406th Fighter Group
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Ashford
Military site : airfield
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Crew buildings at Ashford, home of the 406th Fighter Group.
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A battle-damaged B-24H Liberator (serial number 42-94798) of the 490th Bomb Group at Ashford airfield on the 30 June 1944. Official caption on image: "ISAD - 30 June 44 - (1726) - (WPU - Battle Damage, B-24H, 42-94798 - Ashford) F.A."
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Lt. Elmer A. Jordan Co-PIlot Crew #707 - Howard A. Fisher Crew 466th BG - 787th BS
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Aerial photograph of Ashford airfield. Photograph taken by the 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron of the 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Group on 11 May 1944, sortie number US/34GR/LOC14. English Heritage (USAAF Photography).
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Aerial photograph of Ashford airfield. Photograph taken by No. 82 Squadron on 5 November 1946, sortie number RAF/CPE/UK/1829. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
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Aerial photograph of Ashford airfield. Photograph taken by No. 541 Squadron on 1 May 1946, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/1449. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
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Ammunition and ordnance belonging to the 406th Fighter Group, stored beneath camouflage netting at Ashford. Image via Stan Wyglendowski.
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An anti aircraft gun post at the 406th Fighter Group base at Ashford. Image via John Quincy. This is NOT ALG 417 RAF Ashford. The background buildings make it clear that this is elsewhere. No such buildings erected on the site only occupied by USAAF April - July 1944
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Crew tents of the 406th Fighter Group at Ashford. Image via John Quincy.
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Personnel of the 406th Fighter Group relax in their underwear outside the tents at Ashford. Image via John Quincy.
Built as an Advanced Landing Ground for the RAF in 1942-1943, Ashford was improved and made ready for the Ninth Air Force in 1944. The 406th Fighter Group operated from the airfield in 1944, before the airfield was returned to RAF use and returned to agriculture before the end of the war in Europe.
Detailed history
Not yet known
English Heritage's record description
Not yet known
Service
Units
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74th Service Group
Group
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21st Weather Squadron
Squadron
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306th Fighter Control Squadron
Squadron
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390th Service Squadron
Squadron
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40th Mobile Communications Squadron
Squadron
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45th Bomb Disposal Squadron
Squadron
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512th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
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513th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
People
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Lyon Agee
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 406th Fighter Group
Lyon Agee Jr enlisted in May 1942 in the Air Corps. After earning his pilot wings, he pursued training in the United States before being shipped overseas. He was assigned to the 406th Fighter Bomber Group/512th Fighter Bomber Squadron in England and... -
Levitt Beck
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 406th Fighter Group
Levitt Beck was born in Houston, Texas, he attended Huntington Park High School in California, graduating in 1938, and worked as an architect. ... -
Merlin Isbell
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 406th Fighter Group
Assigned to 514FS, 406FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to return, shot down in P-47D 42-8409 by Bf109 on armed recon to St Lo Area, crashed Argentan, Isbell was wounded, bailed out at a low altitude, was captured and died the following day from his wounds. KIA.... -
Elmer Jordan
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Jordan was co-pilot on Crew #707. His a/c was hit by flack and severely damaged causing the death of three crewmen and the injury of five others on 20 June 1944. He was instrumental in bringing the damaged a/c back to England where his pilot, Howard... -
Malcolm McLane
Military | Flight Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 406th Fighter Group
Assigned to 514FS, 406FG, 9AF USAAF. Credited with 1/4 share of a kill. Failed to Return (FTR) armed recon to Trier, Germany in P-47D 42-29214 his flight was involved in a dogfight in which he lost his wingman [Capt John R Gildersleeve] and was shot... -
Edgar Obie
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 36th Fighter Group
See detailed biography at http://p47pilots.com/P47-Pilots.cfm?c=incP47BiographyHome.cfm&vm=BIO&pilotid=423&p=Edgar G. Obie -
William Peto
Military | Fighter Pilot | 36th Fighter Group
William Peto: ... -
Doyle Price
Military | Second Lieutenant | Fighter pilot | 406th Fighter Group
Assigned to 514FS, 406FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) armed recon mission to Trier, Germany. Having lagged behind formation, once they tangled with enemy fighters he went missing, assumed shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 11416. ... -
John Quincy
Military | Lieutenant | 406th Fighter Group
John Quincy served with the 406th Fighter Group. He sent historian Roger Freeman copies of the colour photos he took during his tour in the ETO. -
Gulick Robinson
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 36th Fighter Group
Gulick Robinson served as a fighter pilot with the 53rd Fighter Squadron of the 36th Fighter Group. He was Killed in Action on 2 August 1944.
Aircraft
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42-29214
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 514FS, 406FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) armed recon to Trier, Germany, flight was involved in a dogfight in which pilot 1Lt Malcolm Mclane lost his wingman [Capt John R Gildersleeve] and was shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR... -
42-32078 Barbara B
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 21/1/44; Gr Island 17/2/44; Presque Is 4/3/44; Assigned 550BS/385BG [SG-C] Gt Ashfield 6/3/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 26/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 21/10/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for... -
42-74660
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 62FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 406FS, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) 5-Jul-44. Ran short of fuel over north sea, abandoned by pilot Lt Arlington Canizares Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 6618. -
42-75345
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Serial #42-75345 of the 406th Fighter Bomber Group/512th Fighter Bomber Squadron was stationed at Ashford, Kent. On 22 June 1944, it was flown by 2nd Lt Lyon E. Agee Jr on a low-level bombing and strafing mission on German units in the Cherbourg... -
42-8409
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred 514FS, 306FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to return, shot down by Bf109 on armed recon to St Lo Area, crashed Argentan, pilot 2nd Lt Merlin Earl Isbell wounded, bailed out at a low altitude, captured and died the... -
44-19748
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 514FS, 406FG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) armed recon mission to Trier, Germany. Having lagged behind formation, once they tangled with enemy fighters he went missing, assumed shot down. Pilot 2Lt Doyle Price Prisoner of War (POW).... -
41-6256 'Blue Woofis'
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Capt Leroy Gover flew this aircraft on the very first P-47 mission, 10 March 1943. Transferred to -
42-26528
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 42-26528, 513th FS 406th FG 9th AF. Suffered take off accident, Ashford/Sta 417, Kent, England, 10 July 1944. Cat 5 damage. Pilot Lt William R Dunn OK. -
42-74686
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47D Thunderbolt 42-74686 Assigned to 335th FS 4th FG 8th AF 9-43, later on strength with 514th FS, 406th FG, 9th AF. Crashed Belly Landing, Ashford/Sta 417, Cat 3 damage Pilot Bernard J Sledznik, 514FS 406FG, 9AF 12-5-44. -
W6650
Oxford
Airspeed Oxford W6650, assigned to Headquarters Squadron, 303rd Fighter Wing, 9AF USAAF.
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 13 April 2018 14:12:10 | Ian Wolverson | Changes to known as |
| Sources | ||
Photo of modern buildings on this site is incorrect. There were never any such structures here. The ALG was only used for 12 months |
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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 Ninth Then and Now (London, 1994) Chris Ashworth, Action Stations 9: Military Airfields of the Central South and South-east (Cambridge, 1985) |
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