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| RAF Halesworth RAF Holton USAAF Station 365 RNAS Halesworth (HMSSparrowhawk)  .png)  | |
|---|---|
| Located NearSouthwold,Suffolk, United Kingdom | |
 Aerial photograph mosaic of Halesworth (Holton) airfield, P-47 Thunderbolts of the 56th Fighter Group are taxying on the perimeter and main runway, 18 April 1944. Photograph taken by 31st Photographic Squadron, 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, sortie number US/31GR/LOC17 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Code | HA |
| Owner | Air Ministry |
| Operator |  Royal Navy (1945 - 1946) |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces (1943 - 1945) Fleet Air Arm (1945 - 1946) |
| Location | |
  RAF Halesworth Map showing the location of RAF Halesworth within Suffolk. | |
| Coordinates | 52°21′56″N001°31′26″E / 52.36556°N 1.52389°E /52.36556; 1.52389 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1946 |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Eighth Air Force |
| Occupants | 56th Fighter Group 489th Bombardment Group |
Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simplyRAF Halesworth is a formerRoyal Air Force station located 2 miles (3 km) north east of the town ofHalesworth,Suffolk,England and 7 miles (11 km) west ofSouthwold.
Halesworth was built in 1942–1943 and was intended for use as a bomber station, and was built as such with a 6,000 ft. main runway and two secondary runways of 4,200 ft length. There was an encircling perimeter track with 51 hardstands and two T-2 hangars.Nissen hut accommodations for about 3,000 personnel were also built south of the airfield.
USAAF Station Units assigned to RAF Halesworth were:[1]
Regular Army Station Units included:
The airfield was assigned USAAF designation Station 365 (HA).
The first unit to use Halesworth was the56th Fighter Group which arrived fromRAF Horsham St Faith on 9 July 1943. Its operational squadrons were:
Being only eight miles from the Suffolk coast, Halesworth was ideally located for escort fighter operations, where range was an important factor. For this reason the 56th Fighter Group was moved there. FlyingRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts, the group flew numerous missions over France, theLow Countries, and Germany to escort bombers attacking industrial establishments,V-weapon sites, submarine pens, and other targets on the Continent.
In addition the 56th strafed and dive-bombed airfields, troops, and supply points; attacked the enemy communications; and flew counter-air patrols.
The 56th became one of the most outstanding fighter organisations in the Eighth Air Force, producing many of the top fighter aces includingFrancis Gabreski andRobert S. Johnson. The group was responsible for pioneering most of the successful fighter escort tactics with the Thunderbolt and had many successes while operating from Halesworth.
On 19 April 1944 the group had to vacate the airfield as it was needed for a new B-24 Liberator group and was transferred toRAF Boxted.
TheEighth Air Force489th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived at RAF Halesworth fromWendover AAFUtah on 1 May 1944. The group was assigned to the 20th Combat Bombardment Wing and the group tail code was a "Circle-W". Its operational squadrons were:
The 489th flew theConsolidated B-24 Liberator as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. The group entered combat on 30 May 1944, and during the next few days concentrated on targets in France in preparation for theNormandy invasion.
In an attack against coastal defences near Wimereaux on 5 June 1944, the group's lead plane was seriously crippled by enemy fire, its pilot was killed, and the deputy group commander,Lt. Col. Leon R. Vance Jr., who was commanding the formation, was severely wounded; although his right foot was practically severed, Vance took control of the plane, led the group to a successful bombing of the target, and managed to fly the damaged aircraft to the coast of England, where he ordered the crew to bail out; believing a wounded man had been unable to jump, he ditched the plane in theEnglish Channel and was rescued. For his action during this mission, Vance was awarded theMedal of Honor.
The group supported the landings inNormandy on 6 June 1944, and afterward bombed coastal defences, airfields, bridges, railroads, andV-weapon sites in thecampaign for France. It began flying missions into Germany in July, and engaged primarily in bombing strategic targets such as factories, oil refineries and storage plants, marshalling yards, and airfields inLudwigshafen,Magdeburg,Brunswick,Saarbrücken, and other cities until November 1944.
