56th Fighter Group at Boxted
History
The 56th Fighter Group was constantly on the move.
It was stationed at three other bases, including Halesworth Airfield, before making its way to Boxted airfield near Colchester, Essex, in April 1944.
The 56th fought hard over Normandy and later participated in the airborne landings in Holland, as well as the Ardennes battle.
It flew protective patrols above the Remagen bridge over the Rhine while the US Army made its famous crossing into Germany.
The group flew P-47 Thunderbolts, one of the first to use this plane as the P-38 became obsolete.
The 56th was made up of 1,500 enlisted men and 250 officers at the height of their operations.
This included the famous fighter ace, Hubert Zemke, from whom the group derived their nickname Zemke's Wolfpack.
Over the course of the war, the group completed 447 missions. This accounted for 19,217 sorties.
Nine of its men were killed in action, 12 wounded in action and 129 missing in action.
It was confirmed that 677 German aircraft were destroyed in the air and 110 on the ground by the fighters of the 56th.
Furthermore, 243 were damaged in the air and 300 on the ground.
By Armistice Day, 1,602 Axis planes had felt the wrath of the 56th Fighter Group.
If you want to view various records relating to the 56th Fighter Group, visit our digital archive.
Boxted Airfield (Station 150)
Boxted was home to the 56th Fighter Group from April 1944 until September 1945.
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.
The site is three miles north of Colchester, west of the A12 in the parish of Langham.
Remaining buildings
The operations block, briefing and crew rooms remain at Boxted.
There are also numerous buildings on the technical site which have mostly been re-clad.
Parts of the perimeter track and runways remain but little else on the former flying field.
There is now a 1,300-metre grass airstrip on the site of the original runway.
Boxted Memorial
The memorial stands on part of the main runway on the south side of Park Lane, Langham.
It was refurbished in 2008, having been originally erected and dedicated in 1992.
The names of the American units and the dates they were at Boxted are carved into the granite, as well as details of the RAF use of the field.
Museums
The Halesworth (Holton) Airfield Memorial Museum in Suffolk has exhibits relating to the 56th Fighter Group, as well as the 489th Bomb Group.
Find out more on the Halesworth Airfield Museum website.
The Boxted Airfield Museum opened in 2011 and is situated off Langham Lane, Langham, CO4 5NW.
If you wish to visit, find out more on the Boxted Airfield Historical Group's website.
Bibliography and websites
There are several good histories of the 56th Fighter Group available for use in the American Library.
Among those histories are:
- Larry Davis: 56th Fighter Group
- Roger A Freeman: 56th Fighter Group
- William N Hess: Zemke's Wolf Pack: the 56th Fighter Group in World War II
- David R McLaren: Beware the Thunderbolt! The 56th Fighter Group in World War II
- Hubert Zemke: Zemke's Wolf Pack: the story of Hub Zemke and the 56th Fighter Group in the skies over Europe
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.
Related website
You can also find out more on the 56th Fighter Group website.