The second airfield that has recently seen proposals for new development is the large and complete site on Norfolk’s western side. It is RAF West Raynham. If these proceed, then West Raynham could be a unique development.
RAF West Raynham.
RAF West Raynham is a large airfield that operated well beyond the Second World War. It was home to some 20 squadrons and saw a range of aircraft including: Blenheims, Bostons, Tomahawks, Beaufighters, B-25 Mitchells, Mosquitos, B-17 Flying Fortresses, Canberras, Javelins and Bloodhound Missiles to name but a few.
It currently stands complete although a large part of it has been the focus of development since the RAF’s departure. Much of the former RAF housing has already been refurbished and sold off to private families; a solar park has also been built along the runway line and the accommodation sites developed sympathetically with the airfields history in mind.
The Grade II Listed Control Tower at West Raynham.
A recent report identified this site as being of “heritage value” and that whilst some of the buildings are “at risk” there is a strong desire to reuse buildings wherever possible. The only ‘listed’ building is the Control Tower (which is Grade II listed) which, along with the majority of the main buildings: Guard House, Station Headquarters, Chapel, Water Tower, District Heating Control Centre, four Hangers and the Training Dome, is in relatively good condition. A large majority of the remaining buildings were temporary or will require renovations to make them usable once again. The report states that:
“It is important that the character areas described keep their identity. The approach taken for existing buildings will vary according to the character area and the qualities of the specific buildings”.
The report also highlights the benefits of the MOD property, and that it provides suitable low-cost housing that would meet the Council’s housing target. It also states that the former technical area provides suitable accommodation for small industrial units or “start-up” businesses.
In essence, the survey illustrates the need to develop the site to fulfil the council’s need for housing whilst identifying the site as an important heritage site, and that the development should reflect this:
“The vision is to re-use and reinvigorate the site in a way that respects and celebrates the historic and architectural heritage of the site.”
The infrastructure of former RAF bases lend themselves to new villages; the layout, transport networks and available buildings, are perfectly suitable for the Garden Village idea. Open spaces intertwined with affordable accommodation and recreational facilities are all there. If this development goes ahead, then RAF West Raynham could become a well-preserved yet appropriately developed site that in the large part, reflects it historical importance and valued contribution to Britain’s defence network.
The full development brief can be found here from where the quotes were sourced.
Plans have been released this week for the development of three former RAF airfields in Norfolk. On the face of it, these represent steps forward in preservation whilst allowing a sympathetic development of these historical sites in at least two of them, and development and part preservation in a third. These proposals will not only revitalise the decaying structures, but will also allow public access to the very infrastructure of the sites that once protected our skies. In part, they offer a model for future development and preservation of Britain’s aviation heritage, whilst highlighting the sacrifice of the crews who flew from them.
The first of these is that of RAF Downham Market.
RAF Downham Market (RAF Bexwell)
Proposals were put to the government on Monday for a new multi-million pound technology park on the former RAF base at Downham Market. It is proposed that the site will create 4,600 jobs and become a centre of excellence for technology comparable to those already at Cambridge.
The £300m project will include a major campus dealing with data and data handling. This will include a research centre for both under and post-graduate students, a hotel, leisure and tourist facilities.
Whilst the proposals have only just been put forward, consultations have already started, and so final planning proposals are hoped to be revealed early in the new year. Local residents are raising objections due to the losing of the ‘green space’, along with increased pressure on the local infrastructure, which according to some, is already stretched.
According to reports, the plans also include restoring some of the few remaining buildings, creating a bronze statue and a museum to commemorate the work of Downham Market crews; something that is long overdue.
Downham Market airfield was the home of: 218 and 623 Sqns both flying Short Stirlings, 571 Sqn and 608 Sqn, both flying Mosquitos in the Pathfinder role and 635 Sqn who flew Lancasters between March 1944 and September 1945. It is where Flt. Sgt. Arthur Aaron and Sqn. Ldr. Ian Bazalgette were both awarded VCs for their bravery and heroic acts whilst on missions over Europe. It is from where the last Mosquito mission took place which was also the last RAF operation of the war.
Whilst the runways and perimeter track are long gone, a few buildings still do remain in current use. There is no official memorial at Downham Market, although there is a memorial to both Aaron and Bazalgette outside the local church.
These plans are very much in the early stages, but a number of parties have shown an interest in the proposition and development is likely in the near future.
There has been much written about the young Kennedy, his life, his family and his death, but a lot of information around his death has remained ‘unknown’ for many years. Even today, the actual cause of his death is not clear and will probably remain so.
Joseph Kennedy Jnr was based at RAF Fersfield (originally RAF Winfarthing) in Norfolk (Trail 27), and had only been there a few weeks before he tragically died on August 12th 1944, whilst operating on secret operations. A tragic loss, this is the last flight of Joseph Kennedy and Wilford Willy from RAF Fersfield, Norfolk, England.
The Crew – Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy Jnr.
Joseph Kennedy was born July 25th 1915, Nantasket, Massachusetts, he was the eldest brother of eight siblings including John F. Kennedy. He was son to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. Throughout his life he had been pressured into the political life by his father who had high hopes that his son would become the future President. Joseph Jnr wanted to please. As war loomed, Joe Kennedy Jnr rose to the challenge seizing his opportunity to become the ‘shining light’ of the Kennedy family.
The Kennedy parents instilled a desire to be competitive, to win and succeed and to be the best. This came out in Joseph during his time at both home and at school. The pressure on Joseph was enormous, and it was clearly evident throughout his short life.
Joseph lived in the shadow of his younger brother John, who would captain a PT boat in the Far East, and in Joseph’s absence, go on to become President of the most powerful nation on Earth. John was the brighter, the more determined of the two, and this caused friction between them. Joe always wanting to ‘out-do’ his brother persevered, but never seemed to quite make it.
It was this determination and rivalry that perhaps led Joseph to do what he did, to impress, to be the best and the ideal way he thought was as a war hero.
With a remarkable academic background behind him, Joseph Kennedy joined the U.S. Naval Reserves on October 15th 1941, reporting to the Naval Air Station (N.A.S.) at Jacksonville, Florida the following day. After several months of training he received his commission and on January 10th 1943 he joined a flying patrol squadron. In May he became a Junior Grade Lieutenant transferring to a bomber squadron in the following July that year. In 1944, on July 1st, he was promoted to Lieutenant United States Naval Reserve. His military life would last just one more month.
Joseph was posted to RAF Dunkeswell serving under the RAF’s Coastal Command. Flying a PB4Y he would carry out U-Boat searches over the Atlantic around the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. As he accumulated flying hours, he rarely came into any real danger, even when posted to cover the Allied invasion fleet over Normandy he rarely came into contact with any opposing aircraft or vessels.
Joseph Kennedy’s opportunity came when volunteers were asked for to undertake a special secret and dangerous operation. He jumped at the chance to be a hero.