Other operations included participating in the saturation bombing of German lines just before the breakthrough atSaint-Lô in July, dropping food to the liberated French and to Allied forces in France during August and September, and carrying food and ammunition to theNetherlands later in September.
The 489th Bomb Group returned toBradley AAFConnecticut in November 1944 to prepare for redeployment to the Pacific theater. Redesignated489th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in March 1945 and was re-equipped withBoeing B-29 Superfortresses. The group was alerted for movement overseas in the summer of 1945, but war with Japan ended before the group left the US. Inactivated on 17 October 1945.
In January 1945 the5th Emergency Rescue Squadron moved to Halesworth fromRAF Boxted with special P-47s,OA-10 Catalina amphibians andBoeing SB-17 Fortresses equipped withlifeboats for air-sea rescue work. The 5th ERS remained active, and it conducted many rescues until the end of hostilities.
The airfield was also used until the end of the war as an operational training airfield forNorth American P-51 Mustang pilots.
A request from theRoyal Navy for lodger facilities at RAF Halesworth fromNo. 16 Group was granted. On 5 June 1945 the airbase was transferred on loan to theAdmiralty until October 1946 and known asRoyal Naval Air Station Halesworth (RNAS Halesworth). On 5 August it wascommissioned asHMSSparrowhawk withCaptain L.A.K. Boswell,DSO, as commanding officer.[2]
762 Naval Air Squadron was the Royal Navy’sFleet Air ArmTwin Engine Conversion Unit. The squadron moved here fromRNAS Dale (HMS Goldcrest) inPembrokeshire, on 3 December 1945. It operated with various twin-engined aircraft forpilot /aircrew conversion training:
The unit remained at RNAS Halesworth for around six weeks before moving south toRNAS Ford (HMSPeregrine), inSussex, on 15 January 1946.[2]
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798 Naval Air Squadron was theAdvanced Single Engine Conversion & Refresher Flying Training Unit of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. The squadron moved here fromRNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus), inHampshire, on 6 September 1945.
The unit was equipped with an assortment of aircraft with which to operate and provide the conversion training and refresher courses, which included:
It remained at the Suffolk airbase for around five months, moving toRNAS Peplow (HMSGodwit II), inShropshire, on the 28 February 1946.[2]
RNAS Halesworth closed on the same day 798 NAS left and was reduced to Care and Maintenance status. Two weeks later HMSSparrowhawk was ‘paid-off’ by the Royal Navy, on 15 March 1946, and the airbase was returned to the Royal Air Force.[2]
After the war, the Halesworth was closed for flying in February 1946. It was turned over to the Ministry of Food for storage until it was sold in 1963.
With the end of government control, the land was returned to agricultural use and little of the wartime buildings remains; a few derelict huts and ancillary buildings on some of the dispersed sites. Most of the remaining runways, perimeter track, etc. are now utilised as part of theBernard Matthews turkey production site, with a number of large sheds erected on the runways.
In May 1983 the 489th Bomb Group was permanently commemorated by the dedication of a granite memorial which has been erected on a small plot of land at the southern end of the old north-south runway. Adjacent to this is a memorial to the 56th Fighter Group who also flew from Halesworth. Nearby is the Halesworth Airfield Museum, whose exhibits include photographs, unit memorabilia and many other items relating to the airfield, its wartime occupants and activities. The museum displays a limited collection of 489th memorabilia, but the main 489th Bomb Group Museum, together with that of the 93rd Bomb Group, is sited atHardwick, in Norfolk.
The cockpit section of aC-54 is on display at the old combat mess site which is further along the road from the memorials, and a drop tank gives details of the three groups who served at Halesworth airfield during World War II. There is a wall plaque in nearby St. Peter's Church, Holton, in honour of all who flew from this airfield, and the church has kneelers made by 489th Bomb Group veterans' wives.
Dotted around the site, at the edges of old runways and taxi paths, are a number of large wind turbines, and a large solar panel farm is at the western end of it.
In February 2007, Halesworth was reported as the location for an outbreak of so-called 'bird flu', resulting in the culling of 159,000 turkeys at Bernard Matthews.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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