Also known as Station 152
The story of RAF Debach
The 493rd Bombardment Group arrived from Elveden Hall with B-24 Liberators and a 'Square-X' tail code. It flew its first mission on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The concrete runways were poorly built and gave trouble. In September 1944 the group swapped its B-24s for B-17s. It bombed an ordnance depot at Magdeburg, marshalling yards at Cologne and synthetic oil plants at Merseburg. It also supported the fighting at Caen and Saint-Lô, the airborne landings in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge. Its last mission was against marshalling yards at Nauen on 20 April 1945.
After the war Debach held German prisoners of war and then displaced persons. It was abandoned about 1948 and sold in 1963–64. Most of the concrete was ground up for road building. The control tower survives on the western side. It has been fully restored, and nearby buildings now form a museum to the 493rd Bomb Group.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 493rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), USAAF | 1944–1945 | Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
What survives
- The restored control tower, the centre of the 493rd Debach Airfield Museum
- Several original buildings on the western side
- A T2 hangar used as a grain store
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 493rd Debach Airfield MuseumWoodbridge, Suffolk | Free | — | Debach (493rd BG, 'Helton's Hellcats') has a control tower, huts, vehicles and famously excellent Eccles cakes — the full East Anglian… |