Little Walden
LITTLE WALDEN: Military aerodrome (Aka HADSTOCK) Station 165
Note: The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
The 2006 picture especially shows how, during a dry summer, so much detail can be revealed, even most of the dispersals.
Military users: 8th USAAF 67th Fighter Wing 361st Fighter Group
374, 375 & 376 Sqdns (North American P-51 Mustangs and Douglas A-20 Havocs)
493rd Bomb Group (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses)
1st Gunnery & Tow Target Flt (Vultee A-35B Vengeances)
Location: S of Hadstock & W to NW of Bowsers villages, 3.5nm N of Saffron Walden
Period of operation: 1944 to 1946
Runways: 16/34 1737x46 hard 10/28 1280x46 hard
04/22 1280x46 hard
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The second item is the North American P-51 Mustang, 44-14164, named "Detroit Miss". The fourth item, of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain taking-off, is presumably on an internal supply sortie.
Note: This great air-to-air photo is of the North American P-51D Mustang, 44-13357, of the 374th Fighter Squadron. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortess being loaded with food supplies is of the 493rd Bomb Group.
Note: The second item above shows Lt Victor E Bocquin, of the 361st Fighter Group, standing next to a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat named "Uncle Tom's Cabin". The fourth item is the North American P-51D Mustang "GaLLoping Goose". Note the spelling.
Note: All three of these pictures were obtained from Google Street View ©.
Note: The second item above is of a 'tandem' take-off with two North American P-51D Mustangs of the 361st Fighter Group. Although having an element of risk involved, it did have the advantage of halving the time needed to get the squadron airborne. I find it interesting to note that the three colour pictures above, (the Mustang air-to-air being the exception), were presumably taken by amateur photographers, and have no doubt deteriorated quite a bit over the years. Even so, they still serve as a valuable record, even if leaving much to be desired. But, if I am correct of course, having colour film available to amateurs during WW2 using the more-or-less kind of point-and-shoot snapometer we know today, has come as quite a surprise. Perhaps only widely available in the USA?
The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
*Note: All items marked with asterisk are from the American Air Museum.
NOTES: Probably few people know of this aerodrome today but during its short life in late 1944, 2894 USAAF personnel were based here making it a pretty significant U.S. base.
Malcolm Towns
This comment was written on: 2020-06-23 03:57:07Yes there were B17s here, I remember my dad saying he saw one in flames on take off and crashed.
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