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RAF Wattisham in Suffolk is best known in later decades as a major Cold War and modern military base, but its Second World War identity is rooted in East Anglia’s role as a hub for the United States Army Air Forces. Built as part of the wartime expansion, Wattisham became a USAAF station where high-performance fighters operated in support of the strategic bomber offensive and the Allied advance across north-west Europe.
In 1944 Wattisham hosted the 479th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force. The group arrived in the spring and initially flew Lockheed P-38 Lightnings – twin-engined fighters valued for long range, heavy firepower, and the ability to operate effectively at altitude. Its component squadrons included the 434th, 435th and 436th Fighter Squadrons. The P-38’s silhouette and performance made it a distinctive presence over Suffolk: fast climbs, long legs across the North Sea, and the ability to escort bombers deep into enemy territory while still carrying enough fuel to fight.
As the air war evolved, so did the unit’s equipment. Like many Eighth Air Force fighter groups, the 479th transitioned to the North American P-51 Mustang later in 1944. The Mustang’s range, speed and high-altitude performance made it a superb escort fighter for the bomber formations attacking Germany’s industrial heartlands. From bases like Wattisham, fighter groups protected B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators on daylight raids and then hunted targets of opportunity on the return legs – airfields, locomotives, transport columns, and any enemy aircraft that could be brought to combat.
Wattisham’s wartime life mixed intense flying with the heavy infrastructure of a USAAF fighter station: dispersal areas, maintenance hangars, bomb and ammunition storage, and a constant flow of fuel, spare parts, and replacement aircraft. Fighter groups operated at a punishing tempo in 1944-45, often launching multiple missions in a single day when weather allowed. Ground crews worked in mud, frost, and rain to keep fighters serviceable, repairing battle damage, changing engines, and turning aircraft around in hours rather than days.
The station’s story is also tied to the human scale of the air war. Fighter pilots lived with daily uncertainty – mechanical failure, weather, flak, mid-air collisions, and the ever-present risk of combat. Losses were not confined to the skies over Germany; accidents on take-off and landing were part of the operational cost. For local communities, the presence of USAAF personnel brought cultural exchange alongside wartime strain: crowded roads, blackout routines, and the constant sound of aircraft.
In WW2 terms, RAF Wattisham represents East Anglia’s role as the forward operating platform for the daylight strategic air campaign. Its association with the 479th Fighter Group – first with P-38 Lightnings and later with P-51 Mustangs – connects the airfield directly to the escort and air superiority battles that helped the bomber offensive continue and helped clear the skies for the Allied advance in 1944-45.