Geedee and Rocketeer's 8th Army Air Force Tailwheel Tour 2012

[Rocketeer]

Mendlesham was such a disappointment with the memorial etc as Gary said. Stopping by the next day gave us a pleasant surprise with the building and runway parts. The photos show my legs plus B17 wheel. Gary lined up the wheel in takeoff mode, again....a fav pose for the wheel!
Incidentally, the base has a TV transmitter supplying many houses in Norfolk and Suffolk......

 

[Airframes]

More good stuff guys. To some people, these places are just desolate areas of crumbling concrete and overgrown, rusting huts. But, if you're 'in the know', just stand there, look around, and listen .... then the ghosts return!

 

[Geedee]

Once we'd finished with Mendlesham, it was back in the car and off to the last but one destination for our first day of travels and that was to the 493rd Bomb Group Memorial and Tower Museum. The Memorial is under an Oak tree near the Headquarters about 3 miles West of Woodbridge at Debach.

493rd Bomb Group
Helton's Hellcats 493rd BG(H) Debach

Tony and I had a bit of a discussion on how to actualy pronounce Debach...was it said like 'Debatch', Deeback, De-back ?...we had no idea !. Well, we had the satnav set up so followed the directions and ended up on what looked like a farm....hmmmmmm. So we stopped and had a chat with a gentleman who was doing some work on an old US Army truck, figuring that he might know where we had to go. Best thing we did !

Turned out that not only was he the owner of the truck, he owned the land the museum was on and also farmed the locale !. Once we explained what we where doing he couldn't have been more helpfull. I must apologise for I cannot for the life of me remember his name or his colleague who said "Follow me and I'll take you there and also open up the Museum for you !". So we basically had the Muesum and its surrounding buildings opened up for us to have a good look around and we had some brilliant anecdotes and useful bits of info from the guys. They were both very knowledgable and genuinely interested in what they have on site. Top marks to both.

Wow....just about sums up what we found. The Tower had been renovated and some of the nearby buildings converted into extra displays for the museum and the surrounding area was well very well tended and you could tell it was looked after by people who have passion in what they were trying to achieve and took pride in thier efforts. To stand on the top of a genuine WW2 Watch Tower and look out over the surrounding land is a very humbling experience !

Parked on a hardstanding right next to the Tower was an airfield controllers caravan replete with original nose perspex from a '17 !!.

Heres some of the pics we took at this gem of a Museum. If you ever get the chance, spend at least a day here and you wont regret it at all. We were told that the airfield often gets 'bounced' both by 'Sally B' and also by Maurice Hammond in his '51's 'Marinell' and 'Janie'. Apparently, you hear Maurice and have no idea from which direction his coming....but he's always 'Low' !

I'll leave Tony to add pics from the runway, the internal shots from the Museum and a few more from the Tower, I might add some more later on as well. Tony will also introduce a 'third' crew member !

And incidentaly, we were both wrong, its pronounced 'Debbitch' !

 

[Rocketeer]

As Gary says Debach was great....the owner and his helper were fine chaps who made us very welcome and opened the museum. They have some lovely exhibits. The Control tower is the only one in the UK that is actually laid out as it would have been with equipment etc. A veteran actually helped them get the paint shade and contents right.
Again, out came the B17 tailwheel and onto the runway it sat! We found a fragment in the ploughed field where a B17 landed with a bomb load. They got out just before it blew up, blowing the doors off a hangar. Dunno what it is. The domestic site was awesome. It is a real treat. The bomb aimers panel off a B17 (french one) was used on the runway caravan.
After the war the airfield was used for POWs. There is an awesome collection of items made by the POWs in the museum
After Debach we went to Martlesham Heath then to stay Friday night at my parents in Felixstowe...

 

[Rocketeer]

It is now we should introduce our 3rd 'crew' member - a fly called Ing (gettit?!). Anyway, around this time of year in the UK, black flies are rare to find...they don't like the cold!!! Anyway, on friday when we started, we noted a lethargic fly in the car. Every day he flew around the car - stayed in the car, even when the doors were open. At night, we went to stay at my parents (night 1 3) or a hotel and up he awoke when the car warmed up. He stayed all the trip - he is probably Cat D in the bottom of the car now. Gary and I wondered what he might have been in a previous life!! Not much fun if he'd been ex Luftwaffe and forced to visit 8th AF bases!! Anyway, I digress.

 

[nuuumannn]

Bloody marvellous, guys; a real gem of a thread. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

More excellent material on this grand tour guys. The fragment looks like a handle bezel. Not sure though. The shaft would have stuck through the large hole with the handle attached to it and the two small holes are for rivets.

 

[Airframes]

Excellent. What a grate place, and more good shots. BTW, both Elvington and East Kirkby have Towers equipped as they were during WW2, but they are, of course, both ex-RAF (and Free French) stations.
What's the big chunk of aircraft part outside the nissen hut?