Joseph Kennedy arrived at RAF Fersfield, Norfolk on 30th July 1944 where he was trained for two weeks. On August 10th 1944 he wrote a letter home, it would be his last communication with his family. Joseph Kennedy was to become a pilot in operation Anvil.
Lieutenant Wilford John Willy
Sadly, Lieutenant Wilford J. Willy (s/n: O-137078), has remained in the shadows probably because the status of Joseph Kennedy Jnr. A tragic loss nonetheless and no less an important one. Willy was born 13th May 1909, New Jersey. He enlisted in the Navy in 1928, gaining his Naval Wings on April 30th 1937, just two years after he had married his sweetheart, Edna C. Schaffery, the women he left behind. On advancing through the rank of Chief Petty Officer, he was awarded Lower Grade Lieutenant (April 28th 1942) and two months later, on June 26th, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant. Willy served at a number of operational stations, including Pearl Harbour, before being posted to RAF Fersfield, in Norfolk.
Willy, now an expert in Radio Operations and procedures, became the Executive Officer of the Special Air Unit One (S.A.U.1), the rank he achieved when he took off with Kennedy on August 12th 1944.
Operations Anvil and Aphrodite.
Whilst Drone technology and research had been around as early as World War I, it was still relatively unchartered territory. However, radio controlled drones (modern name Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or U.A.V.s) were already being used with relative success for target practice by the RAF and USAAF during World War II. The ‘Queen Bee’ being one of many used by the RAF. The Germans had also been investigating drone and guided bomb use through examples such as the Mistel aircraft (the most successful being a combination of either a FW-190 or Me-109 mounted above a Ju 88).
Both the USAAF and USN were undertaking secret trials into drone aircraft operations with the view of attacking
the heavily defended and ‘impenetrable’ submarine and ‘V’ weapons sites across northern France . The aim, to stop, or at least reduce, the Nazi’s use of the V1, V2 rockets and the development of the new V3 canon.
Codenamed ‘Aphrodite‘ by the USAAF, and ‘Anvil‘ by the Navy, they were two secret operations running side by side. The idea behind these operations, was to remove all excess equipment from war-weary B-17s and B-24s, fill them with explosives, such as the British Torpex, put in radio receivers so that the drone (baby) could be controlled by a separate aircraft (mother) and fly them into designated targets. A volunteer crew of two would take off, set the aircraft in flight and then bail out over the U.K. or English Channel, leaving the ‘baby’ in the control of the ‘mother’ aircraft. These would then fly, by remote control, to the target when they would be put into a dive destroying whatever they hit.
The controls of the B-17 . The arm linkage moved the control column in response to the radio controls. (credit USAF)
The idea was remarkable but not new, and the equipment whilst innovative for its day, was limited to say the least. In all the operations undertaken only one drone ever reached its target, and that was through more luck than skill.
‘Azon’ (from AZimuth ONly*1) controls had been used successfully on individual 500lb or 1000lb bombs, where the control box was attached to the rear of the bomb and controlled by the bomb aimer through a joy stick. Using two directional controls (left or right) he could direct a bomb very accurately onto a given point. The downside of Azon, was that range and fall had to be determined in the usual way by the bomb aimer and could not be altered once the bomb had left the aircraft.
Azon had been used and proven in attacking bridges, railways and other longitudinal targets and was very accurate with a good bomb aimer. However, because of its limitations, it could only be used in one dimension and therefore was not capable a making a ‘baby’ take off.
Two aircraft types were identified for the project. Boeing’s B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ and Consolidated’s B-24 ‘Liberator’. These once converted would be given new identifications BQ-7 (usually B-17Fs) and BQ-8 (B-24D/J). In each case it was deemed that two crew members would be needed to raise the ‘baby’ off the ground, partly because of the strength needed to pull back the control columns in these heavy bombers. Once airborne, they would climb to around 20,000ft, arm the Torpex, set the aircraft on a trajectory to the target, switch on the receivers and bail out.
About twenty-five BQ-7s were modified, but it is not known accurately how many USAAF BQ-8s were converted. However, it is known that at least two naval PB4Y-1s (the naval version of the B-24 of which 400 had been converted from B-24 status – these were given s/n 31936 – 32335) were converted to BQ-8 standard; one of which was flown by Lt. Kennedy and Lt. Willy on the 12th August 1944.
A number of support aircraft were needed for each mission. Prior to the attack a Mosquito XVI of the 653rd BS would photograph the target. Then the ‘baby’ would be accompanied by at least one fighter (either P-38 or P-51) in case the ‘baby’ lost control and had to be shot down and for fighter escort; a ‘mother’ either a Lockheed Ventura or another B-17 modified to CQ-4 standard, and a photographic Mosquito from the 8th Combat Camera Unit (CCU) to record in-flight behaviour. A post mission photo reconnaissance operation was carried out by the 25th BG at Watton to analyse the effectiveness of the bombing. It therefore took a lot of fuel, crew and aircraft to fly one drone to its target.
Because of the design features of the bombers, the USAAF looked into removing the cockpit to allow easy departure. The only aircraft that received this treatment was B-17F, “Olin’s 69’ERS” 42-30595 formally of 560BS, 388BG at Knettishall. It was never used on an Aphrodite mission and was scrapped post war after being used for training in the open cockpit mode. The BQ-8 (B-24) also had modifications made in the form of a widened hatch in the nose allowing for an easier escape from the aircraft. Once modified, the aircraft would have had all previous markings removed, and a special white or yellow paintwork applied to identify them from other bombers. To assist the controllers in sighting the ‘babies’ whilst in flight, the aircraft were fitted with a smoke canister that would be ignited allowing the bomb aimer to see the aircraft as it began its dive. In addition to this, two cameras were fitted to some ‘babies’ that transmitted pictures to the mother or support ship. These pointed at the controls and through the plexiglass. A revolutionary step forward in drone technology.
In all, there were fifteen missions undertaken by the USAAF and USN, but none were to successfully hit their targets. These included: Mimoyecques (Fortress); Siracourt (V1 Bunker); Watten (V2 Bunker); Heligoland (U-boat pens); Heide; Le Havre (docks); Hemmingstedt (oil refinery); Herford (marshalling yard) and Oldenburg (Power station). Both the operations and entire programme were cancelled only a few months after the Kennedy/Willy mission.
The last flight.
At RAF Fersfield, on August 12th 1944, Lieutenants Joseph Kennedy Jnr and Wilford J. Willy, both of the S.A.U. 1 of the Fleet Air Arm Wing Seven, boarded their converted B-24 Liberator, s/n 32271 (ex USAAF B-24J 42-110007)*2 and began their preflight checks. The aircraft was filled with 21,270lbs of explosive. At 17:55 and 17:56 two Lockheed Ventura ‘mother’ aircraft took off, followed by a further navigation aircraft and then the ‘baby’ at 18:07. The ‘baby’ climbed to 2,000 ft, the two ‘mothers’ 200 feet higher and slightly behind. They were joined by two Mosquitos, one for monitoring the weather, and the second, A USAAF F-8, to photograph the ‘baby’. This aircraft was flown by pilot Lieutenant Robert A. Tunnel and combat camera man Lieutenant David J. McCarthy. There was a further B-17 relay ship, a P-38 high altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft and five P-51 Mustangs to provide fighter cover.
