Lavenham
LAVENHAM: Military aerodrome (Also known as ALPHETON) Station No: 137
Note: The first picture can be found from various sources and is believed to be copyright free? The other three pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Here again a good example of how, seventy years later, the outline of the WW2 airfield can clearly be seen. As can the layout of the three runways.
Military users: WW2: 8th USAAF 92nd Bombardment Wing
487th Bomb Group
836, 837, 838 & 839 Sqdns (B-24 Liberators & B-17 Flying Fortresses)
Location: E of A134, W of A1141, NE of Alpheton village, 2nm NNW of Lavenham, 6nm N of Sudbury
Period of operation: 1944 to 1948
Runways: WW2: 09/27 1829x46 hard 04/22 1280x46 hard
15/33 1280x46 hard
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: Pictures obtained from the American Air Museum are marked with an asterisk.
Note: This fifth picture was obtained from Wikipedia.
Note: This ninth picture is of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, 43-37923, of the 837th Bomb Squadron. The tenth picture is an aerial photo detail of the Nissen huts and tents in the barrack site. Not exactly luxury accommodation.
Note: This picture above of the Control Tower was obtained from Lavenham Community Council, and it seems, is now being restored. The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide', tells us that when he visited in August 1967, the Aeronca 100 Composite G-AEVS was flying from here.
I well remember visiting this site, all on my own but with permission, in about 2001 and, although the runways have mostly been dug up much of the ‘peri-track’ still exists as do many of the buildings. Even so it was still easy to envisage what this might have looked like in the height of battle during WW2 with 2894 USAAF personnal on site in 1944 and the thunder of massed radial engines as B.17s and B.24s queued up for take-off early in the morning to bomb their targets in Europe.
This task was of course one with appalling consequences for all involved on both sides of the conflict. It was so easy standing there to see the ghosts of those who perished long ago on that lovely sunlit peaceful day and I still remember the chill that ran through me trying to understand exactly how it must have felt for those young aircrews lining up to take-off knowing very well you couldn’t reasonably expect to return and would probably die that day. And for those that survived each raid doing it again and again.
A SHORT LIVED AFFAIR
Construction of this airfield began in early 1943 but it didn’t become operational until about a year later. It is said that much of the hardcore needed was from London buildings destroyed in the Blitz - an ironic set of circumstances indeed. Operations continued until the end of WW2 in May 1945 and the Group returned to the USA shortly after. Considering the vital impact the Americans had on this period of the war it still strikes me as strange that this airfield, along with many others built for USAAF use, was operational by them for barely one year!
A RECENT AIRSTRIP
Note: These two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
NOTES: It was in March 2020 that my good friend Karel Adams told me of the existence of this airstrip, and that it appears six aircraft are based here.
The runway is: 10/28 625 grass
The hangar being used is just SW of the WW2 control tower, but I have no idea how long this strip has been in use. If anybody can kindly offer advice, this well be most welcome.
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