RAF Lavenham (also known as Cockfield) is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located N of

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, near the village of Alpheton.

USAAF use

Lavenham airfield was built during 1943. The technical site and administrative buildings were on the southern side of the airfield as were most of the dispersed temporary buildings which gave accommodation for 2,900 personnel. Concrete for the runways and of perimeter track totalled and that for roads and buildings . Bricks used in buildings ran to 4,500,000 and excavations for all sites amounted to . The airfield was opened in April 1944 and was used by the United States Army Air Forces

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

. Lavenham was given USAAF designation Station 137 (LV).

487th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

The

487th Bombardment Group 487th may refer to: * 487th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe *487th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 487th Fighter Squadron, inactive Un ...

(Heavy) arrived from

Alamogordo AAF Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. ...

New Mexico on 5 April 1944. the 487th was assigned to 8th. Air Force, 3rd. Air Division, 4th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-P" or "Box-P". Its operational squadrons were: *

836th Bombardment Squadron The 836th Bombardment Squadron was a United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in September 1943. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it engaged in combat in the strategic ...

(2G) *

837th Bombardment Squadron The 837th Bombardment Squadron was a United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in September 1943. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations , where it engaged in combat with Consolidate ...

(4F) * 838th Bombardment Squadron (2C) * 839th Bombardment Squadron (R5) The group flew both the

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

and the

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and began combat in May 1944, bombing airfields in France in preparation for the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

, then targeted coastal defences, road junctions, bridges and locomotives during the invasion. The unit's first commander was Lieutenant Colonel

Beirne Lay, Jr. Beirne Lay Jr., (September 1, 1909 – May 26, 1982) was an American writer, aviation writer, Hollywood screenwriter, and combat veteran of World War II with the U.S. Army Air Forces. He is best known for his collaboration with Sy Bartlett ...

, a prominent Hollywood screenwriter until he was shot down on 11 May 1944 in one of the group's earliest actions. He was shot down over enemy territory but evaded capture and was returned to duty. After the war, he wrote the screenplay for the 1949 film, '' Twelve O'Clock High''. Aided ground forces in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The 487th Bomb Group attacked German troops and artillery positions to assist British forces near

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Brest in August and to cover the airborne attack on the Netherlands in September 1944. Flew a few missions against German industries, refineries, and communications during the period May–August 1944, but operated almost solely against strategic targets from August 1944, when conversion to B-17's was completed in March 1945. The 487th also attacked oil refineries in Merseburg, Mannheim, and Dülmen; factories in Nuremberg, Hanover, and Berlin; and marshalling yards in Cologne, Münster,

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

, and Neumünster. Aided ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945, and turned again to support and interdictory operations in March 1945 as the Allies crossed the Rhine and made the final thrust into Germany. Group nickname was "Gentlemen From Hell". The group flew 185 combat missions and sortied 6,021 aircraft. Total tonnage dropped − 14,641. 33 aircraft were Missing In Action, and 24 lost in other operations. Enemy aircraft lost were 22 destroyed, 6 probable, 18 damaged. The group returned to Drew AAF Florida during August–September 1945, and was inactivated on 7 November 1945.

Medal of Honor

It was from Lavenham that Brigadier General Frederick Castle took off to lead the largest Eighth Air Force mission of the war on Christmas Eve 1944. The object of the attacks, in which 1,400 bombers were escorted by 726 fighters, was to bomb eleven German airfields east of the Rhine while another 634 heavy bombers attacked communication centres west of the Rhine. Altogether fifty-six American aircraft were lost that day including General Castle's B-17, in an action for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, his being the last award of that decoration to a member of the Eighth. His citation reads as follows:

He was air commander and leader of more than 2,000 heavy bombers in a strike against German airfields on 24 December 1944. En route to the target, the failure of one engine forced him to relinquish his place at the head of the formation. In order not to endanger friendly troops on the ground below, he refused to jettison his bombs to gain speed and maneuverability. His lagging, unescorted aircraft became the target of numerous enemy fighters which ripped the left wing with cannon shells, set the oxygen system afire, and wounded two members of the crew. Repeated attacks started fires in two engines, leaving the Flying Fortress in imminent danger of exploding. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the bail-out order was given. Without regard for his personal safety he gallantly remained alone at the controls to afford all other crew members an opportunity to escape. Still another attack exploded gasoline tanks in the right wing, and the bomber plunged earthward, carrying General Castle to his death. His intrepidity and willing sacrifice of his life to save members of the crew were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

A portrait of the general hangs to this day in the Swan Hotel at Lavenham, which was one of his wartime haunts and whose then-landlord was a personal friend. He was the highest-ranking officer in the Eighth to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Civil use

After the war, the field was closed in 1948. Today, the airfield has reverted to agricultural use. While many of the roadways remain, the concrete has cracked, and nature is gradually encroaching. The runways have been removed to a large extent although a few sections do still remain. These are mainly used as roads for farming purposes such as haystacks and bales. The buildings, by and large, still exist, but are in various stages of dilapidation. The exception is the Control Tower, which is maintained. A short colour film, taken in late 1944 and early 1945 by BS Kutchins, shows the crew of Lazy Lady, who survived their 30 missions, as part of the 487th, can be viewed on the internet. B17 Ball Turret Gunner Sgt Harold "Sam" Root, is seen filmed in nearby Long Melford village, by the Little St Marys bus stop. The airfield today is still used but only by a small aircraft engineering company carrying out jobs on light aircraft.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) ''Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now''. After the Battle * Freeman, Roger A. (1991) ''The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record''. Cassell & Co. * Maurer, Maurer (1983). ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
www.controltowers.co.uk Lavenham

mighty8thaf.preller.us Lavenham

External links

487th Bomb Group website

Lavenham Airfield website

Lavenham Airfield photo website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavenham Airfields of the VIII Bomber Command in Suffolk Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk Babergh District