The group set off toward the target at Mimoyecques , Northern France. They were to fly south-east toward the Suffolk coast, then turn south and head toward the target. Once level and stabilised, Kennedy and Willy handed over control to one of the ‘mother’ ships Then they reached the first control point (CP) at which time the group began to turn south; the ‘mother’ controlling the ‘baby’. Shortly after the turn was completed (about two minutes) Kennedy was heard to give the code “Spade Flush”, then at that 18:20 the ‘baby’ disintegrated in what was described as “two mid-air explosions” and a “large Fireball”.*4 The explosion, spread debris over a large area of the Suffolk countryside killing both crew members instantly. The following Mosquito also suffered damage and minor injuries to its crew. Following the explosion, all the aircraft were ordered back to base and the crews debriefed.
Many months (and indeed years) of investigations followed, but no firm conclusions could be drawn as to the precise cause of the explosion that ripped the aircraft apart. A number of speculative theories were drawn up, but the most plausible is that the electronic arming system was faulty and when Kennedy or Willy flicked the switch, an electronic short occurred that caused the bombs to detonate. Oddly the film that was in the following Mosquito has never been seen or made public – if indeed it was filming at that time.
The cause of deaths of Joseph Kennedy and Wilford Willy still remain a mystery to this day.
Joseph Kennedy wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be talked about as the one who achieved and outshone his brother. Sadly, this dream cost him his life.
The letter sent to the Kennedy’s after Joseph’s death.*3
The letter sent to the Kennedy’s after Joseph’s death.*3
This fateful mission and its two crew members are remembered across the world. In France, the Mimoyecques museum contains a memorial honoring both pilots, and their names are carved in the Tablets of the Missing at the American Cemetery, Madingley, Cambridge. Kennedy has a ship the Destroyer ‘USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.’ DD850 named after him and this is now a museum in Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts. Both aviators were awarded the Naval Cross posthumously,
Lieutenant Joseph P Kennedy Jr, USNR, appears on the Wall of the Missing at the American Cemetery, Madingley, Cambridgeshire.
Lieutenant Jospeh P. Kennedy Jnr had no dependents but Lieutenant Wilford J. Willy left a widow and three children.
Sources and further reading.
*1 Azimuth being the clockwise horizontal angle from a given point (usually North) to a second given point.
In the second part of Trail 27 we head further south toward the Suffolk border. We stop off at a world-famous racing circuit where the roar of radial engines has been replaced by the roar of motor racing. With all its development and changes, there are some surprises in stall, as we visit RAF Snetterton Heath.
RAF Snetterton Heath (Station 138)
RAF Snetterton Heath is located to the south-east of Snetterton village, and was built to Class A standard in 1942 for the RAF. It had three concrete runways, the main heading SW – NE of 2000 yds, with a second N-S and third W-E both of 1,400 yds. There were initially 36 ‘frying pan’ hardstands, and both T2 and blister hangars. In May 1943 it was handed over to the USAAF and designated Station 138. Snetterton was then upgraded, and the number of dispersals increased to fifty. A further four T2 hangars were constructed to house what was intended to be an air depot, however this never came to fruition and the work was stopped.
The accommodation areas were far to the south-east and east, the technical site to the North East and north and the fuel dump to the south. Snetterton covered a wide area, with little to the northern side because of the main Newmarket to Norwich road.
Former Crew Lockers and Drying room.
Snetterton was to become the home of the 45th Bombardment Wing, moving from Brampton Grange on 13th September 1943, who stayed at Snetterton until 18th June 1945 when it was disbanded. The 45th included groups at: Great Ashfield, Knettishall, Deopham Green, Great Saling and later Mendlesham.
The first residents were only to have a short stay. The B26 B and C ‘Marauders’ of the 386th BG, which was made up of four squadrons: 552nd, 553rd, 554th and 555th, who would arrive at Snetterton on June 3rd 1943. They would leave here one week later on the 10th June moving to RAF Boxted and then later to RAF Great Dunmow in September that same year. It was during this move that they transferred from the Eighth AF to the Ninth. The idea behind this move was to reduce the number of ‘setbacks’ that has bestowed the Marauders in operational duties, and place them closer to the continent. Whilst here at Snetterton, the 386th flew no operational missions and were soon replaced by the heavier B-17F/Gs of the 96th Bomb Group.
The original fabric store now has an alternative use.
During the conflict, the 96th would operate B-17s in four operational squadrons: 337th (code ‘AW’), 338th (code ‘BX’), 339th (code ‘QJ’), and the 413th (code ‘MZ’); aircraft having two parallel red lines on the wings and tail and a white ‘C’ in a black square. The 96th moved across from Great Saling (Andrews Field/Station 485) after a month of residency and remained at Snetterton from 12th June 1943 to 12th December 1945 whereupon they returned to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and were disbanded.
The 96th would attack strategic targets such as shipyards, harbours, railways, oil refineries and aircraft factories across the whole of Europe, including Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. On the 17th August 1943, in the battle over Regensburg, the 96th’s bravery and dedication was rewarded with a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) the first of two. The second coming following the raid on Poznan, Poland, on 9th April 1944 when it led the 45th Combat Wing (CW) through poor weather and intense anti-aircraft fire. This was to be their finest mission of the conflict.
A gunnery Trainer serves as an office today.
However, all was not good for the 96th. Whilst many ‘jinxed’ bomb groups were noted for their high losses and poor success rates, it was in fact the 96th that suffered some of the most devastating losses. In October 1943, they lost seven aircraft over Schweinfurt, then a further 10 over Rostock on April 11th 1944. In fact during this first half of 1944, the 96th lost a total of 100 B-17s, a greater loss rate than any other unit of the Eighth Airforce. This was a tragic loss that was reflected on a later ‘Shuttle mission’ to Poltava, Poland, when seventeen out of the twenty-one B-17s of the 96th BG were lost.
The 96th were to set a number of other ‘records’. They were to have the second highest rate of MIA crews in the Eighth Airforce and they were to lead the first ‘shuttle mission’ (intended to split the Luftwaffe forces by attacking a European target then flying on to Africa or Russia) whilst on a raid to Ragensburg. It was on one of these shuttle missions though that the 96th was to see the ‘softer’ side of the war when both they and the 100th BG (also labeled for high losses) both brought back donkeys bought for the sum of 400Ff!
“Lady Moe” looking out of the Waist Gunners position of ‘The Miracle Tribe‘. USAF Photo
The very last operational mission by the 96th was flown on April 21st 1945. However, they continued to fly in humanitarian operations over Europe, dropping food and other supplies to the Dutch, a role they carried out until they finally returned to the United States in December 1945 where they were inactivated for two years.
