4th Fighter Group at Debden

History of the 4th Fighter Group

The 4th Fighter Group was the longest-serving fighter unit in the European Theatre of Operations.

It was stationed at Debden airfield in Essex, England, from September 1942 until July 1945.

Many of its pilots were original members of the RAF Eagles, a group of Americans who volunteered to serve in the RAF before the United States declared war.

The 4th scored more victories than any other USAAF Eighth Air Force unit and was the first to engage the Luftwaffe over both Paris and Berlin.

Its crews participated in D-Day, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the initial crossing of the Rhine.

The group had taken 583 victories in the air and 489 on the ground by the war's end.

However they were hit hard by casualties after serving for so long: 248 aircraft were lost, 125 men were killed in action and 105 pilots became POWs.

Debden Airfield (Station 356)

Debden Airfield was used by the RAF before the Second World War.

It is situated two miles south-east of Saffron Walden, south of the A130.

All sites are now private property and you will need permission before you visit.

The library has information on some base contacts and with their permission can pass this onto you. The Library itself is unable to organise site visits.

Remaining buildings

The remaining permanent buildings at Debden Airfield are used by the British Army and the site is now known as Carver Barracks.

Many of the original buildings have been demolished, as have the hangars.

The runways remain, as do many of the of the aircraft hard standings, which are now in poor condition.

4th Fighter Group Memorial

A small memorial to the 4th Fighter Group was erected and dedicated in July 1981, near the main gate to Carver Barracks.

You'll need to get permission to view the memorial from the public relations office at the barracks.

Its address is:

33 Regiment (EOD)
Royal Engineers
Carver Barracks
Wimbish
Saffron Walden, CB10 2YA

Related websites

If you are looking for more information about the 4th Fighter Group, you may find these websites useful:

Bibliography

There are several good histories of the 4th Fighter Group available for use in the American Library.

Among these histories are:

Chris Bucholtz: 4th Fighter Group "Debden Eagles"
Garry L Fry: The Debden Eagles: 4th Fighter Group in World War 2
Garry L Fry: Escort to Berlin: 4th Fighter Group in World War 2
Grover C Hall: One thousand destroyed, the life and times of the 4th Fighter Group
Frank E Speer: The Debden Warbirds: The 4th Fighter Group in World War II
Frank E Speer: Eighty-one aces of the 4th Fighter Group

These are in addition to the standard histories of the Second Air Division and the Eighth Air Force.

For more about the history of Debden Airfield:

Martin Bowman: Bomber Bases of WW2: 2nd Air Division 8th Air Force USAAF 1942-45
Michael Bowyer: Action Stations Revisited: No 1 Eastern England
Ken Delve: The Military Airfields of Britain: East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk)
Roger Freeman: Airfields of the Eighth Then and Now

If you're interested in any of these books you can find and reserve them at the Norfolk Online Catalogue.