SEX78161 - Willingale Community Archive: The story of Chipping Ongar (Willingale) Airfield (AKA Station 162)

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Willingale Community Archive The story of Chipping Ongar (Willingale) Airfield (AKA Station 162) Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman Produced by Willingale Community Archive. CONTENTS • Introduction 3 • The site construction. 4 • The B 26 6 • 387th Bombardment Group (BG) 8 • Dedication and formal handover of airfield 16 • Losses of the 387th BG 17 • Missions of the 387th BG 18 • In preparation for D-Day 19 • King Bee 20 • Wuneach 21 • Howard Head 25 • Double Trouble 30 • Kay Peas Dream 31 • The crash of Colonel Thomas Seymour 32 • A Messerschmitt landed at Willingale 33 • Local relationships 34 • After the 387th left 36 • The Airfield Memorial 40 • Acknowledgments 42 • References 43 INTRODUCTION More than 200 American airfields were built in England often dwarfing the villages they were built near. The arrival of thousands of American airmen in the England during World War Two is sometimes referred to as “The Friendly Invasion” . These mainly young men must have been quite a change to the locals after two years of war, bringing candy, chewing gum, silk stockings. These airmen were providing a vital role supporting the RAF, flying missions to weaken the German’s ability to fight, mainly targeting factories and airport infrastructure. One such airfield came to a small rural Village of around 500 inhabitants. The village was called Willingale although the airfield is sometimes referred to by the nearest town name, Chipping Ongar, which is 5 miles away. Whilst the airmen were only here for less than two years, their presence has not been forgotten and physical remains of the airfield are a permanent reminder. Over the years many airmen and relatives have visited. There is a strong interest in the airfield by Willingale people and the English people as well as can be seen from various social media pages, in particular the 387th Facebook page. However, until recently there was no memorial. The Parish Council was approached by the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust resulting in a memorial being erected in 2022. As part of the event to accompany this, the Willingale Community Archive produced a display of the history of the airfield. This booklet is a result of this display. It is worth mentioning that history is a highly subjective depending on the personal perspective of the person writing the record. Even squadron records do not necessarily record an event accurately or reflect personal memories of those involved. We have tried to use several sources but you may find a different perspective elsewhere. Even statistics such as number of missions can be recorded differently, for example some record each target as a separate mission, whilst others will count each sortie as one. So the number of missions of the 387th from Willingale is both 206 and 241. We did a careful check of the squadron records. THE SITE CONSTRUCTION Willingale Airfield was built by the U.S. army 831st Engineer (aviation) Battalion who started work in late August 1942 completing the work on 25th August 1943. The battalion brought with them machinery that Willingale had never seen before and tore up agricultural land to create an airfield. The design of the airfield is what is known as ’typical ‘A’ class design’. It was built with three runways forming an ‘A’ shape. The main runway was 6000 feet with two 4200 feet secondary runways and an encircling perimeter track with 51 hard stands and 48 loops. Whilst the main runway is no longer exists, a public footpath follows its original location. Parts of the perimeter track remain and the remains of 2 hard standings. Hardcore was needed for the construction and this was brought by lorries from buildings destroyed in the East End of London during the ‘Blitz.’ The Site was built to accommodate 2770 personnel in Nissen huts, and included building a suitable sewage system, the core of which is still in use today. There were administrative buildings, bomb stores as well as an operations room, and control tower. There were at least two T-2 hangars and various workshops. There are several different maps of the area in existence showing some buildings in differing locations. These are not a mistake but decoys in the hope that enemy bombing raids would hit the wrong targets. This initial American influx with their accents and machinery tearing up quality farmland caused both consternation and fascination with the locals. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman Local viewpoint The airfield was built on fertile agricultural land leased or bought from the farmers. Unfortunately, a farmhouse, ‘Minsons’, and several cottages were close to where the main runway was to be located and so of necessity were demolished. It appears the village had little warning of the forthcoming construction of the airfield and the Americans left quite a mess. ‘One morning just before the 6 weeks holidays the Yanks arrived with bulldozers, earth movers and levellers the likes of which we had never seen before and commenced to rip the earth apart. This was all exciting and as we got closer, they didn’t seem to mind. We spent all of our summer holidays on the base……..