Former USAF airfield until 1990, it now belongs to the Ministry of Defence Police

The airfield, about six miles north of Braintree, was sited in a rather secluded area of the country close to the villages of Finchingfield, Toppesfield and of course Wethersfield. The sites had been first recognised as suitable for airfield development in 1941, and by December the main contractors, Mcdonald & Gibb, had moved in. The runways were completed by December 1942 but this was all, the partially completed airfield was loaned back to the RAF and placed in No 3 Group of Bomber Command as a satellite airfield for RAF Ridgewell. In October 1943 ownership of the airfield was passed over to the Ninth Airforce, but it would be yet another four months before the first combat unit moved in.

The ninth Airforce unit that finally moved in on the 1^st February 1944 was the 416^th Bomb Group (light), this group was eventually to be equipped with A-20s and part of the 97^th Bomb wing. At the beginning of April 1944 the group was almost up to its full compliment of aircraft, 58 A20’s along with the two other A-20 groups, the 416^th were scheduled to leave Essex in September and on the 21^st of that month the group flew away to their new base at Villarode airfield at Melure, to the south of Paris. 

After this the airfield was once again transferred back into RAF Hands, and came under the control of No 38 Group. During October two Stirling IV Squadrons No 196 and 299 arrived from RAF Keevil. Whilst at Wethersfield the squadrons were amongst other activities engaged in training exercises with new glider pilots and practice drops of airborne troops. Over Christmas 1944 Wethersfield resembled the heavy bomber base it had been designed to be, when 15 Lancaster’s from RAF Middleton St George arrived for a very short period.

January 1945 was not a good time for Wethersfield, when parts of the runways broke up and the RAF relocated to Gosfield. The Americans replaced the RAF, the newcomers were members of the 316^th Troop Carrier Group, which had come down from Cottesmore, and the 316^th was part of the Ninth Troop Command. The aircraft left Wethersfield on the 24^th March and the airfield fell silent once again.

By October 1945 the runways had been repaired and a RAF operational Training Unit arrived with a mixture of Stirling’s and Halifax aircraft. The RAF station finally closedown at the end of August 1946 and was placed under care and maintenance until the summer of 1952. Once more Wethersfield came to life as it played host to ‘Little America’ in the form of the 20^th Fighter Wing with its F-84G Thunderjets, the main Runway was lengthened and the airfield was largely expanded. However in 1970 it was decided to move the fighter wing to Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire for safety as Stansted was increasing so much. 

Even so the Americans remained at the airfield until 1990 when due to the end of the Cold war and military cuts the airmen left and so ending a tenure of almost 40 years. The airfield is now in the hands of the Ministry of Defence Police, who have established their training unit there.

United States Airforce Squadrons

Eight Airforce

http://www.8afmuseum.net/

http://www.barksdale.af.mil/

http://www.8thafhs.org/

http://www.mightyeighth.org/

http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1000012#

Ninth Airforce

http://www.ninthairforceassoc.org/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/9af.htm

http://www.ninth-airforce.co.uk/9thindex.htm

http://www.levelbest.com/design/sites/ninthairforce/

416^th Bomb Group (light)

97^th Combat Bomb Wing

No 3 Group Bomber command

99^th Bomb Wing

No 38 Group

No 196 Squadron

No 299 Squadron

316^th  Troop Carrier Group