RAF Mendlesham
Encyclopedia
RAF Mendlesham is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 5½ miles E of Stowmarket
in Suffolk
.
Fighter squadron which moved in during February 1944 and out in April. This was No. 310 Squadron
equipped with Spitfire IXs
and manned by Czechoslovakian pilots.
Eighth Air Force
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 156.
From 30 March 1944 though 11 July 1945, Mendlesham served as headquarters for the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing, 3d Bombardment Division, Eighth Air Force
34th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Blythe AAF
California
. The 34th was assigned to the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-S". Its operational squadrons were:
The group flew both B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberator
s as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.
The 34th flew 170 operations from the station, the first sixty-two while flying B-24 Liberators and the remainder with B-17G Fortresses. The change-over was made during the summer of 1944 when, in common with other groups assigned to the 93rd Combat Wing, the 3rd Division standardized on the Fortress. The group helped to prepare for the invasion of Normandy
by bombing airfields in France and Germany, and supported the landing in June by attacking coastal defenses and communications. Continued to take part in the campaign in France by supporting ground forces at Saint-Lô
, 24–25 July, and by striking V-weapon sites, gun emplacements, and supply lines throughout the summer of 1944.
The group converted to B-17's in September 1944 and engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic objectives from October 1944 to February 1945. Targets included marshalling yards in Ludwigshafen, Hamm
, Osnabrück
, and Darmstadt
; oil centers in Bielefeld
, Merseburg
, Hamburg
, and Misburg; factories in Berlin, Dalteln, and Hanover
; and airfields in Münster
, Neumünster
, and Frankfurt
. During this period the group also supported ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge
, December 1944-January 1945. In March 1945, with few industrial targets remaining and with Allied armies advancing across Germany, the 34th turned almost solely to interdicting enemy communications and supporting Allied ground forces.
After V-E Day it carried food to flooded areas of Holland and transported prisoners of war from German camps to Allied centers. The 34th Bomb Group returned to Sioux Falls AAF
South Dakota
on 28 August 1945 and was deactivated.
Some aerospace-related use still remains though: one portion of runway 08/25, although now covered with grass, is now in use by local microlight pilots and by Suffolk Coastal Floaters hang-gliding club along with a blister-type hangar at the EOR.
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
RAF Fighter Command use
Mendlesham airfield was built in 1943 and the first flying unit based there was a Royal Air ForceRoyal 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...
Fighter squadron which moved in during February 1944 and out in April. This was No. 310 Squadron
No. 310 Squadron RAF
No. 310 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War .It was first formed on 10 July 1940 at RAF Duxford, equipped with Hawker Hurricane I fighters and was the first RAF squadron to be raised crewed by foreign nationals, in this case...
equipped with Spitfire IXs
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
and manned by Czechoslovakian pilots.
USAAF use
In March 1944, Mendlesham was allocated to the United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
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....
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 156.
From 30 March 1944 though 11 July 1945, Mendlesham served as headquarters for the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing, 3d Bombardment Division, 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....
34th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The first USAAF tenant was the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air ForceEighth 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....
34th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arriving from Blythe AAF
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The 34th was assigned to the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-S". Its operational squadrons were:
- 4th Bombardment Squadron4th Bombardment SquadronThe 4th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 34th Bombardment Group, stationed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 28 August 1945.-History:...
(Q6) - 7th Bombardment Squadron7th Bombardment SquadronThe 7th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 34th Bombardment Group, stationed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 28 August 1945.-History:...
(R2) - 18th Bombardment Squadron (8I)
- 391st Bombardment Squadron (3L)
The group flew both B-17 Flying Fortresses and 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...
s as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign.
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...
by bombing airfields in France and Germany, and supported the landing in June by attacking coastal defenses and communications. Continued to take part in the campaign in France by supporting ground forces 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...
, 24–25 July, and by striking V-weapon sites, gun emplacements, and supply lines throughout the summer of 1944.
The group converted to B-17's in September 1944 and engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic objectives from October 1944 to February 1945. Targets included marshalling yards in Ludwigshafen, Hamm
Hamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
, Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, and Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
; oil centers in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and Misburg; factories in Berlin, Dalteln, and Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
; and airfields in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
, and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. During this period the group also supported ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944-January 1945. In March 1945, with few industrial targets remaining and with Allied armies advancing across Germany, the 34th turned almost solely to interdicting enemy communications and supporting Allied ground forces.
After V-E Day it carried food to flooded areas of Holland and transported prisoners of war from German camps to Allied centers. The 34th Bomb Group returned to Sioux Falls AAF
Sioux Falls Regional Airport
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a joint civil and military use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Sioux Falls, a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States...
South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
on 28 August 1945 and was deactivated.
RAF Maintenance Command use
After the war, the field was used as the sub-site of No. 94 Maintenance Unit being used as an ammunition storage depot. It was reduced to inactive status in June 1954 and sold.Current use
With the end of military control the former technical site of Mendlesham to the southwest of the airfield was developed into an industrial estate. Large, expansive buildings were constructed over the area, no wartime buildings remain. The balance of the airfield was returned to agricultural use; the runways, hardstands and perimeter track being largely removed for aggrieved and today are fields, although parts of the perimeter track and the 02/20 runway remain as singe-track farm access roads. No evidence of the wartime control tower remains. The NE end of the 20 runway has a small portion remaining at full with. A few wartime buildings are in use by farmers. Only the faintest hint of a perimeter track remains visible. A small, but impressive memorial, subscribed to by the men of the 34th Group before their departure, is still maintained on the old airfield next to the A140 road.Some aerospace-related use still remains though: one portion of runway 08/25, although now covered with grass, is now in use by local microlight pilots and by Suffolk Coastal Floaters hang-gliding club along with a blister-type hangar at the EOR.