‘I remember the road outside our cottage being thick with mulch from their wheels for weeks.’ Bob Brown aged 7 ‘My mum had to carry me to school as the roads were so mucky’ Joan Day aged 9 ‘The Yanks came and Minsons farm, house and woods were all bulldozed down. The sand lorries came and the mud! They could not slow down, so everyone got covered with mud – it was almost impossible to ride a bike. The Yanks could go anywhere over ditches and any rough ground. With them came the jeeps’ Ina Campen aged 22 Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman The B26 A disappointing start The B26 Martin Marauder first went into production in 1941 and was initially used in the Pacific in 1942. However, whilst accident rates in the Pacific (with experienced pilots) were few, in the United States the accident rate was rather high. The B-26 earned itself a poor reputation with nicknames such as ‘widow maker’; ‘flying coffin’; ‘flying prostitute or Baltimore whore’ so named because of the charges brought against prostitutes in US courts as having “no visible means of support.” On investigation it appeared that most of the accidents occurred during the take-off or landing. It was thought that this may be a result of increases in weight that had been gradually introduced on the B-26 production line which made the wing loading of the Marauder progressively higher. This resulted in higher stalling and landing speeds, which novice twin-engine pilots found difficult to master. Enhanced training of the pilots and attention paid to the laden weight and the planes centre of gravity, corrected these early issues. However, in 1942 the wings were extended by 6 feet, the rear fin was enlarged, and the nose leg length increased and soon after the short wing models were relegated to training. The aircraft they brought to Willingale were the longer wing spanned models. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman A change in role The B26 had been used originally for low level bombing runs. On arrival to Suffolk in 1943, the B26 encountered heavy losses when undertaking these low level missions. Once the role of the B26 was changed to a medium range medium altitude (12,000 ft.) bomber, and the squadrons undertook a revised training programme, it proved to be a valuable aircraft. There was no need to modify the 12 guns for this revised role, the aircraft arrived with all guns on board. The bomb sights needed changing to the famous Norden bomb sight. Unfortunately, supplies of the Norden were hard to come by so only flight lead and deputy lead aircraft normally carried them and all other pilots relied on these leads for their target information. In February 1944 there were reports of some B26 carrying an increased bomb load. An investigation was carried out and by removing a mounting lug on the bombs, instead of 6x 500lb bombs, 8 x 500Ib bombs could be loaded. Nose (and Tail) art What impact did the nose art have on pilots? “It played a major role in its morale! Having a "ship" they can call their own, take into battle and returning home safe became ritualistic in cases. It was not just a piece of machinery, instrument of war, but personal "friend" that for a moment in their lives, became one with their crew mates. It had a name - and not just a serial number... she had a personality, quirkiness and mechanical issues. Most importantly, if you were the lucky ones, she brought you home”. https://www.bremont.com/blogs/blogbook/nose-art?currency=gbp Whilst nose art was not exclusive to the Americans, when the United States entered World War II, nose art regulations were relaxed, or in many cases totally ignored depending on your Commanding Officer. It must have been quite a shock when this artwork appeared in Willingale! Photos courtesy of Alan Crouchman Plane identification There were eight bombardment groups flying B-26 Marauders in Essex. After taking off from their respective airfields, the Groups would join up at a Splasher Beacon, radio beacons strategically placed at various locations spread around the south and east of England. The bombardment groups would send out 36 aircraft each whenever conditions allowed and this sometimes would end up in some confusion. All the aircraft were painted in the standard olive drab camouflage with just the individual squadron codes in grey on the fuselage sides to differentiate between the groups which were only readable when close up. This meant that some aircraft would join up with the wrong group during the assembly processes. In November 1943 colourful Group markings began to be applied to the tails of the B26 to signify which group they were from. The 387th bombardment group tail markings were black and yellow stripes, and they soon became unofficially known as “The Tiger Tails”. