RAF Andrews Field
Encyclopedia
RAF Station Andrews Field (also known as Andrewsfield or Great Saling) is a former World War II airfield in Essex
, England. The airfield is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east-northeast of Great Dunmow
; about 37 miles (59.5 km) north-northeast of London
Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force
and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber airfield. After the war, it was used briefly as an airfield for testing jet aircraft before it was closed in late 1945.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields, with a small portion used by the Andrewsfield Flying Club.
.
Frank M. Andrews was a pioneer exponent of air power who became a very high ranking figure in the history of the Second World War. Andrews was the first head of an autonomous American air force and the first air officer to serve on the Army's general staff. In early 1943, he took the place of Dwight D. Eisenhower
as commander of all U.S. troops in the European Theater of Operations.
On 3 May 1943 General Andrews took off in a B-24 Liberator
from RAF Bovingdon
on a trip back to the United States. A weather check would have meant a landing at Prestwick
, but it seems the crew were confident that this was unnecessary. By the time the aircraft reached Iceland
the weather had socked in and while searching for Meeks Field, the aircraft crashed into a hillside. Only the rear gunner survived from the 15 on board. And so it was that Frank Andrews was honoured in a little corner of England.
Andrews Field was the only named US airfield in the United Kingdom. It was the first of the fourteen Class A airfield
s built by American forces in the UK to be completed, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern. The U.S. Army 819th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) commenced work on the site in July 1942, Andrews Field had a 6,000 ft main runway aligned 09/27. and twin 4,200 ft secondaries at 02/20 and 15/33. Fifty-one hardstands consisted of 46 standard loops, four large loops and one pan attached to an enclosing perimeter track, of a width of 50 feet. The runways were completed by November.
While the basic airfield itself was declared completed by mid-January 1943, there was still much work to be done on other facilities and in March additional help was obtained from another engineer battalion. The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen hut
s of various sizes. The support station was where the group and ground station commanders and squadron headquarters and orderly rooms were located. Also on the ground station were the mess facilities: chapel; hospital; mission briefing and debriefing; armoury and bombsite storage; life support; parachute rigging; supply warehouses; station and airfield security; motor pool and the other ground support functions necessary to support the air operations of the group. These facilities were all connected by a network of single-track support roads.
The technical site, connected to the ground station and airfield consisted of at least two T-2 type hangars and various organizational, component and field maintenance shops along with the crew chiefs and other personnel necessary to keep the aircraft airworthy and to quickly repair light and moderate battle damage. Aircraft severely damaged in combat were sent to repair depots for major structural repair. The Ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens for storing the aerial bombs and the other munitions required by the combat aircraft. The fuel dump and firing butts were located off the north side of the perimeter track.
Various domestic accommodation sites were constructed dispersed away from the airfield, but within a mile or so of the technical support site, also using clusters of Maycrete or Nissen huts. The huts were either connected, set up end-to-end or built singly and made of prefabricated corrugated iron with a door and two small windows at the front and back. They provided accommodation for 2.841 personnel, including communal and a sick quarters.
and Ninth Air Force
s. Andrews Field was known as USAAF Station AAF-485 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. Its USAAF Station Code was "GZ". Although the name Andrews Field (or Andrewsfield) appears on RAF air maps and was widely used by that service, it is interesting to note that some USAAF agencies still referred to the base by the name Great Saling.
On 27 May 1943, the 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) flying B-17 Flying Fortresses arrived from RAF Grafton Underwood
. Its tail code was Square-C. The group consisted of the following squadrons:
The 96th appears to have only carried out one mission while based at Andrews Field. On 29 May 1943 they took part in a raid on Rennes naval storage depot from which one B-17 failed to return. The group was moved to RAF Snetterton Heath
on 12 June 1943 in a general exchange of bases with B-26 Marauder groups.
which arrived from RAF Bury St. Edmunds on 14 June. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing and flew Martin B-26B/C Marauders
. Operational squadrons of the 322d were:
The 322nd was the first B-26 group to enter combat (in May 1943) from the UK, during which its combat performance helped to prove the effectiveness of the medium bombers flying tactical combat missions.
In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 322d was transferred to Ninth Air Force
on 16 October 1943. The group attacked enemy airfields in France, Belgium, and Holland attacking the principal targets but the group also attacked secondary targets such as power stations, shipyards, construction works, and marshalling yards.