On the 13th June 1945 the 30th Bomb Wing used Snetterton Heath as its headquarters but had no flying units here; instead they were scattered around other USAAF bases in Norfolk and Suffolk. They pulled out of the UK on August 15th 1945 returning to the US.
Post war, Snetterton Heath was placed in care and maintenance under the watchful eye of the RAF 262 Maintenance Unit (MU) until the end of 1948, whereupon it was sold off.
Today Snetterton is famous for its motor-racing history, much of the track utilising the former runways and perimeter track. Small industrial units use a number of former hangars (reclad) and airfield buildings such as the turret trainer, the standby set house, crew rooms and fabric stores. A few dilapidated Nissen Huts lay decaying in fields, storing farm machinery but their days are all sadly numbered.
The best examples of these wartime buildings are located on the technical site on the eastern side of the airfield. From the main A11 come off and head toward the track, pass the main entrance and the technical site is on your right. A good range of the original buildings are here, reused for modern activities. The Gunnery trainer is neatly masked as an office, but its structure and shape clearly distinguishable from the outside. The crew rooms just a little before this are in a small complex of other former wartime huts.
A former workshop carries out mechanical work and the original admin building is now a small brewery – something that would no doubt have pleased many a young man in the mid 1940s.
A small brewery occupies the former admin office, a welcome change for those of the 1940s!
A few other buildings remained scattered around the area, particularly in the woods. With careful searching these can be found but access is very limited and in most cases prevented.
Other buildings remain in the wooded areas to the south-east.
A considerable amount of industrial work has been carried out on the Snetterton site, the runways and perimeter being repaired and improved to create a suitable surface for racing. Hardstands and wider sections of runway are storage areas for heavy lorries, racing vehicles and associated equipment.
Public access to this part of the site is free, and this allows you to see the recently built memorial inside the main gate adjacent to what was the main runway, now the entrance to the track. A beautiful memorial that was proposed by the Board of Directors and the members of the 96th Bomb Group Association. Following a competition at the local school, the design was submitted by one of its teachers, Mr. Martin Rance, and depicts a B-17 at the top of four triangular, stainless steel columns. Each of the columns representing one of the four squadrons attached to the group. The B-17 pointing upward as if taking off into the skies above. Beneath is a simple dedication that refers to all the personnel who served with the 96th.
An imposing memorial stands as a reminder of the 96th BG.
Throughout the war, the 96th BG achieved two DUCs, lost 189 crews as missing in action, flew 8,924 sorties dropping over 19,277 tons of bombs. Today the remnants remind us of those crews, the buildings stand as testament to their bravery and dedication, the memorial as a reminder of what once went on here, before the radial engines were lost and to the roar of racing cars.
We leave Snetterton, and head south-easterly toward Diss. As we do, we find the little village of North Lopham. Here is a small memorial dedicated to two crews of B-17s from the 337th and 338th Bomb Squadrons who collided over the village killing all on board on January 29th 1945. *1 The accident happened as the aircraft were forming up on a mission to the Bielefeld Marshalling yards. A small reminder of the perils of flying a large number of heavy bombers in tight formations.
Memorial to two B-17s that collided killing all on board, January 29th 1945.
After a brief stop here, we continue on toward Diss. Here we find an incredible history that not only links us to possibly one of the greatest Americans that ever lived, but a mission that reveled the daring and skill of precision bombing by the RAF.
We go to RAF Fersfield.
Sources and further reading.
*1 Other memorials to the 96th BG can be found at St. Andrew’s Church, Quidenham and at the local school, where a small museum can also be accessed. I shall add these later.
A website dedicated to the 96th Bomb group is limited in detail but has some interesting information.
Wartime memories project have personal artefacts and letters linked to Snetterton and many other bases across East Anglia.
In Trails 27 and 28 we head back to southern Norfolk, to the eastern side of Thetford Forest. We visit three airfields, each one tells a remarkable story of heroism, bravery and loss.
Our first, just to the north of Attleborough, was home to the mighty B-17s of the 452nd Bomb Group, 45th Combat Wing, 3rd Air Division, Eighth Airforce. We start off at the windy and open expanse that is Deopham Green.
RAF Deopham Green (Station 142).
Deopham Green taken 9th July 1946*1
Deopham Green (Station 142) was built-in 1943, to Class A standard and consisted of the usual three concrete runways; the main of 2,000 yds running NE-SW and two further runways NW-SE and W-E both of 1,400 yds. All three were linked by a perimeter track with fifty-one dispersed hardstands (forty-nine loops and two pans), and two T2 hangars, one to the north and the second to the south-west of the airfield. The accommodation sites, 13 in all, lay to the west and south-west and could accommodate around 2,900 personnel. A mix of communal sites, sick quarters and accommodation blocks were spread widely to avoid injury through attack. The bomb site and fuel stores were situated to the south-east well away from the accommodation area.
Deopham Green’s first and only flying resident for the duration of the conflict was that of the 452nd Bomb Group.
The 452nd BG was made up of four bomb squadrons; 728th, 729th, 730th and the 731st, flying B-17Gs. A black square with a white ‘L’ and parallel yellow bands denoted the group, whilst individual squadrons were issued with the codes 9Z (728th), M3, (729th), 6K (730th) and 7D (731st), although these were not displayed on individual aircraft during the conflict. Instead, squadron codes were a bar and ‘+’ sign or combinations of each allocated beneath the aircraft serial. The B-17s of the 452nd were originally olive and grey factory finish, but in March 1944, they began using the more common natural metal finish.
The main runway looking south-west. The adjacent road uses part of the original track.
They were activated on June 1st 1943 moving to Deopham Green later that year between December and January 1944. Their first combat mission was to be on February 5th 1944. They would attack strategic targets such as: Frankfurt, Regensburg, Kassel, Schweinfurt and the oil installation at Bohlen. They initially operated over northern France attacking airfields, bridges and coastal defences in preparation for the Normandy invasion; supported ground troops in the advance against Brest, St Lo and the Battle of the Bulge. They also struck sites in preparation for the Allied crossing of the Rhine.
The 452nd was one of the first groups to use Petroleum Jelly bombs, later known as ‘Napalm’, a weapon that was to prove deadly to its victims.
It was on November 9th 1944 that Lieutenants Donald Gott and William Metzger Jr performed courageously earning the Medal of Honor posthumously after they were killed nursing their crippled B-17 ‘Lady Janet‘ home from Saarbrucken. Their story is described in ‘Heroic Tales‘.
For their courage, the 452nd BG received their first Distinguished Unit Citation (D.U.C) on April 7th 1945 for their action against strong fighter cover and flak over the jet fighter base at Kaltenkirchen. Mission 931 would see one hundred and forty-three B-17s take on FW-190s and Me 262s – the 452nd would lose four B-17s. This was to be the final D.U.C. of the entire conflict for any bomb group.
The 452nd flew their final operational sortie later that month on the 21st April 1945, returning to the U.S. in the following August where they were disbanded on the 28th.
The southern end of the main runway.