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman B26 bombardment groups in Essex 322 BG at Gt Saling 323 BG at Earls Colne 344 BG at Stansted 386 BG at Easton Lodge 387 BG at Willingale 391 BG at Matching Green 394 BG at Boreham 397 BG at Rivenhall THE 387TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (BG) Journey to Willingale The 387th was a new bombardment group which was first activated in Florida December 1st 1942 at MacDill Field, Tampa for the first phase of training. The Group drew its personnel from a variety of other squadrons, mostly from squadrons under the 21st bombardment group. Their training phases continued, firstly with a move to Drane Field also in Florida in April then Godman Field, Kentucky in May. By this time the squadrons were well trained and ready for deployment and moved to Selfridge field, Michigan, where the air crews were given new planes and allowed two weeks to test and check them. The journey to Willingale began on 10th June 1943. Whilst the ground crew took the Queen Mary to Scotland, the planes flew by the northern route over Iceland and Scotland. At the time the 387th completed this flight in the fastest time made by any group which was two weeks one day and was the first group to cross with no loss of life. The 65 B-26 planes arrived at Willingale on 25th June1943. Despite the 831st working through the night, the runways were not fully complete, leading to one plane crashing on landing (2Lt. Houston N. Bartley, 556). The ground crew arrived on 1st July, and whilst the 831st continued to work hard on completing the airfield, the 387th got their planes ready and completed more training. As the war progressed and the front advanced, so did the 387th. Leaving Willingale on 21st July 1944 they travelled firstly to France, to Holland and after VE day, Belgium, before returning to Camp Kilmer New Jersey in November 1945 and being disbanded. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman Group Commanders Maj. David S. Blackwell (20 Dec 1942 - 18 Jan 1943) Col. Carl R. Storrie (19 Jan 1943 - 13 Nov 1943) Col. Jack E. Caldwell (14 Nov 1943 - 12 Apr 1944) Col. Thomas M. Seymour (13 Apr 1944 - 17 Jul 1944) Col. Grover C. Brown (18 Jul 1944 - 20 May 1945) Lt. Col. Richard R. Stewart (20 May 1945 - Jun 1945) Col. Philip A. Sykes (Jun 1945 – Nov 1945 ) An unusual photograph of the officers who individually had command of the 387th one after another between Nov 1943 and May 1945. ( CO's L to R, Col Seymour, Col Brown and Col, Caldwell) Photos courtesy of Alan Crouchman The Operations Room (above) and Motor Pool Inspection (below) Photos courtesy of Alan Crouchman Squadron Identification The 4 squadrons had leather patch insignia sewn on the left breast of their jackets. The planes were also identifiable to each squadron with letters painted on both sides of the fuselage and colours painted in their propeller tips and prop spinners. The identifications are as follows: Patch Insignia Letters on fuselage Squadron colour FW Yellow KS Blue KX White TQ Red Making the 557th Squadron badges - photos taken from 559th Squadron book(above) Symbols for the 66 Missions undertaken by Hangover Hut( below) Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman Dedication and Formal Handover. The airfield had two formal ceremonies. The first ceremony was a dedication ceremony which was on 17th July 1943. The 387th had completed their training but at this stage no missions had taken place. The dignitaries were given a tour of the airfield, and all units turned out to be reviewed, with music played by the 342nd Engineers band. This was followed by an aerial demonstration of 36 B-26 bombers flying in close formation. The second ceremony took place on 25th August 1943 this was a formal handover of the airfield from the RAF to the USAAF. According to the records: An RAF regimental band played the British National Anthem and the British flag was lowered from the staff. Then with the playing of the American Anthem the American flag was raised. After papers and receipts had been exchanged the field had become USAAF base. Photos courtesy of Alan Crouchman LOSSES OF THE 387TH BG The table below shows a summary of those who sadly lost their lives having flown out of Willingale, as well as those who were captured and those that evaded capture. With thanks to Alan Crouchman for compiling this table Total persons KIA - over enemy territory or at sea 82 Total persons KIA - in aircraft crashes in the UK 30 Total persons KIA - died of wounds received on missions 5 Accidental deaths 2 Total persons killed whilst serving with the 387 BG at Willingale 119 Total persons captured and made POW flying from Willingale 21 Total persons evading capture and returned to UK 5 MISSIONS OF THE 387TH BG During their stay at Willingale, the 387th BG flew more than 200 missions. These missions were initially targeting airfields. The strategy was to prevent the enemy’s ability to ‘make war’. This strategy changed on the 5th November 1943 with missions to a newly developed dangerous target, called ‘Noball’, or V1 flying bombs or doodle bugs were developed. In order to successfully attack these smaller targets, a greater bombing accuracy was needed and over time the 387th improved substantially. