Commonwealth Crossings: Eighth Army Air Corps

Monday, February 13, 2017

Debach Airfield II

Here are some pictures taken by the volunteers of my trip and some historical notes and layouts of the place...

Grandpa Reynolds between Darren and I.

In front of the memorial at HQ...

Leaning against the notable oak tree at HQ

The oak tree in 1945...

Helen and I

Air-traffic control during the war

On the same balcony more than 70 years later...

Layouts of the airbase with a note from Darren...

Following is a brief description of some of the places we saw when we were in the car......

The route we took going in, using the Debach Layout001 for referral was from Mount Pleasant, that was up the steep hill, then we went up the hill, over the crossroads and then we stopped by the concrete pads on the left, where I pointed out that this was the accommodation area for the 861st BS, where your Grandfather lived. AAF01 is a photograph looking back down the road, from the airfield end, looking back at the accommodation – and yes, this is the 861st accommodation area.

We then carried on up Snipe Farm road, past the entrance to the 862nd site and took the next right. This is the thin lane under the words PX RED CROSS. We then stopped near the pad that marked the entrance to the Mess Hall.

On our way again, we turned right away from the mess hall, past Snipe Farm (the pink house) on the left, and turned right up to the Headquarters Building, with the Oak tree and the memorial to the 493rd BG. Carrying on up the road we crossed over Drabbs lane and onto the Technical site. From there we went up past the parachute store on the left and the Norden Bomb Sight vault (the flat topped building on the left) we stopped alongside the spot where the main Hangar once stood where I tried to show you the signature in the concrete. Then we carried onto the perimeter track and down to the Tower and the museum. after a coffee and a chat, we went out to the perimeter track again (in Helen’s car) and we drove down to the end of Runway 07. This is now the grass runway. Then we carried on round behind the woods that show where Thistleton Hall once stood, and round to the hardstands for the 861st BS. Your Grandfather flew 43-38239 from hardstand 20, and then for the rest he was either on 30 or 29, unfortunately these have now long gone.

We then lined up on the main runway, and once Helen got the green flare we made our way up towards the intersection with the cross runway, where again we stopped. Once we got going again, we proceeded back down the crash truck track and back to the Tower, Museum and another cup of coffee.

I hope this helps to make our little tour a little clearer
Best for now

Darren

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Eighth Army Air Corps 493rd Bomb Group Museum Debach Airfield, Suffolk, England

Completing my trip to the four corners of England (relatively speaking), I went to see the airbase in the South East where Grandpa Reynolds was stationed with the "Mighty Eighth" in the last few months of the War in 1945 and where he flew his B-17 over the skies of Europe. Two enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers led me through the base. For personal reasons, this was my most memorable excursion in England.

My sincere thanks to Richard Taylor, who has restored and preserved the base from his own private resources. Thanks also to his team of volunteers (especially Darren Jelley and Helen) who work tirelessly to acquire and organize accurate information on the many soldiers who were stationed in Debach and who maintain the grounds and museum exhibits.

Cap. Earl Reynolds, 1945 (after being an operations officer from 19 Dec. 1941-March 1945). He remained in the Air Force until 1967, went into civil service, and retired a colonel in 1984. He went to be with Jesus on Christmas Eve, 2012.