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: 389th Bomb Group 565th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 845th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32202452 / O-686150
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18082022 / O-693557
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Crew Chief
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17072533
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Sad Sam
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron 61st Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Charming Ellen
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Lil Cookie
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 489th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 63rd Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: The Greek
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 62nd Fighter 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)