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman With so many missions, it was difficult to decide what to include. More information can be found in ‘A Chronology of the 387th Bombardment Group.’ This has many reference points including first hand accounts, some of which have been used in this booklet. https://387bg.com/387th%20Bombardment%20Group%20-% 20Chronology.htm.. IN PREPARATION FOR D-DAY In preparation for D day the missions focused on bridges, marshalling yards and coastal batteries and also included some missions with the aim of misleading the enemy. On D-day, 6th June 1944, the 387th was tasked with bombing Utah beach. “On June 6 we woke at 0130. We knew that this was the day; this was the hour we had been waiting for. Weeks before, we had been bombing bridges, railyards, cutting off all travel to the coast that we could……as we approached the target, the bomb-bay doors opened and “Bombs away!” There was light flak coming up, and the bombardier said we got a good hit. Out over the French countryside, scattered everywhere, were parachutes and pieces of huge crashed gliders….. we made another flight that day.” James DeLong “”The water was just full of boats, like bunches of ants crawling down there. I imagined those men huddled in the landing craft, doubtless scared to death. I could see what they were heading into and I prayed for all those brave young men. I thought, man I’m up here looking down at this stuff and they’re waiting to get on that beach”. Lt A.H. Corry Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman KING BEE On Saturday 31st July 1943 the Marauders left Willingale for their first mission. This was a diversionary sweep over the English Channel in support of other 8th air force groups. Other diversionary missions followed and then on August 15th the first combat mission took place. “hot damn the real thing. 36 ships to Fort Rouge Drome at St Omer with 8300lb bombs. Heavy flak at coast intense at target, all very accurate” Burl Thompson diary The 31st August1943 was the day that the personal reality of the cost of war was felt. On a mission to Lille/Venderville a direct burst of flak cut ‘King Bee’ in half and it went down burning with the loss of all on board. In addition, this sad moment was captured on camera. On the photograph below King Bee is circled in red. WUNEACH This plane had an unusual “pilot officer” who flew with them on several missions. On leaving America and picking up their supplies they also picked up a stray kitten who flew over to England with them. I am not sure whether the kitten in the picture was with them when they were hit by flak after dropping their bombs on 27th September 1943. This was on the same mission that ‘Double Trouble’, was also hit by flak. The tail gunner, Sgt. Lavern SF. Stein, could see extensive damage and started to bail out. But Sgt Stein parachute opened and he was left half in half out the plane. Sgt Stein was saved from falling out by another crew member TSgt. Edward S. Kovalchik despite being hit in the face by a shell fragment. RAF spitfires saw the crew were in trouble and came to help, staying with them until the English coast came into sight. The pilot, 1Lt.George M. Snyder flew the aircraft back on one engine, but with no hydraulics the wheels couldn’t come down and so they came in for a crash landing which he executed smoothly. In 1992 when the airmen came on a visit to Willingale, crew member Edward Kovalchik was among them and after his return to America he sent a copy of a radio script that was broadcast about the incident. A copy of the script which was broadcast Howard Head missing in action 25th February 1944. Age 25. We have been privileged to have been given access to personal correspondence by Patrick Mcmillin Snr, a relative of Howard. Howard was born 28/11/1918 and was a navigator/bomber normally on a plane called Wham Bam. Before leaving the United States on a Sunday morning he wrote: Dear mom and all. We were scheduled to leave yesterday but couldn’t get the ships loaded so we will leave this morn…… I had an allotment of $65 made to the bank in my name and yours. A joint account because I didn’t make out a will so you can draw it out or me either. On 13th August, Hello well at last I have found time to drop you a line or two. We arrived in England with not too exciting a trip……….There isn’t much sunshine here………London is quite a place I have seen London once……Every here goes crazy over bicycles over here and most have hot one. …. January 3 1944 the last letter to arrive. Well here it is 44. Time sure goes by seems like I guess you all had a big Xmas and new year. I did too I got in some missions so cant complain….. I’ve had a cold or flu for the past week almost kept me from flying but I kept going. It doesn’t get so cold here sometimes it freezes the