Rivenhall
RIVENHALL: Military aerodrome later civil airfield?
Note: Pictures by the author. The second picture was taken by the author through perspex. It might be just an 'anorak' sort of thing, but I was interested to note after so many years since this airfield closed, that a dispersal area is still visible in the foreground in the 2015 picture.
Military users: 1943 to 1944: 8th USAAF
397th Bomb Group (Martin B-26 Marauders)
363rd Fighter Group (North American P.51 Mustangs)
1944: RAF 38 (Airborne Forces) Group
295 & 570 Sqdns (Short Stirlings)
1677 Target Towing Flt (Miles Martinets)
5 & 6 Glider Servicing Echelons (Airspeed Horsas)
Location: NE of Silver End, 1nm NNE of Witham
Period of operation: 1943 to late 1945, closed early 1946?
Runways: 10/28 1829x46 hard 04/22 1280x46 hard
16/34 1280x46 hard
NOTES: Just as with RIDGEWELL at the end of 1944 some 2894 USAAF personnel are listed as being on station here. This very exact figure comes up at other 8th USAAF bases which strikes me as being a tad suspicious. As aircrew were constantly being lost in action and wounded presumably this was a nominal figure used by the 8th USAAF indicating the preferred strength on hand. Can anybody shed more light?
THE RAF STIRLINGS
The Short Stirlings of 295 and 570 Sqdns were used for glider towing on Operation Varsity (Rhine Crossing) and Manna (Dutch food drops) as well as ‘conventional’ bombing duties it seems. I strongly suspect they’d also have been doing SOE support missions? It appears their last duties involved ferrying back POWs to the UK after the end of WW2. I wonder what kind of accommodation was arranged in the fuselage?
It seems that the Marconi Company used the airfield for a time after WW.2 - is anything known about this? Did they base aircraft here and/or use this airfield for flying purposes?
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