RAF Bungay
Encyclopedia
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
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...
on the south bank of the Waveney River close to the B1062 Harleston to Bungay
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
road.
The airfield is also known after the village of Flixton, near which it was built.
Overview
Bungay airfield was originally planned as a satellite base for RAF HardwickRAF Hardwick
RAF Hardwick is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located W of Bungay in Norfolk and a similar distance from the A140 main road from Norwich to Ipswich.-Origins:...
and was constructed by Kirk & Kirk Ltd., during 1942 with a main runway of 6,000 feet in length and two intersecting secondary runways, one of 4220 feet and the other of 4,200 feet. In common with other airfields of the period, the technical, administrative and domestic buildings were dispersed to lessen the impact of any enemy air attack. The buildings were all of a temporary nature and the various sites were chiefly to the west of the airfield.
USAAF use
The airfield was turned over to 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....
and designated Station 125.
428th Bombardment Squadron
Bungay was still unfinished when the Twelfth Air Force 428th Bombardment Squadron428th Bombardment Squadron
The 428th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 310th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Shilling Air Force Base, Kansas. It was inactivated on 1 January 1962.-History:...
, 310th Bombardment Group (Medium) at RAF Hardwick
RAF Hardwick
RAF Hardwick is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located W of Bungay in Norfolk and a similar distance from the A140 main road from Norwich to Ipswich.-Origins:...
arrived with fourteen B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
medium bombers in October 1942. The squadron moved on to Médiouna Airfield
Médiouna Airfield
Médiouna Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Morocco, located in the Casablanca area.-History:Established as a French military airfield in French Morocco during the 1920s, after the Fall of France in June, 1940, the reconstituted Vichy Air Force established a military airfield at the...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
on 18 November. A 12th Air Force film clip indicates that the 310th Bombardment Group was the first 12th Air Force group to fly the northern transport route from the United States to Europe and initially arrived at Prestwick, Scotland in October, 1942. http://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/310th.html
329th Bomb Squadron
In December 1942, eight B-24 LiberatorB-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 the 329th Bombardment Squadron, 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy) at RAF Hardwick
RAF Hardwick
RAF Hardwick is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located W of Bungay in Norfolk and a similar distance from the A140 main road from Norwich to Ipswich.-Origins:...
were sent to Bungay to prepare for special intruder operations. These aircraft conducted raids in bad weather with the mission of harassing the German air raid warning system. The 329th flew these missions until March 1943 when they rejoined the 93d at Hardwick.
446th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
Additional construction was performed at Bungay until November 1943 when the airfield received the 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....
446th Bombardment Group (Heavy) from Lowry AAF
Lowry Air Force Base
Lowry Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the cities of Aurora and Denver, Colorado. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training and was heavily involved with the training of United States Army Air Forces bomber crews during World...
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The 446th was assigned to the 20th Combat Bombardment Wing and the group tail code was a "Circle-H". It's operational squadrons were:
- 704th Bombardment Squadron (FL)
- 705th Bombardment Squadron (HN)
- 706th Bombardment Squadron (RT)
- 707th Bombardment Squadron707th Bombardment SquadronThe 707th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Twelfth Air Force, stationed at Lubbock Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 28 March 1950.-History:...
(JU)
The 446th operated chiefly against strategic objectives on the Continent from December 1943 until April 1945. Targets included U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
installations at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, the port at Bremen, a chemical plant at Ludwigshafen, ball-bearing works at Berlin, aero-engine plants at Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, aircraft factories at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, marshalling yards at Coblenz, motor works at Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, and oil refineries at 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...
.
Besides strategic missions, the group often carried out support and interdictory operations. It supported the Normandy 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...
in June 1944 by attacking strong points, bridges, airfields, transportation, and other targets in France. Aided ground forces at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
and 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...
during July by hitting bridges, gun batteries, and enemy troops. Dropped supplies to Allied troops near Nijmegen during the airborne attack on Holland in September. Bombed marshalling yards, bridges, and road junctions 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. Dropped supplies to airborne and ground troops near Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
during the Allied assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in March 1945.
The 446th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April, attacking a bridge near Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. It 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...
during June and July 1945, being deactivated there on 18 August 1945.
Royal Navy/Royal Air Force use
After the war, the field was turned over to the Royal Navy and the station became HMS Europa, being the satellite of HMS Sparrowhawk (RNAS HatstonRNAS Hatston
RNAS Hatston, also called HMS Sparrowhawk, was a Royal Naval Air Station.It was situated one mile to the north west of Kirkwall on the island of Mainland, Orkney...
) where 3 Fleet Air Arm squadrons were based.
In 1946 it was returned to RAF control and was assigned to No. 53 Maintenance Unit and became a maintenance sub-unit of 94 MU which had its HQ at RAF Great Ashfield
RAF Great Ashfield
RAF Great Ashfield was a World War II airfield in England. It is located 10 miles east of Bury St. Edmunds and two miles south of Great Ashfield village in Suffolk. Great Ashfield Airfield is still in private use although much reduced in size...
. Stored on the runways and in the buildings, were 250 lb., 500 lb., 2000 lb., and 4000 lb. bombs, balloon cable cutting cartridges, depth charges, 7" parachute flares and German ammunition. The latter two items were eventually taken to 53 MU at RAF Pulham, and destroyed there. Some time in July 1949, the site was taken over by 53 MU until Bungay's closure in 1955. The airfield was eventually put up for sale and disposed of in 1961/1962.
Civil use
With the end of military control Bungay airfield was the base of the Martlesham HeathMartlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield...
Parachute Club, with Cessna 182
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
G-ATNU and crop sprayers, including Pawnee D G-BFRY. In 1981-82, the Flixton Church Roof Restoration Fund held mini air shows. Until 1983, the main runway and peritrack were in good condition, but the following year work started on breaking them up.
In the spring of 1986 a new set of oak gates were hung at St Mary's Church, Flixton, which stands close to the old airfield. These were bought as a result of donations by veterans of the 446th BG to replace those originally presented in 1945 by the Americans at Flixton. A small memorial plaque carries the inscription, "These gates were presented in memory of the men of the 446th Bombardment Group, USAAF, who gave their lives in the defence of freedom, 1941-1945".
Of the airfield itself, most of the wartime buildings, including the control tower and hangars, have long since been demolished and the airfield has largely returned to agricultural use. Several buildings in the technical site survive, with wartime paintings on the inside walls of the former dining hall.
The former airfield is the home of 2 Sisters Food Group
2 Sisters Food Group
2 Sisters Food Group is a West Bromwich, England based chicken meat processing company.Established in 1993 by Chief Executive, Ranjit Singh Boparan, as a frozen retail cutting operation, it has through acquisition expanded to cover 13 manufacturing sites in the UK, 1 in the Netherlands, and 1 in...
Buxted Chickens factory. There is also a large mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
farm. In the early 2000s, Bungay's largest employer Clays, part of St Ives Group, failed to gain planning permission to re-site their printing factory on the airfield.
Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum
An aircraft museum has been established since 1972 next to the Buck Inn, Flixton, approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of the airfield site. It contains many displays of aircraft and other aviation artefacts, including much on the 446th Bomb Group.See also
External links
- Flixton Parish — aka St Mary South Elmham
- Flixton Air Museum — Norfolk and Suffolk
- 446th BG(H)