On 11 December 1943 Andrews Field was attacked by the Luftwaffe but little damage was done and beginning in March 1944 the 322d bombed railway and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for the invasion of Normandy
.
On 8 May 1944, one of the 322nd aircraft, nicknamed "Mild and Bitter" (serial 41-31819) became the first B-26 flying from England to complete 100 combat missions. Another B-26, "Flak Bait" (41-31773) survived to the end of hostilities with 202 missions to its credit, the only US bomber involved in combat over Europe to pass the 200 mark.
On D-Day
, 6 June 1944 the 322d Bomb Group attacked coastal defences and gun batteries. Afterwards, during the Normandy campaign, the 322d pounded fuel and ammunition dumps, bridges, and road junctions, supporting the Allied offensive at Caen
and the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
in July.
From Andrews Field the 322d received a Distinguished Unit Citationfor the period 14 May 1943-24 July 1944. The group moved during September 1944, transferring to Beauvais
(A-61) Airfield in northern France, and aiding the drive of Third Army across France. On the continent, the 322d BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:
The 322d flew its last mission on 24 April 1945. After V-E Day, the group was assigned to occupation duty in Germany beginning in June 1945, engaging in inventorying and disassembling German Air Force equipment and facilities. Returned to the Camp Kilmer New Jersey
in December 1945, and was inactivated on 15 December.
Legacy
During the Cold War
, the United States Air Force
322d Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Rhein-Main Air Base
West Germany
used rotational Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadrons for tactical airlift in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, the 322d conducted unconventional warfare operations in Europe. The wing was active between 1970 and 1975 and was bestowed the World War II legacy and honours of the USAAF 322d Bomb Group.
radio transponder blind-bombing device. When the unit was formed the squadron consisted of 14 aircraft. At the end of hostilities the squadron strength was 36 B26's. Its fuselage code was (1H)
The squadron was attached to the 322nd Bombardment Group, but provided bad weather leads for all IX Ninth Bombing Command groups.
The first B-26 night mission was flown by the 1st Pathfinder Squadron on the night of 1 June 1944 when three B26's bombed gun positions at St Marie au Bois, France. This was purely a Pathfinder mission and no other unit participated.
On the night of 8 July 1944, using Oboe, the 322d undertook a night mission but nine of its aircraft fell victim to Luftwaffe
fighters.
control on 1 October - to provide a base for Mustang squadrons escorting Bomber Command
daylight operations being used by 11 Group, ADGB. At this time the airfield was also under consideration for extension of runways to house Very Heavy Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bombers.
Within a week the HQ of No. 150 (Polish) Wing and an advance party of No. 19 Squadron moved in. By the middle of October, Nos. 19, 65 and 122 Squadrons (No. 122 Wing) had joined the Polish Wing consisting of Nos. 129, 306 and 315 Squadrons. This joining of two wings probably constituted the largest Mustang gathering on any non-American airfield in the UK.
The main task of the Andrews Field Mustangs was as escort to the increasing daylight bombing raids by the RAF's Bomber Command Avro Lancaster
s and Handley Page Halifax
es. However, their home defence role continued in the role of intercepting Nazi V-1 flying bomb
s.
At the end of February 1945 the Gloster Meteor
III jet fighters of 616 Squadron arrived They stayed for a month before being replaced by a detachment of Meteor IIIs from 504 Squadron.
In addition to the combat squadrons, the Air Sea Rescue Supermarine Walrus
es of RAF Coastal Command
276 Squadron were resident from early June 1945. They left for Kjevik, Norway
on 23 August.
With the end of the war, 303 Squadron departed in December 1945 and the airfield was placed under care and maintenance and became a satellite of RAF Great Sampford
in 1946.
In 1972, aircraft again returned to Andrews Field (renamed Andrewsfield aerodrome) when a 3,000 foot grass strip along part of the line of the original main runway was constructed. As flying increased, a clubhouse and flying control were erected in 1975 for the Andrewsfield Flying Club. The airfield was licensed by the CAA in 1976.
The Rebel Air Museum was housed in a blister hangar near the clubhouse for some time, until it moved to new premises on Earls Colne airfield.