ground that’s about all. Well I cant of nothing to write so will sign off. Lots of love Howard. Big Week, ‘Operation Argument’. The 8th Airforce which included the 387th was involved in ‘Big Week’. The goal of this week-long offensive, was to achieve air superiority over the Luftwaffe in advance of D-Day. The weather that week was poor which made bombing difficult, and so a number of flights were aborted. On Sunday 20th more than 1000 bombers were despatched from the 8th Airforce. The targets were German aircraft plants and airfields. “On February 25th the Venlo drome was the target, 1 mile west of the German border. Weather was poor over England and the North Sea but cleared over Holland. FW190’s attacked us after we left the coast, knocking down four ships”. Burl Thompson, diary notes. “Major General John Moench recorded that 54 Marauders plastered the airfield the attack was such an outstanding raid….‘the best raid we’ve yet made”. This claim was subsequently supported by German documents. The four planes that went down were. ‘La Diablo’ on which Howard Head was flying, the ‘Arkansas Traveler’, ‘Buddy’s Rebel’ and ‘Jessie’. Missing in action The War Department wrote to the families, and some of the mothers contacted each other and wrote letters. Mrs Richardson whose son was a pilot on the’ Arkansas Traveler’, wrote to Jocephas Head. “We are trying just as we know you and the others are, to be as hopeful as the meager facts and long lapse of time will permit”. Leroy Marchetti mum whose son was also on the same plane corresponded. “I am getting very nervous wishing and waiting for some good news about them” On April 4 1945 Mrs Marchetti wrote, “I will never give up hope and as long as I live I will keep hoping and praying to God that they are well and safe somewhere.” On 5th June 1945 Howard’s mother received the telegram followed by a letter on the 8th stating that after a year the men were assumed killed in action. Their names are on the Cambridge wall of missing. Double Trouble. It was on a raid to France Beauvais-Tille airfield on 27th September 1943 when Double Trouble had dropped her bombs and was returning home when German fighters came. ‘Those Jerries came and shot hell out of us’ pilot 1Lt. Richard J. Ulverstad said. Ten feet of flames were shooting out of the engine. The bombardier fired flares to ask for help and 18 Spitfires answered. The plane was badly damaged and the crew Photo courtesy of Derek Aspinal discussed bailing out, but decided to risk flying home on one engine with the fuselage, and flaps all damaged. An exceptional demonstration of flying skill. When leaving for a mission multiple planes needed to take off quickly to get into formation and join other squadrons, and they did so one after another with little room for error. However, on March 8th 1944, Double Trouble took off with a different crew for a mission at Soesterberg Airfield. The planes were taking off and getting into formation in low cloud when Itsy Bitsy and Double Trouble had a mid air collision. Itsy Bitsy was able to safely land. Double Trouble was able to drop its bombs with safety wires and detonators intact before they crashed into a bank at Rockhills Farm ½ mile south of the runway. There were no survivors. KAY PEAS DREAM On 15 June 1944 when returning from a mission to Villiers-Bocage, the plane was hit and returned on a single engine and had a damaged undercarriage. It tried to make an emergency landing at Friston airfield but over-shot and ditched in water just off the English Channel 31/2 miles from Beachy Head. Two crew were rescued. This is a moving account from one of the survivors of how it felt to land on water. Recollection of Sgt. Malash ‘We went along the strip at Friston but did not go in on our belly as we should have …as we left the runway the pilot calls back to us that we will ditch… I sat on the stair and held my head as we hit the water at 170mph. I recall a big bang as we hit what was like a concrete wall, water rushes in with a big wave I am knocked out and wake up swallowing oily water and hit the bulkhead right near the open hatch and get out fast on top. I quickly open the dinghy hatch and the dinghy pops out and inflates. In a daze I get in as well as SSgt. Warren C. Shriver and then down goes A Kay Peas Dream and no one else is out of her, we thought more people would come out but no way!’ Both crew members were injured, shortly afterwards HMS Opportune picked them up. Sgt. Alexander Malash was taken to hospital and needed five months to recuperate. THE CRASH OF COLONEL THOMAS SEYMOUR On July 17th 1944 the Group Commander Colonel Thomas M Seymour was killed in an airplane accident. Derek Aspinell was a teenager at the time and this is his account of his experience that day. A MESSERSCHMITT PLANE LANDED AT WILLINGALE This plane was found abandoned in Gambut, North Africa in November 1942. Group RAF ordered that the aircraft should be officially flight tested as one of the first G model 109s to be captured by the allies. After touring North Africa, it was packed and despatched to Lincolnshire where it began a tour on the UK. On 31 March 1944, the tour continued to Willingale escorted by a FW190 and a JU-88 then following a demonstration it proceeded to Stansted Mountfitchet, according to the Royal Air Force Museum records. In 1997 it crashed at the Duxford air show and is now on static display at Hendon. LOCAL RELATIONSHIPS The Americans had great admiration for the locals. ‘I admired the British people, their ability to handle the situation, their coolness and spirit in such hard times. They had strict rationing but always made you welcome and gave you food. Robert Puakert a navigator (556th squadron). Children The children and the Americans seemed to form special bonds. Most of the local children adopted a favourite aircraft and would look out for its safe return and hang around Bath Bridge near the end of the runway watching ’their planes’ come and go. The Americans made a fuss of local children, giving away sweets and chewing gum and they invited the children to film shows on the airfield. For Christmas the lorries and jeeps arrived at the school and took all the pupils to a large mess hall where the airmen had arranged a party. Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman When Bob Hope came to entertain the troops the children of the village were also invited. Dances There were dances in the village hall and in the officers club with the squadrons band named after its CO ‘The Storrie Tellers’. It was little surprise that several Photos from 559th Squadron book AFTER THE 387TH LEFT Following the departure of the 387th, B24 Liberators were regularly routed through Willingale airfield in the summer of 1955 transporting fuel to the continent. Then in September 1944 in preparation for ‘Operation Market Garden’, Willingale was used to store Waco-CG4 Hadrian gliders and Horsa gliders in vast numbers. March 1945 saw the arrival of the 61st Troop Carrier Group who arrived with Dakota airplanes and were loaded up with troops for ‘Operation Varsity’. On 24th March 1945 one plane was lost on its return trip to Willingale, after dropping paratroopers of 1st Canadian Paratroop Regiment to Drop Zone A near Wessel. The aircraft was hit by flak and with smoke coming from the left engine and cockpit area was seen to crash into a house and some trees. One parachute was observed but it was too low for the chute to open. There were no Survivors Crew on board. Pilot: Maj. Thomas C. Cargill, KIA; Copilot: 2Lt. John B. Rothrock, KIA; Nav: Capt. George A. Tovey, KIA; TSgt. Olen E. St.John, KIA; SSgt. Earl E. Straley, KIA. Photos courtesy of Alan Crouchman Photo courtesy of Alan Crouchman Throughout the war, any agricultural land that could be used, was farmed. The airfield was returned to RAF Bomber Command 18 April 1945 and transferred to Technical Training Command on 11 June1945 , a satellite of RAF Hornchurch, then handed over to the War Office on 25 April 1946 before reverting to Technical Training Command parented by North Weald . Then finally on 26 October 1948, the airfield was transferred to Reserve Command when Agricultural Tenancy Agreements were put in place. Bob Brown who was a local child at the time, recalls that “when the Americans went the Indians arrived, they loved hockey. I remember some Polish airmen and I think a few Dutch, and later on British. “ The Indian Air Force ran 2 training courses on the airfield for their pilots. One ended 6th October 1946 and the second 3th February 1948. We haven’t found any direct links to the Polish or Dutch yet, although there in the adjacent photo it is said that the man at the back is a Polish airman who was working with local farmers. Photo Courtesy Photo Courtesy of Lizzie white The RAF fully relinquished the airfield on 28 February 1959 although it took several years to complete the formalities. In the 1960s the ‘St Ives Sand and Gravel Company’ removed sections of concrete to use in the construction of the A12 Brentwood bypass, leaving only sections of the perimeter track in place. However, from 1946 until 2008 the airfield was leased to a variety of organisations, for example, ‘Straight Aviation Training Limited’, ‘Home Counties Flying Club’, ‘Flying Farmers’ and ‘Air Rent Limited’. The last light aircraft to use the airfield was a Cessna 310 in 2008. One potentially disastrous legacy of constructing the airfield was that in 1979 Willingale was shortlisted as a strong contender for the ‘third London airport,’ now Stansted airport. Photo Courtesy of Lizzie white In 2006 the airfield was used as a location for the filming of ‘Foyles War’ with a Spitfire once again on the perimeter track. Photo Courtesy of Lizzie white Currently the old perimeter track is now the home of the Fyfield Flying Club and is used for microlights and gyrocopters with an occasional helicopter using the grass next to the perimeter track. THE AIRFIELD MEMORIAL On Sunday 2nd October 2022 an event was held to unveil a memorial dedicated to all those who served at the Willingale/Chipping Ongar Airfield. Several hundred people attended the event, and the founder of Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, Kenneth Bannerman, and local MP Alex Burghart said a few words and performed the unveiling. County Councillor Jaymey McIvor laid a wreath, and Rev. Stewart Gibbs offered a prayer of dedication. Local enthusiasts brought military vehicles to display and the Willingale Community Archive displayed the information you have just read. In order to honour the 125 American Airmen who lost their lives, a US Air Force Officers from RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall performed an “Honor Guard” ceremony and the folded flag was presented to David Stokes Chair of the Parish Council who accepted it on behalf of the village. