderson POW. MACR 12873.
P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 343FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) escort mission to Heide, Germany. Hit by flak whilst strafing Ju88's on Leck A/D. Leaking coolant from radiator scoop, headed for Sweden, when engine caught fire, pilot Capt Robert D Brown...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 17 September 2020 15:41:48 | Camodo_Gaming | Changes to known as |
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basic details added |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 September 2020 15:40:34 | Camodo_Gaming | Changes to usaaf from date, usaaf to date, construction date and closure date |
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i have added the basic details of RAF wormingford |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 September 2019 13:28:11 | Emily | Changes to english heritage description |
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Historic England National Monument Record, TL 93 SW 120 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:02:18 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| 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) |
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