In total, the 452nd flew 250 missions dropping 16,466 tons of bombs and losing 158 aircraft. They had the unenviable honour of having more Commanding Officers than any other Bomb Group during the Second World War. They achieved a D.U.C and two posthumous Medals of Honour, their awards reflecting their dedication, bravery and sacrifices.
Sadly only one aircraft 42-39970, ‘E-Rat-Icator‘ of the 730th BS, was to survive every mission and return home to the United States. E-Rat-Icator completed an incredible 120 bombing missions, a major triumph for any operational aircraft only to be unceremoniously scrapped in December 1945.
B-17, 42-39970, ‘E-Rat-Icator’ 730th BS, which was one of the first to use Petroleum Jelly bombs. This was to be the only aircraft of the 452nd to survive every mission and return home*2
At the end of hostilities the 452nd left the UK and Station 142 was handed over to the RAF 258 Maintenance Unit for care and maintenance. It was finally closed for good on New Years day 1948, the land was sold off in 1961 and returned to agriculture, a state in which it survives today.
Deopham is a windy and wide open expanse. Development of the site has changed little of its atmospheric feeling. If starting at the southern end of the airfield, the first signs we see are two small structures; a small sentry post and ground crew hut used during maintenance work. Both stand amongst the hedges overgrown and almost hidden, the sentry post very run down and its life is surely near the end. The hut fights on, albeit in a very poor state, and is now the home of farm machinery and stores, and is more likely held together by the weed than any orignal fixings. To your left, at the end of this small track is a loop dispersal, where the B-17s would have been worked on by the crews in the hut.
A hut once used by ground crews, barely stands in the undergrowth.
Leaving here, head north, taking the road from Bush Green follow it round. You pass on your right the entrance to the former fuel dump, then you veer right, this is now the original peri track. Turning left, you pass a gate on your right, this junction is the entrance to the bomb store . There is no longer any sign of the mass of munitions that once sat here, merely a concrete road and farm supplies. Continue heading north, you are now on the lower section of the NW-SE runway. A short way up, it crosses the main runway, remains of the original can be seen on both sides of the road, its width giving an indication of the size of the aircraft that used it. From here, turn right and then drive along its length toward Deopham Stalland. This road utilises the main runway virtually in its entirety. The length of these concrete runways clearly visible, and in places, so too is the width, some 50 feet. Along here, the old sections that have not been covered in tarmac, run along side, and stopping off at any point allows you to stand and soak up the atmosphere of those lumbering bombers racing down the runway, labouring to get airborne with their mighty loads. At the end, you can see the last section stretch out before you, the weeds now taking over. Turning left will take you round the peri track toward the north-eastern side of the airfield and away from the site.
One of the few remaining buildings fights the vegetation – Accommodation Site 7
Turn back on your self, drive down the ‘runway’ to the crossing point and then right and continue north. This is the secondary NW-SE runway once more. Most of this is now beneath the soil, but small sections can be see. Eventually you arrive at a small triangular grassed area. Three trees enclose a small memorial dedicated in May 1992 to the crews of the 452nd BG. A large concrete expanse to the right, the ‘car park’, are the remains of the original runway; from here it heads off to the north as a small track now frequented by dog walkers rather than heavy bombers. Carry on in a westerly direction toward the farm buildings. To your right a small track leads to where the control tower once stood. Sadly long gone, it was a standard wartime design to 12779/41, and was demolished after the land was sold in the 1960s. Behind here was the admin site, housing several dispersals and a blister hangar. All now gone and the land used for buildings owned by Stallard Farm.
To your left stood one of the two T2 hangars and other technical buildings, again mostly all gone today, those that are left are now part of the farm.
Former Gymnasium and Chancery located on Site No. 5
Continue past this area and you come to a cross roads. Directly opposite to your right is the location of accommodation site 7. Heavily overgrown, it was the home to the 728th BS. The few remaining structures here are also nearing the end of their useful lives. Further on, are accommodation sites 8 and 9, only concrete and a few foundations remain, evidence of the huts that once housed crews here. Turning left at this junction, heading south, you pass Sites 4 (Communal) and 5 (Mess). Also here were sites 12 and the sick quarters 13. Here at site 5, there are a few buildings including the former Nissen hut library, gymnasium and chapel, and former mess hall. These buildings are now owned by the Council and the Nissen hut still has today artwork paintings of ‘Robin Hood’ on the wall to the rear. A few other buildings survive around here in modern-day use. Others are mere shells and in great danger of falling down.
The former sick quarters (Site 13) still has buildings in use today.
Carrying on along this road and you leave Deopham Green through what was the main entrance. No visible sign of this remains today, the barrier and remaining accommodation sites to your right are all sadly long gone.
Deopham Green was a major airfield used by the Eighth Airforce for bombing missions over Europe. It supported ground operations, targeted transport and communication routes, and saw bravery beyond a scale imaginable today. It also led the way in new and devastating weapons that were to become commonplace in news reels in later years. It is amongst its wind-swept fields, sections of runway and small collection of buildings, that remain the memories of those who never came back to tell the tale of the devastating war over occupied Europe.
On leaving Deopham Green, we head south again, to our next stop where the roar of radial engines has been replaced by the roar of motor racing. We visit the former American airbase at Snetterton Heath.
Trail 13 continued around the western edges of Norfolk, near to Thetford Forest and the heaths of Breckland. Here, not from Thetford, is an airfield left over from the latter parts of the war. Seeing both RAF and USAAF personnel, it was often boggy and wet, but that didn’t deter those brave young men who fought for freedom.
Now an Army training camp, what’s left is being attacked by another enemy. We return to Southern Norfolk to complete an earlier Trail.
RAF East Wretham (Station 133)
Originally built-in the early part of the Second World War and opened in March 1940, East Wretham was designed as a satellite to RAF Honington with an all grass runway running NE/SW, 2 x T2 hangars, various defence pillboxes, support buildings and a number of blister hangars. At Honington, a newly formed 311 (Czech) Sqn was formed (29th July 1940) flying Wellington ICs, and they utilised East Wretham as a dispersal until August that year, when they permanently moved in. 311 Sqn carried out night bombing duties for the duration of the time they were here, but then in 1942, Wretham’s status changed once more. 311 sqn moved out and East Wretham became a satellite for Mildenhall taking in 115 Sqn on the 8th November, with their Wellington IIIs. The following March (1943) these were replaced with the rarer Lancaster MkIIs and these remained here in the night bomber role, until a further change in August 1943 when 115 sqn moved to Little Snoring and the site passed to American hands to become Station 133.
