3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force USAF 1942-45. Flying Fortress & Liberator Squadrons in Norfolk & Suffolk

240 Pages·2013·9.12 MB·English

by  Martin Bowman

First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Copyright © Martin W. Bowman, 2009
9781783409822

The right of Martin W. Bowman to be identified as Author of this Work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Introduction
1 - Bury St Edmunds (Rougham) — Station 468
2 - Debach — Station 152
3 - Deopham Green — Station 142
4 - Eye (Brome) — Station 134
5 - Fersfield (Winfarthing) — Station 554 (Formerly 140)
6 - Framlingham (Parham) — Station 153
7 - Great Ashfield–Station 155
8 - Honington–Station 375
9 - Horham–Station 119
10 - Knettishall–Station 136
11 - Lavenham (Cockfield)–Station 137
12 - Mendlesham (Wetheringsett)–Station 156
13 - Rattlesden–Station 126
14 - Snetterton Heath–Station 138
15 - Sudbury (Acton)–Station 174
16 - Thorpe Abbotts–Station 139
APPENDIX I - Summary of Airfields and Other Locations
APPENDIX II - 3rd Air Division Order of Battle
APPENDIX III - 3rd Bomb / Air Division Combat Bombardment Wing
Assignments: 1 November 1943
APPENDIX IV - 3rd Bomb Division Squadron Assignments
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
My grateful thanks are extended to: David Calcutt; Bill Carleton; Bob Collis;
Clarence F. Cherry; Roy G. Davidson; Hayward F. Deese Jnr., Abe Dolim;
Michael R. Downes; Michael P. Faley, 100th Bomb Group Historian; Mike
Fuenfer; Joe Gualano; Larry Goldstein; Steve Gotts; the late Carlyle J. Hanson;
Harry Holmes; Zdenek Hurt; Fred Huston; Wallace Johnson; Philip Kaplan;
John Lindquist; Irving Lifson; Ian McLachlan; John A. Miller; Francis S.
Milligan; Joseph Minton; Bryce S. Moore; Ralph J. Munn; William Nicholls;
Connie and Gordon Richards; Robert J. Shoens; Griswold Smith; Richard A.
Spencer; Henry Tarcza; The 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association; Thorpe
Abbotts 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum; Louis J. Torretta; Geoff Ward;
Roy West.
Prologue
A bomber base is something like a little mining town back home. Each day a
large part of its population sets out on the one big and dangerous job for which it
exists. The rhythm of its life, like that of the mining town, follows the pace of
the one industry. But there are many on the base who don’t set off each day into
the air, just as there are many in the town who don’t go down into the earth.
They are an unseen army at work on a hundred different jobs. For every bomber
there are thirty or so men on the base who never fly. Some of them handle the
planes on the ground, some handle the bombs, bombsights, guns, or the ever-
growing battery of flying equipment. Some clothe or drive or feed the combat
crews. There are many again who have less direct contact with planes or flying,
but who are essential to the success of a mission.
The difference between a Group with an outstanding operational record and a
run-of-the-mill outfit is as often as not the work of the unseen army and the
smoothness of their teamwork with the fliers.
As a Fort or a Lib thunders down the runway in the early morning and heaves
its thirty tons into the air, it carries with it the hopes and anxieties, the sweat and
cursing, the patience and ingenuity of hundreds of men. It is the streamlined
spearhead of months of training and experience, weeks of preparation, hours of
planning. Every mission is a campaign, worked out to the last second, to the last
man and to the last pound. Every mission is different, with its own problems of
weather and target, route and procedure. And yet every mission follows a
general pattern from the first stand-by warning to the repair of battle damage.
“Stick your nose out the door, Mac, and see if the flag’s changed”. Before
Mac summons up the energy to roll off his bunk, Tex comes in. Yes, the blue
flag is now flying, the stand-by has become an alert. “What’s the time, Joe?” Joe
grunts what sounds like ten-thirty. “They’ll probably scrub it as soon as we get
through”, says Tex, “looks like rain”. Tex is an armourer and a pessimist. Its
nothing new to him to bomb up and unload three times in one night. Mac says
nothing. He’s asleep again. Why worry? They’ll be routed out when they’re
needed. Sleep while you can, is his motto. Two weeks ago they ran eight
missions in eight days and Mac, an air mechanic, averaged four-and-a-half hours
sleep a night, keeping two planes flying.
While Mac and plenty of others are hitting the sack, the Operations men are
just settling into their stride. Operations at headquarters gradually works up
steam, until, about 4.15 in the morning, it will rival Grand Central. Right now
everyone is waiting for the orders to come through from Division. As soon as the
teletype ticks out the details of the mission, the ops phones will start ringing all
over the base, bodies will jerk out of bed, jeeps and trucks will roar as the first
preparations are made.
Unseen Army, On Base Striking Arm Of The Eighth. 1944