RAF Sudbury
RAF Sudbury USAAF Station 174 | |
---|---|
Garrison information | |
Garrison | Eighth Air Force |
Occupants | 486th Bombardment Group |
Royal Air Force Sudbury or more simply RAF Sudbury is a former Royal Air Force station located 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Sudbury, Suffolk, England.
History
USAAF use
RAF Sudbury was opened in 1944 and was built as a standard Class A heavy bomber airfield, with three intersecting concrete runways of standard lengths, fifty hardstands and two T2 hangars, to meet the USAAF bomber requirements. The airfield had a slight gradient towards the north-east and was constructed on what had been farmland. Most of the temporary building accommodation for some 3,000 men was situated around the village street of Great Waldingfield to the east of the airfield and was accessible by crossing the B1115 road from Sudbury to Lavenham. The facility was used by the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force. Sudbury was given USAAF designation Station 174[1] (SU).[2]
486th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The
Its operational squadrons were:[2]
- 832d Bombardment Squadron(3R)
- 833d Bombardment Squadron(4N)
- 834th Bombardment Squadron (2S)
- 835th Bombardment Squadron (H8)
The group flew both the
Other missions included bombing airfields, gun positions, V-weapon sites
The 468th Bomb Group returned to
After the war the station was closed in 1945 and returned to the RAF, who re-established 16 Recruit Centre (which had been disbanded in 1943), which was in operation from 11 October 1945 to 1946.[5]
Current use
With the end of military control, Sudbury airfield was returned to agriculture and was covered in vegetation or dug up in sections for growing crops. Sections of the runways and hardstands have long been removed (though some still remain) and piles of concrete sit in dumps.[1]
The hangars are now used for grain storage and only the base of the control tower remains.[1]
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Citations
- ^ a b c Freeman 2001, p. 214.
- ^ a b c "486th Bombardment Group (Heavy)". Mighty 8th Cross-Reference. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Maurer 1980, p. 357.
- ^ Albanese, John "Doodlebugs and Rockets (V-1 and V-2)" Archived 18 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Operations Record Book 16 Recruit Centre 1941-3 and 1945-6
Bibliography
- Freeman, R. Airfields of the Eighth - Then and Now. After the Battle. London, UK: Battle of Britain International Ltd., 2001. ISBN 0-9009-13-09-6.
- Maurer, M. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.