Avro Lancaster B Mk II, DS669 ‘KO-L’, of No. 115 Squadron, was hit by bombs from an aircraft flying above. durinhttps://aviationtrails.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1422&action=editg a raid on Cologne on the night of 28/29 June 1943. The tail gun and gunner were both lost. (Author unknown)
Now home to the 359th Fighter Group, it hosted the big heavy P-47 Thunderbolts of the 368th (code CV), 369th (IV) and 370th (CR latterly CS) Fighter Squadrons and so had to have steel matting runways laid to accommodate their heavy weight on the soft ground. Used primarily for bomber escort, the 359th FG would fly escort to targets in nearby France. However, in April 1944 the P-47s were replaced with the more agile P-51s which allowed them to penetrate deep into the heart of both Germany and Poland. A task the ‘Mustang’ became famous for. During the Allied invasion of Normandy the 359th attacked bridges, locomotives and supported bombers hitting targets around the invasion area. As the invasion force got a foothold in France, the three squadrons of the 359th returned to long-range bomber escort duties, taking part in raids over Ludwigshafen, Frankfurt, Berlin and Merseburg. During August 1944, the group supported the operations in ‘Market Garden‘ and later that year the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes.
Maj. R. Wetmore, of the 370th FS, in front of P-51B (42-106894) ‘CS-P’. on the shoulders of his ground crew*1.
On 11th September 1944, the Green nosed Mustangs of the 359th really made their mark when they shot down 26 enemy fighters; for this, they received the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). The determination shown by the 359th resulted in many outstanding pilots. One, Maj. Raymond “X-Ray Eyes” Wetmore became the 359th (370th FS) top ace scoring 21 victories – his last being an Me 163. Flying in P-51 “Daddies Girl” named after his daughter, he received numerous awards and by the end of the conflict had completed 142 missions covering 563 combat hours.
The old part remains cordoned off.
This attitude to the war, gave the 359th a worthy credit of 263 aircraft shot down with over 100 more being destroyed on the ground. In the 346 missions they flew, they lost a total of 106 of their own aircraft.
In November 1945 the USAAF left and no further flying took place at East Wretham . The airfield reverted to 12 Group (RAF) ownership, then in May the following year, it was handed back once more to Bomber Command . Within a month the site was handed over to the Technical Training Command and finally East Wretham became a Polish resettlement camp for those personnel who were unable to return home. When they had all finally be moved on, the majority of the site became what it is today, used by the British Army as part of the massive Stanford Practical Training Area (STANTA ) for manoeuvres and live firing training.
The bombs stores blast walls are still intact – just.
Today most traces of the airfield as it was are gone. A number of buildings notably a T2 hangar and several Nissen huts survive on what is now farmland or in the military camp. The unique Watch Tower was demolished after the war as were many of the other ‘temporary’ buildings. Now used by STANTA, a mix of old and new are intertwined and the majority stands on inaccessible military ground.
Perhaps the best and by far most accessible examples of East Wretham’s past, is the bomb site which forms part of the East Wretham Heath Nature Heritage Trail. Access is to the south of the site just off the main A1075, Thetford Road. A two-mile walk though Heath land, it takes you right through the original bomb store. An area of natural beauty, famed for its wetland and ancient flints, you can easily find the many blast walls and small fusing buildings still there. Also traceable are the tracks that once took bomb loaded trailers to the airfield across the heath. Many now buried under the acidic soil, their existence evident in exposed patches of bare concrete.
The decay is evident throughout the bomb store.
All these stores are being gradually reclaimed by nature, trees and rabbit holes have both played taken their toll, the layout is still discernible and whilst much of the brickwork is intact, the warning signs are there and they are crumbling fast.
A small airfield, East Wretham was never considered the most ‘homely’ of sites. Often wet and boggy, it was one of the less well-known and less famous places to be used. But the courage and determination of those who served here both RAF and USAAF, went a long way to helping defeat the tyranny that stood facing us across the small section of water not so far away.
To see the other sites on this Trail, Old Buckenham and Tibbenham, go to Trail 13.
In the heart of the Norfolk countryside stands a quaint little church with a round turret. Standing proud on top of a hill just outside the nearby village, the church holds a rare and unique collection of war records.
RAF Little Snoring (Trail 22) was home to a number of squadrons including the rare Bristol Hercules engined Lancaster IIs of both 1678 HCU and 115 Sqn and latterly units of 100 Group flying amongst others, the DH Mosquito.
At the end of the war the airfield was closed down, used primarily as a storage site for surplus aircraft prior to scrapping.
Many of the buildings were pulled down and runways dug up returning the site to its primary use of agriculture. Whilst a small section survived along with two hangars and a now derelict control tower, the church has become the holder of a rare collection.
In the Officers Mess of Little Snoring were four boards painstakingly hand painted by L.a.c Douglas Higgins of 23 Squadron between 1944 and 1945, on which the ‘Kills’ of the squadrons were recorded for prosperity. Never intended to be more than a trophy board, they have now become a unique ‘diary’ of the events that took place in the latter part of the Second World War.
The boards of St. Andrew’s holds a unique record
The four boards stand on the back wall of the church and were rescued by a local villager (Mrs E. Whitehead the church warden) on demolition of the officers mess. The two to the left, list the ‘victories’ and the two to the right the squadron honours.
The first victory is listed as “30.1.44, 169 Sqn, S/L Cooper. F/Lt Connolly. Brandenburg Area. Me 110 destroyed”. The final entry shows eight unidentified aircraft as ‘damaged’ by F/Lt Davis and F.O. Cronin of 515 Sqn over the Kaufbeurin Airfield on the 24th, April 1945.
The first of the four boards starts 30th January 1944
Perhaps one of the most interesting entries is that of 20th, March 1945 when the Station Browning Battery of RAF Little Snoring damaged an attacking Ju 88 on an intruder mission.
A range of aircraft appear on the boards including: Do 217, Me 109, Me 110s, Me 262s, Ju 88s, Ju 52s, Fw 190s and Heinkel’s 111 and larger 177 bombers. Many of the latter entries being for action over enemy airfields toward the closing months of the war.
The final entry is dated 24th April 1945
The honours boards go back slightly earlier. The first 13 entires go to 115 Sqn for a range of honours including the:DFM, DFC and DSO, which began on August 1943 when Sergeant Rosonbloom was awarded the DFM.
The final entry is a mention in despatches for L.a.c , G.E. Harper, in September 1944.
Next to the boards is a moving and thoughtful poem written by L.a.c. S. Ruffle on his return to Little Snoring post war. He tells the tale of the airfield through his eyes and about his wartime friend, creater of the board, Douglas Higgins, even referring to the boards in his poem.
These boards stand as a reminder of both the many brave actions of crews and the airfield defence staff, they are a permanent record of action from a small airfield tucked away in the Norfolk countryside.
Ruffles’s poem recalls his time at Little Snoring.
This airfield concludes our four-part tour around Norfolk. It visits a large airfield that played a revolutionary part in the Second World War. So revolutionary, that it paved the way for air defence well beyond the Second World War. We go to the very edge of North Norfolk, to an area of sanctuary, mud flats and a bird watchers paradise. A place where the sound of the Lark has replaced the roar of the piston engine.
RAF Langham
RAF Langham is located at the tip of North Norfolk’s coast. Its location perfect for the role it was to operate.