 

[T Bolt]

Great tour guys!
Did your travels take you to Sta. 134 at Eye? My dad flew B-24s out of there with the 490th. I've looked at it on Google earth and it looks like most of the runway paving is still there, but also a lot of newer industrial looking buildings.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent. What a grate place, and more good shots. BTW, both Elvington and East Kirkby have Towers equipped as they were during WW2, but they are, of course, both ex-RAF (and Free French) stations.
What's the big chunk of aircraft part outside the nissen hut?

I was wondering the same thing Terry. Forgot to ask though.

 

[Wayne Little]

Man...I'm loving this thread....

 

[Rocketeer]

The lump of aircraft by the Nissen hut is an airborne lifeboat that would be dropped from the belly of an aircraft. They were fitted to sevral bomber types including Wellingtons

 

[Airframes]

I had a feeling that's what it might be! Used on Hudson, Lanc, and Warwick too, as well as US B-17s. Thanks Tony.

 

[Rocketeer]

Here is a photo of the full lifeboat. I think it was a B17 one.
TBolt, we drove past Eye a few times. When I next get the chance I will try and find some evidence

 

[Geedee]

What's the big chunk of aircraft part outside the nissen hut?

Yup, its an underslung lifeboat. There was a picture at the site showing one very similar to this one, hung underneath a '17 !

Did your travels take you to Sta. 134 at Eye? My dad flew B-24s out of there with the 490th. I've looked at it on Google earth and it looks like most of the runway paving is still there, but also a lot of newer industrial looking buildings.

Yes Glenn. We drove past Eye a number of times and you are right, its nearly all industrial estate at the moment. A very large industrial estate indeed !. Unfortunately, Eye wasn't on our list of places to visit because if we did a detour wherever we something old and WW2'ey, we'd have missed out on a lot of stuff. We were aiming to hit '17 and 51' bases but we will be returning to catch up on 24', 47', 38' bases probably next year. And you can guarantee we'll be taking a few pics !!

Interesting trivia bit part two...
When the air bases were being built, it was the largest construction effort ever undertaken in the UK.
Once completed, essentially there was an air base every 8 to 10 miles !!! (Thats why we had to be focused an not easily distracted)
We had 15 impromtu 'pit-stops'
We had 20 cheeky conversations that lead to permission to explore and photograph other areas not normally open


And heres a few more pics. There's a load I wont post, otherwise you wont have any reason to visit

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff again guys. That last shot is interesting - the bomb site vaults were under armed guard at all times, and, when a site was withdrawn, it was escorted to (and from) the aircraft under armed guard also. Must have been a lot of guards walking around with 1911 Colt APCs !

 

[Geedee]

Cheers Terry, didn't know that !

When we left Debach, it was a shortish trip to our last stop of the first day and that was at Martlesham Heath.

As you know, I've taken my '51 to Martlesham two times so far... and so far, I failed miserably in getting time to go and have a look around the Tower Museum !!. And again on this time, it still wasn't going to happen. To be expected really as it was getting late in the day (you can see how dull my pic is), but rest assured, I will one day manage to spend some time with guys that run the Museum and I know its going to good !

So, whats at Martlesham Heath ? the 356th Fighter Group thats who

356th Fighter Group - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RAF Martlesham Heath Aviation Society MHAS Home Page

You should also read this.... !! MHAS - Bill Crump and coyote Jeep RAF Martlesham Heath Memories

Unfortunately, my camera is playing up and I'm getting some beautifuly ruined pics in low light scenarios so I'll only post one that I took at the Museum...and this was taken from under a tree as at the moment we arrived, it started to 'chuck it down' !

There is ample parking at the Museum...should be because it looks like a full blown hardstanding right next to the tower itself.

And once Tony has put his pics on then that effectively draws a close on our first day of the tour !. Tired but very happy and looking forward to an exciting day on the Saturday...who said Mustangs ! .. we retired to tony's parents.

I'll start the Saturdays trip tomorrow eve....its gonna be a cracker

 

[Gnomey]

Great stuff guys!

 

[Rocketeer]

Martlesham Heath had an amazing career in aviation. Prior to the US 8thAF, it had been RAF. In fact, my Dad's Dad was there in the 1920s when he was in MT, I think. My Mum's side of the family have lived in/around Felixstowe for over 100 years.

The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment was at Martlesham Heath right up to Sept 1939 when it moved inland to Boscombe Down. It was also an RAF station during the Battle of Britain.
Anyway, the time we visited was in the last dregs of Autumnal sun light.....with towering clouds and thick black skies that unleashed a storm of rain on us. The shots are somewhat moody!

 

[Airframes]

Great stuff guys, and another place I've driven past numerous times. Never knew there was a museum there though - thought it was just industrial and BT.
BTW, thanks for explaining how Debach is pronounced - like yourselves, I'd pondered on that for many years! (Would never have guessed it's 'Debitch' !!)