Other than the two T2 hangars, the firing-in butts and a few Nissen hut
s in the dispersed sites, little remains of the once-busy wartime airfield. Only a small amount of single track perimeter remains along the south side of the airfield, although the wartime runways are visible as disturbed earth in aerial photography. There are two memorials. One in the village is positioned in front of the former Sick Quarters Site and commemorates the 819th Aviation Engineer Battalion who built the airfield. The other memorial is along the lane from the A120 to Great Saling and is to the memory of the 322nd Bomb Group (M). A mural depicting a B-26 adorns an interior wall of the Andrewsfield Flying Club clubhouse. Also on display are a number of photographs showing the airfield under construction.
travel west on the B1256 about 3 miles to the sign for Stebbing Green, turning left (north). Proceed about a mile to Newpasture Lane and turn right. The Andrewsfield Flying Club will be on your left after a short distance.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England. The airfield is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east-northeast of Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
; about 37 miles (59.5 km) north-northeast of London
Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber airfield. After the war, it was used briefly as an airfield for testing jet aircraft before it was closed in late 1945.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields, with a small portion used by the Andrewsfield Flying Club.
Overview
Great Saling was the original Air Ministry name for the airfield when construction was begun in 1942 by the 819th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) of the US Army. However, on 21 May 1943 the official name was changed to Andrews Field in honour of Lieutenant General Frank M. AndrewsFrank Maxwell Andrews
Frank Maxwell Andrews was a general officer in the United States Army and one of the founding fathers of the United States Air Force. In leadership positions within the Army Air Corps, he succeeded in advancing progress toward a separate and independent Air Force where predecessors and allies...
.
Frank M. Andrews was a pioneer exponent of air power who became a very high ranking figure in the history of the Second World War. Andrews was the first head of an autonomous American air force and the first air officer to serve on the Army's general staff. In early 1943, he took the place of Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
as commander of all U.S. troops in the European Theater of Operations.
On 3 May 1943 General Andrews took off in a B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
from RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located to the west of Bovingdon, two and a half miles south of Hemel Hempstead and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, UK....
on a trip back to the United States. A weather check would have meant a landing at Prestwick
Prestwick
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
, but it seems the crew were confident that this was unnecessary. By the time the aircraft reached Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
the weather had socked in and while searching for Meeks Field, the aircraft crashed into a hillside. Only the rear gunner survived from the 15 on board. And so it was that Frank Andrews was honoured in a little corner of England.
Andrews Field was the only named US airfield in the United Kingdom. It was the first of the fourteen Class A airfield
Class A airfield
Class A airfields were military installations originally built for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. Several were transferred to the U.S...
s built by American forces in the UK to be completed, the main feature of which was a set of three converging runways each containing a concrete runway for takeoffs and landings, optimally placed at 60 degree angles to each other in a triangular pattern. The U.S. Army 819th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) commenced work on the site in July 1942, Andrews Field had a 6,000 ft main runway aligned 09/27. and twin 4,200 ft secondaries at 02/20 and 15/33. Fifty-one hardstands consisted of 46 standard loops, four large loops and one pan attached to an enclosing perimeter track, of a width of 50 feet. The runways were completed by November.
While the basic airfield itself was declared completed by mid-January 1943, there was still much work to be done on other facilities and in March additional help was obtained from another engineer battalion. The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s of various sizes. The support station was where the group and ground station commanders and squadron headquarters and orderly rooms were located. Also on the ground station were the mess facilities: chapel; hospital; mission briefing and debriefing; armoury and bombsite storage; life support; parachute rigging; supply warehouses; station and airfield security; motor pool and the other ground support functions necessary to support the air operations of the group. These facilities were all connected by a network of single-track support roads.
The technical site, connected to the ground station and airfield consisted of at least two T-2 type hangars and various organizational, component and field maintenance shops along with the crew chiefs and other personnel necessary to keep the aircraft airworthy and to quickly repair light and moderate battle damage. Aircraft severely damaged in combat were sent to repair depots for major structural repair. The Ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens for storing the aerial bombs and the other munitions required by the combat aircraft. The fuel dump and firing butts were located off the north side of the perimeter track.
Various domestic accommodation sites were constructed dispersed away from the airfield, but within a mile or so of the technical support site, also using clusters of Maycrete or Nissen huts. The huts were either connected, set up end-to-end or built singly and made of prefabricated corrugated iron with a door and two small windows at the front and back. They provided accommodation for 2.841 personnel, including communal and a sick quarters.