Built as a satellite to Bircham Newton, it opened in 1940, with three grass runways, and would take aircraft from a number of nearby airfields. Not having any official resident units until 1941, when the Polish and Czech units of 300 and 311 squadrons used it as a forward operating base, it saw little operational action. Langham was initially used as a gunnery training airfield, towing targets for gunnery practice at nearby Stiffkey, a few miles to the north. This is perhaps Langham’s most famous role and the one that many people associate with Langham.
Langham Airfield (photo of the display board at Langham Dome).
Then in November 1942 Langham was closed and redeveloped having concrete runways laid and around 35 looped style dispersals. The longest runway, (NE/SW) was of 1,988 yards, the second (N/S) 1,400 yards and the third (E/W) also of about 1,400 yards, all approximate. The accommodation sites were well away from the airfield many in and around the village of Langham itself to the east or south-east. Three T2 hangars were also erected, one to the north-west and two the south-east in the technical area. There were also various technical and administration blocks and a bomb storage area well away to the north of the site.
Langham’s Watch Office.
The first operational units arrived in April 1944, with Beaufighters of 455 (Australian) and 489 (New Zealand) squadrons of the Beaufighter Strike Wing, on the 8th and 13th respectively. This wing would famously form a combined attack against enemy shipping in the North Sea, being responsible for the sinking of 4 ‘U’ Boats and 36 surface vessels whilst here. A combination of nose mounted cannons and underwing rockets proved a deadly adversary for the flak ships and merchant vessels of the German Navy.
In August that year, the 521st Squadron moved from their base at RAF Docking to Langham to carry out its role of meteorological reconnaissance. Operating with Lockheed Hudsons, they would soon be ‘upgraded’ to Boeing’s massive B-17 adapted for these special duties. Other coastal command roles such as air-sea rescue were also carried out from Langham and a range of aircraft types would operate from here for the duration.
A collection of technical buildings still exist today.
Post war Langham was used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force as a Technical Training School, until June 1947 when it was vacated and then finally put into care and maintenance in the following September. For a short period between March 1953 and November 1958, it became a target towing site once more, pulling targets for No. 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit and finally as if to defy the odds, it was used as an emergency landing ground for aircraft from nearby RAF Sculthorpe.
As with many of these Norfolk sites, Langham was eventually sold off, bought by Bernard Matthews becoming home to a number of turkey Sheds, the role it performs to this day.
Like so many in Norfolk, Langham’s main runway now houses poultry.
The majority of the concrete layout of Langham remains today, utilised by the company for transportation and storage. The technical sites and accommodation sites virtually indistinguishable from the farmland it once occupied. A small collection of buildings can be seen from the public road including: the watch tower, Fire tender shed, a Floodlight trailer, tractor shed, a Night flying equipment store and a small brick hut used for weather balloons. To the north-east, on the brow of the hill sits the restored battle headquarters. But certainly the most famous and most distinguishable building of this site, is the former gunnery trainer dome.
The ‘famous’ Langham Dome – former Gunnery Trainer.
Refurbished through Lottery Money, the dome is now classed as an ancient monument and a museum run by the Trust and Friends of the Langham Dome. Much has been written about the dome and recently (May 17th 2015) the BBC ran a programme about its development and history which is available on BBC iplayer for a short period. Only a small number of these structures exist today, none of which are accessible, which is what makes the Langham dome so special and unique. Developed in conjunction with Kodak, it projected a film of an aircraft onto the dome wall, to simulate an attack, at which the gunner would ‘fire’ his gun. The trainer would measure the trainees accuracy using a dot to the front of the aircraft visible only to himself. A remarkable breakthrough in gunnery training, it led the way in anti-aircraft training for a good number of years even after the war.
A plaque from Veterans of the Royal Netherlands Airforce in the Church at Langham.
Langham is one of Norfolk’s most Northerly airfields, it provided a safe haven for returning aircraft, and its residents conducted air-sea rescue missions, sank a number of ships and played a role in meteorological reconnaissance and anti-aircraft training. A mixed bag, but certainly an important one, the memory of Langham should continue and thrive for without it, there would certainly have been many more casualties in the Second World War.
References
A website dedicated to the Dome and life at RAF Langham can be found here. It includes a range of photographs and first hand accounts of what it was like to live on or near the airfield.
The BBC iplayer programme may only available in the UK and for a short period of time. You can find it here.
The final part of this four part tour takes us to the very edge of North Norfolk’s Heritage coast and the nature reserves of Holkham and Blakeney. Today it resounds with tourists and bird watchers, during the Second World War, it would have been very different.
Our first stop is North Creake, saddling the B1105 road to Wells-Next-the-Sea, it houses a few surprises.
RAF North Creake
RAF North Creake taken in July 1945, shows a large number of dispersed aircraft around the perimeter.
North Creake, like many of the nearby airfields around this part, was originally a satellite for Docking, which in turn was originally a satellite for Bircham Newton.
Construction commenced on this decoy site in 1940/41, and North Creake, known locally as Egmere from the medieval site it stands on, operated in this role until 1942. With the need for more heavy bomber bases, it was soon decided to upgrade North Creake to a Class A airfield, with accommodation for up to 2,951 male and 411 female staff. Three concrete runways were added, two, 01/19 and 13/31 both 4,314 ft (1,315 m) and the third 04/22 of 5,643 ft (1,720 m). To accommodate the aircraft destined to reside here, 36 loop hardstandings, the majority of which are to the north-west of the site, two T2 hangars and one B1 hangar were also added in. The control tower would be built to the East side of the airfield adjacent to the technical site.
The AML Bombing Teacher nestles in the woods.
Construction was finally completed in 1943, however changes to the structure of Bomber Command, meant that no flying units would operate from here until well into May the following year.
Initially part of 2 Group, North Creake was passed like so many on this tour, to 100 Group, Bomber Command, and would also operate in the Electronic Warfare role. 199 Squadron was the first to arrive. 199 Squadron initially operated Short Stirling bombers, and latterly HP Halifaxes, on radio and radar jamming operations. Flying between 5th June 1944 and 3rd May 1945, they used both ‘Window’ and ‘Mandrel’ on sorties that were frequently combined with standard bombing operations. 199 squadrons ‘C’ flight was broken away from the unit and formed into 171 squadron on September 8th 1944, but carried on this role in support of 199, whose last mission took place on the night of 2nd/3rd May 1945 – in which they flew 17 successful bomber support sorties by Halifaxes in support of an attack against Kiel.
On July 27th, 1945, 171 squadron was disbanded, 199 sqn went 2 days later (being reformed in 1951 with Avro Lincolns, de Havilland Mosquitos, EE Canberras and finally the Vickers Valiant in 1957) and the site was closed to operational flying. It remained as a storage for surplus de Havilland Mosquitos prior to scrapping for a further two years until finally closing in 1947.
One of the remaining T2 Hangars.
Luckily, the causal observer can still see much of this history at North Creake. The road passes directly though the centre of the Technical Site. Nissan huts now used by small industrial units, still thrive, two of the hangers remain, both in use by an agricultural company and minor buildings such the Bomb Teacher and turret trainer can be found lurking between the trees. The main stores, gas clothing and respirator store are also in use, as are a workshop and away to the north-east, the Airman’s huts.
