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Raydon airfield |
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With Hadleigh Reminiscence Group's 1940's exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day it seemed appropriate to travel down the railway walk and to pay a visit to Raydon airfield.
Raydon was one of 32 airfields in Suffolk during the Second World War. Most of the airfields were built in 1942/43 and it proved to be a massive undertaking. Around 60,000 men were involved in building the airfields at an estimated cost of £900,000 per airfield, Hardcore from the rubble of flattened East End houses and factories was used to construct the runways.
American engineers from 833rd and 862nd Battalions arrived at Raydon in the summer of 1942 to oversee the creation of a bomber airfield. However, it was decided to base a fighter squadron at Raydon to provide cover for the bombers. Men from the 357th Fighter Group arrived in December 1943 but were transferred to Leiston within a month. On 12th April 1944 the 353rd Fighter Group arrived from Metford. It was led by Colonel Glenn Duncan who flew a P-47D named "Dove of Peace". The personnel lived south of the airfield close to Great Wenham in accommodation with names such as Dodge City, Alcatraz and Greenwich Village. In early June 1944 they attacked the V1 rocket sites in northern France and then flew in support of the invasion of mainland Europe. The bloodiest fighting occurred on 12th June when eight pilots died on a single mission in the Paris area. Colonel Duncan was shot down over Holland. He evaded capture and returned Raydon on April 22nd 1945. He was replaced by Lt Col Ben Rimmerman. The 353rd received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its contribution to the Market Garden operation to capture bridges in Holland.
During this period the pilots exchanged their P-47s for P-51s. Together with other units from the Might Eight's Groups they fought 400 enemy aircraft in massive air battles above Germany in November 1944. As the war drew to a close the extreme fuel shortages in Germany meant that very few Nazi fighters got airborne. The 353rd was credited with the destruction of 125 fighters on the ground and 3 in the air. All told the 353rd destroyed over 300 enemy aircraft in the air and 400 on the ground. The vestry doors at St Mary's Church in Raydon are a fitting memorial to men who lost their lives.
At Raydon Church it is also possible to purchase an excellent book "Raydon Airfield - Fighter Station to Farmland" by Graham Cross (£3.50). "Suffolk Airfields in the Second World War" by Graham Smith (Countryside Books) presents the countywide picture.
For more information about Raydon airfield, the crews and the local area, check out the following links:
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/353rdfg.jsp http://www.netherhall47.freeserve.co.uk/ http://www.netherhall47.freeserve.co.uk/Raydon%20Airfield.html http://www.slamnet.org.uk/SuffolkAir/rural49.html http://www.anderton.btinternet.co.uk/starwalk/raydon.htm http://www.anderton.btinternet.co.uk/starwalk/gtwenham.htm
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