USAAF use
The airfield was opened in 1943 and was used both by the United States EighthEighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
and Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
s. Andrews Field was known as USAAF Station AAF-485 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. Its USAAF Station Code was "GZ". Although the name Andrews Field (or Andrewsfield) appears on RAF air maps and was widely used by that service, it is interesting to note that some USAAF agencies still referred to the base by the name Great Saling.
96th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
RAF Grafton Underwood
RAF Grafton Underwood is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles NE of Kettering in Northamptonshire.-RAF use:...
. Its tail code was Square-C. The group consisted of the following squadrons:
- 337th Bombardment Squadron (AX)
- 338th Bombardment Squadron (BX)
- 339th Bombardment Squadron339th Bombardment SquadronThe 339th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 96th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 15 March 1963.-History:...
(QJ) - 413th Bombardment Squadron (MJ)
The 96th appears to have only carried out one mission while based at Andrews Field. On 29 May 1943 they took part in a raid on Rennes naval storage depot from which one B-17 failed to return. The group was moved to RAF Snetterton Heath
RAF Snetterton Heath
RAF Snetterton Heath is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located on the A11, 6 miles SW of Attleborough in Norfolk.-Overview:...
on 12 June 1943 in a general exchange of bases with B-26 Marauder groups.
322d Bombardment Group (Medium)
Replacing the 96th was the 322d Bombardment Group (Medium)322d Air Expeditionary Group
The 322d Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....
which arrived from RAF Bury St. Edmunds on 14 June. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing and flew Martin B-26B/C Marauders
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
. Operational squadrons of the 322d were:
- 449th Bombardment Squadron (PN)
- 450th Bombardment Squadron (ER)
- 451st Bombardment Squadron (SS)
- 452d Bombardment Squadron (DR)
In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 322d was transferred to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
on 16 October 1943. The group attacked enemy airfields in France, Belgium, and Holland attacking the principal targets but the group also attacked secondary targets such as power stations, shipyards, construction works, and marshalling yards.
On 11 December 1943 Andrews Field was attacked by the Luftwaffe but little damage was done and beginning in March 1944 the 322d bombed railway and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for the invasion of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
.
On 8 May 1944, one of the 322nd aircraft, nicknamed "Mild and Bitter" (serial 41-31819) became the first B-26 flying from England to complete 100 combat missions. Another B-26, "Flak Bait" (41-31773) survived to the end of hostilities with 202 missions to its credit, the only US bomber involved in combat over Europe to pass the 200 mark.
On D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 6 June 1944 the 322d Bomb Group attacked coastal defences and gun batteries. Afterwards, during the Normandy campaign, the 322d pounded fuel and ammunition dumps, bridges, and road junctions, supporting the Allied offensive at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
and the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
in July.
From Andrews Field the 322d received a Distinguished Unit Citationfor the period 14 May 1943-24 July 1944. The group moved during September 1944, transferring to Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
(A-61) Airfield in northern France, and aiding the drive of Third Army across France. On the continent, the 322d BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:
- A-61 Beauvais, France September 1944
- A-89 Le Culot, Belgium March 1945
- Y-86 Fritzlar, Germany June - November 1945
The 322d flew its last mission on 24 April 1945. After V-E Day, the group was assigned to occupation duty in Germany beginning in June 1945, engaging in inventorying and disassembling German Air Force equipment and facilities. Returned to the Camp Kilmer New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in December 1945, and was inactivated on 15 December.
Legacy
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
322d Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
used rotational Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadrons for tactical airlift in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, the 322d conducted unconventional warfare operations in Europe. The wing was active between 1970 and 1975 and was bestowed the World War II legacy and honours of the USAAF 322d Bomb Group.
1st Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional)
The 1st Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional) was formed at Andrews Field in February 1944 and equipped with B-26s, carrying the OboeOboe (navigation)
Oboe was a British aerial blind bombing targeting system in World War II, based on radio transponder technology. Oboe accurately measured the distance to an aircraft, and gave the pilot guidance on whether or not they were flying along a pre-selected circular route. The route was only 35 yards...
radio transponder blind-bombing device. When the unit was formed the squadron consisted of 14 aircraft. At the end of hostilities the squadron strength was 36 B26's. Its fuselage code was (1H)
The squadron was attached to the 322nd Bombardment Group, but provided bad weather leads for all IX Ninth Bombing Command groups.