Main stores and Gas clothing huts.
North Creake’s runways and taxiways along with two looped hardstandings, are all but gone, covered in trees or used as pathways for the local farmer, but their location very much evident from satellite photos. Development has begun of yet another solar farm, and these great unsightly panels are gradually taking over yet another of Britain’s wartime airfields.
The one Jewell in the crown of North Creake, has to be the control Tower, purchased by private owners, it has undergone a painstaking transformation being refurbished and turned into a Bed and Breakfast. Modernised inside, it remains one of the better preserved buildings on the site.
North Creake’s Tower now a Bed & Breakfast.
To the south of the site, a memorial has recently been erected by the Airfield’s of Britain Conservation Trust, as a lasting tribute to not only the 17 crews who never returned, but to all those who served at RAF North Creake during the latter days of World War Two.
North Creake is certainly a gem for those wishing to see airfield architecture first hand, and if you desire, the chance to stay inside a tower that would have played a big part in Britain’s attack on Nazi Germany.
Leave North Creake heading north toward the coast, and then turn east. A few miles away lies our next and final stop, RAF Langham.
Links
Details of the North Creake Control Tower Bed & Breakfast can be found here.
The second airfield on this part of the trail, takes us further north, to a little village and small airfield. It also features one of only a few round towered churches that hold some remarkable records of the region’s history.
RAF Little Snoring
Little Snoring is as its name suggests, a quiet hamlet deep in the heart of Norfolk. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, it boasts a superb round towered church (another called St. Andrew’s) that holds a remarkable little gem of historical significance.
The Village sign shows Little Snoring’s aviation history.
The airfield, to the North East, was originally opened in 1943, late in the war, as a satellite for nearby Foulsham. It had three runways: 2 constructed of concrete 4,199 ft (1,280 m) in length, (01/19 and 13/31) and one 07/25 of 6,004 ft (1,830 m) again in concrete. As with other airfields it was a typical ‘A’ shape, with 36 dispersal sites, a bomb site to the north, fuel dump to the south and the accommodation blocks dispersed away from the airfield to the east. It was built to accommodate 1,807 RAF and 361 WAAF personnel housed over eight domestic sites.
Initially under the command of 3 Group Bomber Command, it housed the rare Bristol Hercules engined Lancaster IIs of 1678 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) and 115 squadron, (between August and November 1943) formally RAF Witchford (Trail 11) and East Wretham, who were to carry out night bombing duties, a role it had performed well at Witchford. Then, as with many of the airfields in this location, it was taken over by Addison’s 100 Group and Mosquitos moved in.
One of two original T2 hangars still in use today.
169 squadron operating both Mosquito IIs and Beaufighter VIs, would undertake night fighter missions between December 1943 and June 1944. Like their counterparts at Great Massingham, Foulsham, North Creake, West Raynham and Sculthorpe amongst others, they would take part in electronic warfare and counter measures against enemy fighter operations. 100 Group, investigated a wide range of devises suitable for tracking, homing in on or jamming enemy radars. With a wide rage of names; “Airborne Cigar”, “Jostle”, “Mandrel”, “Airborne Grocer”, “Carpet” and “Piperack”, they used both “Serrate” and “ASH” to attack the enemy on their own airfield at night before they could intercept the bombers.
A road leads to one of the dispersed accommodation sites.
After a short spell with an American Intruder detachment between March and April 1944 flying P-51s and P-38s, Little Snoring was itself the subject of an attack from Luftwaffe aircraft that had followed the bomber stream home. The attack was so successful that Little Snoring was put out of action for some considerable time.
Night intruder missions continued, with 515 squadron, 23 squadron and 141 squadron operating a range of twin-engined aircraft such as the Beaufighter IIf, Blenheim V, Mosquito II, FB.VI and NF.30. Radar training also continued using smaller aircraft such as the Defiant, Anson and Airspeed Oxfords of 1692 Flt.
Eventually in September 1945, operational flying officially ceased and the airfield was reduced to care and maintenance. Like other airfields in this area, it became the storage area for surplus Mosquitos on their way to a sad ending under the choppers blade. Then in the 1950s Little Snoring was opened temporarily and used by a civilian operated anti-aircraft co-operation unit, flying Spitfire XVI, Mosquito TT.35 and Vampire FB.Vs. Finally in April 1953, Little Snoring was shut, the gates locked and the site sold off.
However, that was not the of flying. Now in civilian hands, Little Snoring operates a small flying club and a microlight manufacturer. Aircraft can visit, and occasionally a ‘fly-in’ happens and the site springs into life once more.
The road uses the former eastern perimeter track, part of which is still visible to the side.
Following sale of the site, a large number of buildings were demolished or taken away for use elsewhere. The officers’ mess housed four ornately and beautifully written honours and awards boards. Luckily, these were saved by a good samaritan and now reside in the base’s ‘official’ church, St. Andrew’s, on the west wall. Written in paint, they detail the awards and ‘kills’ of the various crew members stationed at Little Snoring. Just a short walk from the church is the village sign which depicts a Mosquito, often seen over the skies of Little Snoring all those years ago.
The perimeter track to the east is now the road, the accommodation site on the eastern side still bears the track but is closed off, what secrets it must hold! A few remnants of concrete roadway exist outside of the airfield, the northern threshold of the main runway is also there used to store gravel and other road material. A small number of buildings, mainly huts, exist in private gardens used as storage sheds. The local caravan site has what is believed to be the base hospital and / or mortuary now a washing block.
The largest and best preserved buildings are two of the original T2 hangars, both used to store potatoes. A blister hangar is also on site but thought not an original of Little Snoring.
An air-raid bunker protected the personnel from attack.
The bomb site is a field, and all but a small part of the runways are gone or at best farm tracks. Little Snoring’s gem is its watch office, standing proud in the centre of the site, a lone wind sock fluttering from its walls. Run down and dilapidated, it is crying out for love and restoration, but I suspect this isn’t going to happen and perhaps its days are very sadly numbered.
During its operational life, twelve Lancasters and forty-three Mosquitos were lost during missions over enemy territory and to date no ‘official’ memorial exists in their honour. Maybe one day this too will change.
The base commander, ‘glass eyed’ Group Captain Rex O’Bryan Hoare (Sammy) was a known character and has been mentioned in a number of books discussing night intruder missions. He was a very successful Mosquito pilot and looked up to by his fellow pilots. A superbly detailed account of him appears here and is certainly worth a read.
A once bustling airfield, Little Snoring is now a sleepy site with a few remaining remnants of its wartime activity. The church boards reminders of its successes and the toll paid by the young men of the Royal Air Force.
The watch office now derelict and forlorn.
The four award and honours boards in St. Andrew’s Church can be seen by clicking here.
Little Snoring ends Trail 22, but leads us to the last part of North Norfolk and a to Trail 23. As we continue north toward the coast, we visit two sites with some remarkable features.
