It was during this time, on July 4th 1944, that General Eisenhower stopped off at Lashenden following one of his many flights over the German lines in Normandy. His pilot, Brig. Gen. Elwood R. Quesada, veteran of 90 sorties, was berated by his superiors for such a ‘foolish’ act. In response he said, “When a five-star general says ‘Go,’ you go!”
Lashenden, also known as Headcorn, was an advanced landing ground, built initially for the RAF, it was taken over by the US Ninth Airforce who used to to fly P-51s and P-47s out over France.
Today it is a thriving airfield, whose annual reenactments bring back the nostalgia of 1940s Britain. Find out more about Lashenden’s history and other airfields in Kent. Click on this link.
1940s Britain is reenacted on the Former Lashenden Advanced Landing Ground used by the Ninth Air Force.
Aviation Trails 
One of the best movies I have ever seen about Eisenhower was a film called Ike: Countdown to D-Day. What made it famous when it came out was that Tom Selleck shaved his moustache for the role. It was very interesting and showed the clash of personalities he had to contend with.
LikeLike
I saw part of that movie, quite an epic if I remember correctly. I don’t know if there were any references to him flying over Normandy, quite an event by all accounts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No it ends just as the invasion begins. I enjoyed the scenes with the rather pompous De Gaulle. Something I only found out quite recently was that Eisenhower had never been in combat himself.
LikeLike
Quite remarkable really for a man with such power and leadership.
LikeLiked by 1 person