Full WW2 control tower details and photos for this wartime airfield are coming soon. Please check back later as this is work progress. If you would like to contribute information or photos please get in touch.
RAF Raydon in Suffolk is a fighter airfield with a sharply defined wartime identity: it was the base of the USAAF 353rd Fighter Group from spring 1944, a unit that flew both escort and ground-attack missions during the decisive year of the campaign in north-west Europe. Where the nearby heavy bomber stations launched four-engined formations, Raydon’s daily business was single-seat fighters – first the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, later the North American P-51 Mustang – operated in fast-moving squadrons that protected bombers, struck targets of opportunity and supported Allied armies.
The 353rd Fighter Group comprised three squadrons: the 350th Fighter Squadron (code LH), the 351st (YJ) and the 352nd (SX). After arriving in England in 1943 and operating from earlier bases, the group moved to RAF Raydon in April 1944. Equipped with P-47D Thunderbolts, it flew escort missions for Eighth Air Force bombers, counter-air sweeps over occupied Europe, and fighter-bomber attacks against transport and military targets. The P-47, rugged and heavily armed, was well suited to dive-bombing and strafing, and Raydon therefore connects directly to the air power that shaped the battlefield before and after D-Day.
As the European campaign evolved, so did the group. In October 1944 the 353rd converted to the P-51 Mustang, reflecting the growing need for long-range escort and the Mustang’s exceptional range and performance. From Raydon, the group supported major operations including the Battle of Normandy and, later, the airborne battles in Holland during Operation Market Garden, where fighter groups protected troop carriers and attacked ground targets to aid airborne forces. Like all fighter bases, Raydon’s impact was multiplied through responsiveness: fighters could be launched quickly to meet incoming raids, cover bomber streams or strike time-sensitive targets.
Raydon’s daily rhythm differed from the bomber stations. Sorties were shorter but frequent. Pilots lived with a cycle of readiness, briefing, take-off, action and rapid turnaround. Ground crew worked at pace, refuelling, rearming and repairing battle damage, often in exposed dispersal areas. Weather and runway conditions mattered intensely, and the airfield’s infrastructure – perimeter tracks, dispersal points and communications – was designed around getting fighters airborne and back down safely with minimal delay.
RAF Raydon’s historical value lies in showing how USAAF fighter power operated from Suffolk: not simply escorting bombers, but increasingly shaping the ground war through interdiction and close support. It is a site that links the American fighter presence in East Anglia to the liberation of Europe, and to the transition from defensive escort duties to an aggressive, mobile air superiority role as Allied strength grew.
WW2 units, roles and aircraft:
- USAAF 353rd Fighter Group at RAF Raydon (from April 1944)
- Fighter squadrons: 350th (LH), 351st (YJ), 352nd (SX)
- Aircraft: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1944); North American P-51 Mustang (from October 1944)
Raydon’s fighter history also captures the shift from defensive escort to aggressive battlefield air power. By 1944-45, fighter groups were increasingly tasked with rail interdiction, armed reconnaissance and close support. The same airfield therefore sits at the junction between air superiority and direct influence on ground manoeuvre.