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Whilst this booklet has been put together by Willingale Community Archive it drew heavily from the support and input provided by Alan Crouchman, who with his late father Peter, spent many years researching the 387th. Alan has graciously shared with us his knowledge and photographs. A Big Thank You. Willingale Community Archive also had access to a scrap book put together by Derek Aspinall who was a child at the time of the war. Thanks to Alan Shrimpton also loaned his copy of the 559th Squadron book. We are also extremely grateful for the moving correspondence which Howard Head’s relative, Patrick Mcmillan, sent through to us. This really brings home the personal cost of war. We would also like to thank those individuals who we contacted to ask questions and who clarified and filled in a number of gaps for us. Personal reflections. As the village archivists we often get asked questions about the airfield and in 2012 we had a sparse amount of information in the archive which we used to put together a leaflet at that time. The airfield memorial unveiling was a great opportunity for us volunteers to spend time looking into the history of the airfield. We were very aware of our lack of expertise and were fortunate to have Alan supporting us. Deciding what to include is always difficult, as people reading have a variety of backgrounds and interests. Knowing that 125 men lost their lives, we wanted to pick a few stories to represent the personal side rather than simply list those personnel (a list we also have thanks to Alan). Whilst most articles focus on the 387th we felt it was important to follow through and include the deaths on the Dakota and the use of the airfield up to 2022. However, we were very aware that our research was quite limited in scope and only tells part of the story, the main narrative being from these handsome, boisterous young men. That said, it is quite likely that there were also negative aspects to the sudden imposition of thousands of young American men on a small English village. What cannot be denied is the crucial role these men played in World War Two, and for that we are very grateful and we must never forget those who gave their lives and our freedom. Station 162 Willingale/Chipping Ongar Airfield References 387th Bombardment Group. A chronology of the 387th Bombardment Group (medium) retrieved 11.8.2022 from https://387bg.com/387th%20Bombardment%20Group%20-% 20Chronology.htm B26.com . Brief History of the 387th Bomb Group Retrieved 11.8.2022 from https:// www.b26.com/ Bharart Rakshak. Willingale Course Retrieved 11.8.2022 from https://www.bharatrakshak.com/IAF/Database/Courses/courselist.php?qunit=1%20Willingale Brown Bob. (January 2011)Memories of Willingale airfield, Ongar news , page 16 Campen, Ina. Memories. Typed personal document, undated B26.com. Lt. Col. Gayle L. Smith Group Operations Officer Retrieved 11.9.2022 from 387th https://b26.com/marauderman/gayle_l._smith.htm Crouchman, Alan. ( Feb 2002) A bit of the dream FlyPast. Key publishing Ltd Crouchman, Alan. ( April 2005) Gallant Determination FlyPast. Key Publishing Ltd. Freeman, Robert, (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth Then and Now Battle of Britain Prints International Mcmillan, Patrick SNR . (Personal communication Aug 14 2022) Nicholls, John.(1991) Where has my airfield gone article of unknown origin Rackham, Darren. Fields of Honour, newspaper article unknown origin Scutts, Jerry, B-26 (1997)Marauder Units of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces Osprey Publishing Smith, Eric. (Dec 1981) When aircraft flew from Willingale Essex Countryside Smith, G. (1996) Essex Airfields in the second world war, Countryside Books, Unknown author, Chipping Ongar (Willingale) unknown publication and date Unknown author (May 7 1992) Return of the Marauder’s newspaper article, guardian and gazette newspapers However, this inaccurate reference was not used! Unknown author. Propelled back to a dying past. Unknown newspaper, unknown date but likely 1992 The article shows a photograph titled.’ Bombers away b17s like this one flew from Willingale and Matching to bomb targets in Germany in WW2.’ Produced by Willingale Community Archive 2022

Record last edited

Jul 15 2026 2:03PM