361st Fighter Group at Little Walden and Bottisham

History of the 361st Fighter Group

The 361st Fighter Group, with its P-47 Thunderbolts, was first stationed at Bottisham airfield in Cambridgeshire.

This was its home from December 1943 until September 1944.

Operations began on 21 January 1944, its role being bomber escort and ground strafing.

During May 1944 the crews began to fly P-51 Mustang aircraft. The 361st moved to Little Walden Airfield, Essex, in September 1944, continuing their operations of bomber escort and ground support until 1 February 1945.

They were then detached to France and operated from there until 9 April when they returned to Little Walden, remaining there until November 1945.

The group lost 81 pilots over the course of 441 missions, either killed in action, missing in action or taken as prisoners of war.

But these losses were not sustained without the infliction of greater damage on the opposing forces: 226 enemy aircraft were destroyed in the air and 105 on the ground.

Little Walden Airfield (Station 165)

Little Walden Airfield was situated three miles north of Saffron Walden on the B1052.

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 control tower has been restored and is now used as a family home.

A few scattered buildings and both T2 hangars, which are used for industrial storage, also remain.

Runways have been removed but part of one was used for the reinstated B1052 road, which was closed during the Second World War.

Memorial for the 361st Fighter Group

A plaque is located in the control tower.

This was dedicated in 1987.

Related websites

If you want to know more about the history of the 361st Fighter Group, you may find the following websites useful:

Bibliography

There are several good histories of the 361st Fighter Group available for use in the American Library.

Among these histories are:

Steve Gotts: Little Friends: A pictorial history of the 361st Fighter Group in World War 2
Paul B Cora: Yellowjackets: The 361st Fighter Group in World War II

For more on the history of the airfield, see:

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.