The History of Martlesham Heath Airfield

Situated three miles north east of Ipswich, Martlesham Heath was first used as an aerodrome in the 1914-1918 war. Between the wars it was used to test many of the aircraft and much of the equipment that would later be used in the Second World War.

Just prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Martlesham then became the most northerly station of Number 11 Group Fighter Command squadrons of Blenheims, Hurricanes, Spitfires and Typhoons which operated from this airfield during the period 1939-1943.

Among the many pilots based there were such famous men as Roland Stanford-Tuck and Douglas Bader. Ian Smith, the post war Rhodesian Prime Minister, was also at Martlesham for a time.

In 1943 the station became one of a group of grassed surface airfields earmarked for use by fighters of the United States Eighth Air Force and 1600 yard runways were laid down using a then experimental process of soil stabilisation with oil and tar products.

Nearby housing and a major road presented difficulties in sighting the runways and it was necessary as a result to take the southern end of one of these runways through the very middle of the camp.

In October 1943 356th Fighter Group moved in from its training base at Goxhill in Lincolnshire. With only limited accommodation available on site many of the US pilots had to be billeted in requisitioned country houses in the vicinity.

The 356th Fighter Group was composed of three squadrons and equipped with P-47D Thunderbolts. Fresh to combat the Group suffered a number of heavy defeats at the hands of the Luftwaffe and became considered the hard luck fighter group of the Eighth Air Force with a comparatively high loss to victories ratio.

With conversion to the P-51D Mustang in November 1944 the Group had better success in combat and on two occasions decimated it’s adversaries.

At the end of hostilities in 1945 the station reverted to the RAF and a memorial to the American Fighter Group later being erected on the parade ground.

In the immediate post war years Fighter Command squadron were in residence at Martlesham Heath but the proximity to Ipswich and the physical limitations of being able to lengthen the runways restricted jet operation.

In 1955 villages surrendered their common rights to public land to enable the main runway to be extended and 30 acres of parish common land were given up for which the Air Ministry agreed to pay £37 per annum.

Between 1946 and 1960 a number of different units occupied the site.

Interestingly a 1977 book called Airfields of the Eighth Then and Now by Roger A Freeman described Martlesham Heath at this time as:
“Martlesham Heath has now become an industrial and dormitory satellite of Ipswich and the four pre-war hangers and technical site buildings are now used for light industry and storage. A new road crosses the airfield and on the southern side of this road a new housing estate known as Martlesham Heath Village Hamlet is under development. Suffolk County Constabulary also have a new headquarters building on what was part of the airfield while dominating all is the colossal Post Office Research Centre situated on the north east side just behind the old RAF Technical site.

Nearby on the old RAF Parade Ground can be seen a memorial erected to the memory of those members of the 356th Fighter Group who lost their lives in World War II.”

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