The first B-26 night mission was flown by the 1st Pathfinder Squadron on the night of 1 June 1944 when three B26's bombed gun positions at St Marie au Bois, France. This was purely a Pathfinder mission and no other unit participated.
On the night of 8 July 1944, using Oboe, the 322d undertook a night mission but nine of its aircraft fell victim to Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighters.
RAF Fighter Command use
Unlike most of the airfields vacated by the Ninth Air Force in the area, Andrews Field was immediately returned to RAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
control on 1 October - to provide a base for Mustang squadrons escorting Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
daylight operations being used by 11 Group, ADGB. At this time the airfield was also under consideration for extension of runways to house Very Heavy Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bombers.
Within a week the HQ of No. 150 (Polish) Wing and an advance party of No. 19 Squadron moved in. By the middle of October, Nos. 19, 65 and 122 Squadrons (No. 122 Wing) had joined the Polish Wing consisting of Nos. 129, 306 and 315 Squadrons. This joining of two wings probably constituted the largest Mustang gathering on any non-American airfield in the UK.
The main task of the Andrews Field Mustangs was as escort to the increasing daylight bombing raids by the RAF's Bomber Command Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s and Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
es. However, their home defence role continued in the role of intercepting Nazi V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
s.
At the end of February 1945 the Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
III jet fighters of 616 Squadron arrived They stayed for a month before being replaced by a detachment of Meteor IIIs from 504 Squadron.
In addition to the combat squadrons, the Air Sea Rescue Supermarine Walrus
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
es of RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
276 Squadron were resident from early June 1945. They left for Kjevik, Norway
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik is situated northeast of the city Kristiansand, Vest-Agder in southern Norway, located from the city centre. The airport serves the Agder district with domestic and international flights. In 2008 the airport had 915,092 passengers. The airport is operated by Avinor...
on 23 August.
With the end of the war, 303 Squadron departed in December 1945 and the airfield was placed under care and maintenance and became a satellite of RAF Great Sampford
RAF Great Sampford
RAF Great Sampford was an RAF base situated in Essex, England....
in 1946.
Civil use
With the end of military control, Andrews Field was virtually abandoned by 1948 and soon took on an air of neglect. In common with other disused airfields, some of the buildings were taken over as temporary housing, even as late as 1953. From there on, virtually all the buildings with the exception of the two T-2 hangars and most of the ground works (runways, etc.) were removed and the land reverted to agriculture.In 1972, aircraft again returned to Andrews Field (renamed Andrewsfield aerodrome) when a 3,000 foot grass strip along part of the line of the original main runway was constructed. As flying increased, a clubhouse and flying control were erected in 1975 for the Andrewsfield Flying Club. The airfield was licensed by the CAA in 1976.
The Rebel Air Museum was housed in a blister hangar near the clubhouse for some time, until it moved to new premises on Earls Colne airfield.
Other than the two T2 hangars, the firing-in butts and a few Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s in the dispersed sites, little remains of the once-busy wartime airfield. Only a small amount of single track perimeter remains along the south side of the airfield, although the wartime runways are visible as disturbed earth in aerial photography. There are two memorials. One in the village is positioned in front of the former Sick Quarters Site and commemorates the 819th Aviation Engineer Battalion who built the airfield. The other memorial is along the lane from the A120 to Great Saling and is to the memory of the 322nd Bomb Group (M). A mural depicting a B-26 adorns an interior wall of the Andrewsfield Flying Club clubhouse. Also on display are a number of photographs showing the airfield under construction.
Directions
To reach Andrews Field, from Great DunmowGreat Dunmow
Great Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
travel west on the B1256 about 3 miles to the sign for Stebbing Green, turning left (north). Proceed about a mile to Newpasture Lane and turn right. The Andrewsfield Flying Club will be on your left after a short distance.
See also
- List of RAF stations
- Frank Maxwell AndrewsFrank Maxwell AndrewsFrank Maxwell Andrews was a general officer in the United States Army and one of the founding fathers of the United States Air Force. In leadership positions within the Army Air Corps, he succeeded in advancing progress toward a separate and independent Air Force where predecessors and allies...