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| RAF Framlingham USAAF Station 153  .png) | |
|---|---|
| Located northeast ofIpswich,Suffolk, United Kingdom | |
 Framlingham Airfield - 21 June 1946 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Code | FM |
| Owner | Air Ministry |
| Controlled by | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
| Location | |
  RAF Framlingham Map showing the location of RAF Framlingham within Suffolk. | |
| Coordinates | 52°11′53″N001°24′29″E / 52.19806°N 1.40806°E /52.19806; 1.40806 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1943-1945 |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Eighth Air Force |
| Occupants | 390th Bombardment Group |
Royal Air Force Framlingham or more simplyRAF Framlingham is a formerUnited States Army Air ForcesWWII airfield located 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast ofFramlingham, and 13 miles (21 km) northeast ofIpswich,Suffolk, England.
Framlingham airfield was built in 1942 and was used by theUnited States Army Air ForcesEighth Air Force. It was built as a standard heavy bomber airfield to Class A specification. The three intersecting runways were of 2,030, 1,440 and 1,430 yards length. There was an encircling concrete perimeter track and fifty aircraft hardstands, along with two T-2 hangars, technical sites and Nissen hut accommodations for some 3,000 persons, dispersed in the surrounding countryside.
No part of the airfield fell within the boundary of Framlingham parish, the site being some three miles to the east between the villages ofGreat Glemham andParham, with all the technical sites, administrative buildings and living sites around the hamlet ofSilverlace Green.
The airfield was opened in 1943 and was given USAAF designation Station 153 (FM).
The95th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived at Framlingham on 12 May 1943 from Rapid City AAFSouth Dakota. The 95th was assigned to the 35th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-B". Its operational squadrons were:
The group flew theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and entered combat on 13 May 1943 by attacking an airfield atSaint-Omer. After suffering disastrous losses in its daylight air attacks on the Continent, the 95th was transferred to nearbyRAF Horham on 15 June to regroup.
The390th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived at Framlingham on 4 July 1943 fromGreat Falls Army Air BaseMontana. The 390th was assigned to the 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-J". Its operational squadrons were:
The group flew theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and operated chiefly against strategic objectives, flying many missions with the aid of pathfinders. The 390th began combat on 12 August 1943. Five days later, the group attacked theMesserschmitt aircraft complex atRegensburg and received aDistinguished Unit Citation for the mission.
The 390th received a 2d DUC for a mission on 14 October 1943 when the group braved unrelenting assaults by enemy fighters to bomb the antifriction-bearing plants atSchweinfurt. Participating in the intensive Allied assault on the German aircraft industry duringBig Week, 20–25 February 1944, the organization bombed aircraft factories, instrument plants and air parks. Other strategic missions included attacks on marshalling yards atFrankfurt, bridges atCologne, oil facilities atZeitz, factories atMannheim, naval installations atBremen and synthetic oil refineries atMerseburg.
The group sometimes flew interdictory and support missions, including the following:
The 390th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. In over 300 missions, they dropped 19,000 tons of bombs. They lost 181 aircraft and seven hundred and fourteen airmen were killed. The group dropped food supplies to the Dutch during the week prior toV-E Day.
The unit returned toSioux Falls AAFSouth Dakota during August and was inactivated on 28 August 1945.
After the war, Framlingham became a clearing station for the rehabilitation of Polish nationals before being abandoned and closed in late 1948. The land was returned to agriculture and the runways were broken up and ground into aggregate. Buildings were allowed to dilapidate and were used for farm storage. Among them was the Control Tower which was shot up and abandoned after the Americans held a riotous farewell party there in August 1945.
Today the runways and hardstands of RAF Framlingham airfield have long since been removed for hardcore. The perimeter track has been reduced to one lane farm access roads, but remains fundamentally complete. The technical site is in use as an industrial estate, with many of the World War IINissen huts in use.
In 1976, a project was undertaken to restore the derelict control tower. The tower was finally dedicated as the390thBombardment Group Memorial Air Museum on 13 May 1981.[1]
Both the museum and the industrial estate are identified as 'Parham Airfield'.[2]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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