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RAF Great Ashfield, in Suffolk, was a USAAF heavy bomber station that entered service during the peak years of the Allied daylight offensive. Built as a ‘Class A’ airfield and allocated to the United States Army Air Forces, it was designated Station 155. Its physical design – three concrete runways, dispersal hardstandings, perimeter track and extensive technical areas – reflected the standard heavy bomber formula required to keep B-17 operations running in all seasons and at high tempo.
The station is closely associated with the 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy), an Eighth Air Force unit flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. From Great Ashfield the group flew large numbers of daylight missions against targets in occupied Europe and Germany. These raids were part of a wider strategy: weaken German industry, disrupt transport and fuel systems, and support ground campaigns by striking infrastructure and troop movement routes. The group’s operational period included the invasion year and the final push into Germany, when bomber and escort tactics had matured into a formidable combined system.
A typical mission day at Great Ashfield began with briefings and weather updates that could determine whether an operation launched at all. Aircraft were serviced and loaded on dispersed hardstands; engines were warmed and tested; and aircraft departed in sequence to form up and join the wider bomber stream. Returning aircraft could be badly damaged, and the base’s crash and rescue services were integral. Ground crews repaired battle damage, changed engines, replaced control surfaces and kept aircraft numbers high enough to sustain the next operation. Armourers handled huge quantities of ordnance safely under time pressure, a task that carried risk even on the ground.
Great Ashfield also reflects the social history of the American presence in Suffolk. Thousands of US personnel lived and worked on and around the base, interacting with local villages through billeting, shared social life, local labour and wartime supply pressures. This cultural layer is an important part of the station’s memory and helps explain why many East Anglian airfields remain deeply rooted in local identity.
- USAAF identity: Station 155.
- Key unit: 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy), operating B-17 Flying Fortresses.
- Primary wartime role: Eighth Air Force daylight heavy bomber operations during 1943-45.
After V-E Day, Great Ashfield demobilised quickly and much of the airfield returned to agriculture, but the wartime footprint and remembrance remain strong. The airfield’s historical importance lies in its role as a ‘workhorse’ B-17 base, generating sustained effort in the decisive phase of the air war that supported liberation and helped bring the conflict in Europe to an end.
A B-17 station also depended on meticulous process: staggered take-off intervals, strict formation assembly procedures, and detailed post-mission inspection to catch structural fatigue and flak damage. Great Ashfield’s contribution was therefore both operational and procedural, reflecting the disciplined system that allowed the Eighth Air Force to sustain pressure over long periods.