RAF Gosfield
Encyclopedia
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield in Essex
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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The airfield is located approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
; about 40 miles (64.4 km) north-northeast of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Opened in 1943, 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 combat airfield, with several fighter and bomber units stationed at it After the war it was closed in 1955 after being held in reserve for many years.
Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields.
Overview
Gosfield had been utilized as a landing ground during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
but it is not known if this was a factor in the Air Ministry surveyor's visit to the area during the winter of 1941-42 when selecting locations for Class A bomber airfields. The site was eventually included in the grouping of 15 such airfields in August 1942 that were allocated for the USAAF Eighth Air Force
Eighth 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....
Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
B-17 Flying Fortress groups then training in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Gosfield was also one of the airfields where the main construction work was carried out by US Army engineers. The 816th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) arrived at Gosfield on 16 August 1942 where they began setting up tented accommodation. Shortages of construction equipment and other problems caused delays in the early months. By December 1942, the overall airfield building program was in crisis and falling further behind schedule due to the lack of labour and resources. By March 1943, most of the 816th's men were transferred to the more advanced site at RAF Andrews Field
RAF Andrews Field
RAF Station Andrews Field is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Great Dunmow; about north-northeast of London...
. Full-scale construction of Gosfield was resumed in August and by mid-October 1943 the main elements of the landing area had been completed. The 833rd Engineer Aviation Battalion arrived in October 1943 and helped complete Gosfield, including buildings and the drainage system. However, by the time it was completed the Eighth Air Force no longer required the airfield and it was passed to the control of the US 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 December 10, 1943 the airfield was bombed by the Luftwaffe. Four men of the 833rd EAB, Stacy J. Lindsey, George E. Reilly, Norman Shotnakoff Jr., and Fred Svensson, were killed when one of the raiders sprayed their hut with cannon fire; and fifteen others were wounded.
The airfield was built to the 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...
standard, 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. It consisted of three runways of 6,000 ft (14/32), 4,200 ft (02/20), and 4,000 ft (08/26). 50 "Loop" and 1 "Frying Pan" hardstands were constructed connecting to an enclosing perimeter track, of a width of 50 feet.
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 where the mess facilities; chapel; hospital; mission briefing and debriefing; armory 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 path 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 on the north side of the airfield, 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.
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 3,278 personnel, including communal and a sick quarters.
USAAF use
Gosfield was known as USAAF Station AAF-154 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "GF".365th Fighter Group
Although the Essex airfields were earmarked for use by IX Bomber Command, the expected influx of large numbers of fighter groups led Ninth Air ForceNinth 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....
to utilise Gosfield as a fighter airfield. This was a temporary measure for the winter months and until conditions improved at the south coast advanced landing grounds where they were to he deployed prior to the invasion
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...
. Thus the first combat flying unit to occupy Gosfield was the 365th Fighter Group
365th Fighter Group
The 365th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Service Forces stationed at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. It was inactivated on 22 September 1945....
, arriving on 22 December 1943 from Richmond AAF
Richmond International Airport
- Accidents and incidents :*In 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 from Trenton experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond, however rudder control was regained shortly after and the aircraft landed normally. There was one minor injury....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Operational squadrons of the group were:
- 386th Fighter Squadron (D5)
- 387th Fighter Squadron (B4)
- 388th Fighter Squadron (C4)
The 365th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 84th Fighter Wing
84th Fighter Wing (World War II)
The 84th Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Tactical Air Command, based at Brunswick, Germany...
, IX Tactical Air Command
IX Tactical Air Command
The IX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Camp Shanks, New York...
.
It was several weeks before the 365th received a full complement of 75 P-47D Thunderbolts and mid-February 1944 before they were placed on operational status. Their first mission. flown on 22 February, was a bomber support sweep of short duration over enemy-held territory.
Early missions were flown in support of Eighth Air Force
Eighth 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....
B-17 and B-24 bomber operations and on one of these on 2 March, the 365th had its first encounter with enemy fighters
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....
in the Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
area resulting in the loss of one Thunderbolt and claims of six of the enemy shot down. Oherstleutant Egon Mayer. one of the most successful 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....
aces flying in the West with 102 victories, fell in this battle.
On 5 March, with only nine missions to its credit the group moved south to RAF Beaulieu
RAF Beaulieu
RAF Station Beaulieu was a World War II airfield in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
as Gosfield was required for a bomber group scheduled to arrive in the UK during the next few weeks. During its stay at Gosfield, the 365th Fighter Group had two P-47s missing in action and two pilots had been killed in local flying accidents.
397th Bombardment Group
On 5 April 1944 Martin B-26 MaraudersB-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....
of the 397th Bombardment Group started to arrive at Gosfield after a trans-Atlantic crossing from Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, Georgia by the southern route via Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Operational squadrons of the group were:
- 596th Bombardment Squadron (X2)
- 597th Bombardment Squadron (9F)
- 598th Bombardment Squadron (U2)
- 599th Bombardment Squadron (6B)
However. no sooner had they arrived than they were moved on to RAF Rivenhall
RAF Rivenhall
RAF Station Rivenhall is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southeast of Braintree; about northeast of London...
when that airfield was vacated by the 363d Fighter Group on 14 April.
410th Bombardment Group
The day following the 397th's departure, personnel of the 410th Bombardment Group moved in from RAF BirchRAF Birch
RAF Station Birch is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately northeast of Tiptree; about northeast of London...
