RAF Great Dunmow
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RAF Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in England. The airfield is located 6 miles E of Bishops Stortford and a mile north of Stane Street, the A120. the main road from Bishops Stortford to Colchester in Essex.
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[edit] USAAF use
Great Dunmow airfield was designed as a standard Class A bomber airfield, built by the US Army 818th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) with specialised work by British contractors. It was opened on 1 July 1943 and was used by the United States Army Air Force Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. It was assigned as USAAF station 164 (GD).
[edit] 386th Bombardment Group (Medium)
The first American unit to use Great Dunmow was the 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) which arrived from RAF Boxted on 24 September 1943. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing and flew Martin B-26B/C Marauders. Operational squadrons of the 322d were:
- 552d Bomb Squadron (RG)
- 553d Bomb Squadron (AN)
- 554th Bomb Squadron (RU)
- 555st Bomb Squadron (YA)
Missions of the 386th concentrated on airfields but also bombed marshalling yards and gun positions during the first months of combat.
In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 386th was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943. Tactical operations were carried out against V-weapon sites along the coast of France in the winter of 1943-1944, and bombed airfields in Holland and Belgium during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944.
Great Dunmow was the first airfield visited by General Eisenhower in his USAAF airfield tour on Tuesday, 11 April 1944, and he arrived in time to see thirty-nine Ninth Air Force Marauders take off at twenty second intervals for a mission to attack the marshalling yards in Charleroi Belgium.
The 386th hammered gun positions, and airfields preceding the invasion of Normandy and made numerous assaults on bridges of the Seinelate in May. Struck coastal batteries on D-Day and hit bridges, supply and fuel stores, gun positions, and defended areas during the remainder of the Battle of Normandy. Supported Allied forces at Caen, and participated in the massive blows against the enemy at St Lo on 25 July 1944. Knocked out targets to help clear the Falaise pocket of German forces in August 1944 and hit strong points at Brest during September.
On 2 October 1944, the 386th Bomb Group moved to Beaumont-sur-Oise (A-60) Airfield, in Normandy France. On the continent, the 386th BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:
After V-E Day the group returned to the United States, deactivating at Seymour Johnson AFB North Carolina on 7 August 1945.
[edit] RAF use
In October 1944, Great Dunmow was transferred to the RAF as a base for No. 38 Group. Two Stirling squadrons, Nos. 190 and 620, arrived on the 14th of the month both squadrons converting to Halifax aircraft in 1945. No. 190 squadron was disbanded on December 28, 1945 and No. 620 posted to Palestine.
[edit] Postwar use
After the departure of the RAF, the airfield was used briefly by the British Army as a vehicle store before being abandoned in 1948.
Starting in 1960, the concrete areas were removed for aggregate used in various local road projects. Today, there is very little left except some agricultural roads remaining from the perimeter track and a blister hangar with a few nissen huts near Easton Lodge
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Freeman, Roger A., UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now, 1994
- Freeman, Roger A., Airfields Of The Eighth, Then And Now, 1978
- mighty8thaf.preller.us Great Dunmow
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