. The 410th was equipped with Douglas A-20G and A-20J Havoc
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20/DB-7 Havoc was a family of American attack, light bomber and night fighter aircraft of World War II, that served with several Allied air forces, principally those of the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States. The DB-7 was also used by the air forces of Australia, South...
light twin engined bombers which it had trained in the United States. Operational squadrons of the group were:
- 644th Bombardment Squadron (5D)
- 645th Bombardment Squadron (7X)
- 646th Bombardment Squadron (8U)
- 647th Bombardment Squadron (SQ)
Training of the 410th BG had been in low-level attack and this form of bombing had been abandoned as too dangerous in tire European Theater of Operations. On receipt of its aircraft from depots (A-20s cane to the UK by ship), the group commenced a hurried period of retraining in bombing from medium altitudes as was IX Bomber Command practice. Eventually, there were 64 Havocs at Gosfield, 16 per squadron. all in camouflage finish. Combat markings were applied, was an alternating black and white blocked rudder as group identification.
The 410th BG flew its first mission on 1 May 1944 and others followed thick and fast, often two per day. Targets were airfields, railways, bridges, fuel and military stores, V-weapon sites, road junctions and enemy troop positions. In the course of 20 weeks' operations from Gosfield, the 418th flew 124 missions, losing 211 A-20s. almost all to flak.
Following the Allied break-out from the Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
beachhead in late July, and the subsequent sweep across France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. the 410th, in common with other IX Bomber Command units, found range was a critical factor and by September the targets were almost beyond the range of the Havocs at Gosfield. To remedy this situation, the expected move to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was finally ordered for 18 September when the majority of personnel were moved by train to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
for the sea crossing. The ultimate destination was the ALG A-58 at Coulommiers.
On the continent, the 410th continued operations until V-E Day, eventually being stationed at Beaumont-sur-Oise, France. The group returned to the United States during the summer of 1945, and was inactivated at Myrtle Beach AAF
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force facility, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was established in 1940 as a World War II training base and was also used for coastal patrols during the war...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
on 7 November 1945.
With the departure of the 410th to France, the USAAF presence at Gosfield airfield was reduced to a small station complement to deal with the occasional forced landing and visitor.
RAF Bomber Command use
In January 1945, the RAF's No. 299 Squadron moved in from RAF WethersfieldRAF Wethersfield
MDPGA Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England; it is located north of the village of Wethersfield—about north-west of the town of Braintree...
for two weeks with Short Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
s but soon departed for RAF Shepherds Grove
RAF Shepherds Grove
RAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force base in Suffolk England 9 miles NE of Bury St Edmunds.The base was built for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force during World War II. However the facility was not used by the USAAF and was opened by 3 Group, RAF on 3 April 1944...
. Again the airfield was devoid of permanent aircraft until mid-March when it was brought back into use for a combat operation as an RAF Heavy Glider Servicing Unit. Gosfield being selected as another of the launch bases for the First Allied Airborne Army's support for the crossing of the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
.
The RAF's No. 271, 512 and 575 Squadrons from RAF Broadwell
RAF Broadwell
RAF Broadwell was a Royal Air Force station located 2 miles north of Broadwell and 3 miles southeast of Burford, Oxfordshire, within 2 miles of RAF Brize Norton. It opened on 15 November 1943 and closed on 31 March 1947, operating under RAF Transport Command...
. with Douglas C-47 Dakotas and Horsa Gliders
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
, set out from Gosfield on 24 March and the aircraft returning to their home airfields after the operation. Afterwards, Gosfield was used as a collecting point for recovered Horsa gliders.
With the end of hostilities jurisdiction subsequently passed from one RAF headquarters to another until Gosfield airfield was closed down during February 1946. Gosfield was put under care and maintenance until the early 1950s when the care and maintenance unit was withdrawn and civilian caretakers left to supervise. Suitable areas eventually returned to agricultural use and the hangars and saleable installations were auctioned in 1955.
Civil use
With the facility released from military control, the Consumers Association made use of the runways and perimeter track for testing cars from 1965 to 1987, the results being published in their magazine. After the departure of this organization, the vast majority of the airfield was returned to agricultural use.The runways, hardstands and perimeter track came under the concrete breaking machinery of St Ives Sand and Gravel for hardcore. Long sections of the perimeter track remain, although only as a single lane agricultural road. All of the dispersal hardstands have been removed, along with the main runway and 02/20 secondary runway, both of which no longer exist. The 08/26 secondary runway remains largely intact with the east end being used for lorry trailer storage, although the trailers appear to be derelict.
The group of buildings in the control tower area survived and were developed for light engineering and plant hire operations and are in use. Part of the technical site appears to be a storage area for sea-land ocean containers. Several Nissen Huts also remain in use.
Directions
From BraintreeBraintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
, proceed northeast on Broad Road (B1063) to the roundabout, then northeast on A131 (still Broad Road). Proceed on the A131, remaining straight when reaching the A1017 road on the north side of High Garrett (Gosfield Road). Stay on the A1017 through the village of Gosfield. The airfield will be on the north side of town, about a quarter mile. There is an access road on the left to some deteriorated concrete that is part of the old technical site.
Another road, about a quarter mile further and also to the left will take you past an intersection, which is the old perimeter track of the airfield reduced in size. Past that there is a road to the left which will take you to an industrial estate, where some wartime Nissen Huts can be found, again part of the technical site. Staying straight will take you to the NE/SW (08/26). secondary runway, drivable, but the concrete is in a deteriorating condition. The NE end of the runway appears to be a storage location for all sorts of highway trailers. Driving southeast on the runway it will take you to a single track road, which is the perimeter track, which, if you turn to the left, will take you around the old airfield and eventually back to the access road which branched off the A1017. There may be vehicles parked on the road blocking access so beware you might have to make a turnaround on the grass.