491st Bombardment Group at Metfield
History
The 491st Bombardment Group was stationed at Metfield and later North Pickenham in Norfolk, England, from April 1944 to April 1945.
It was activated on 1 October 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona.
It has a more unusual history than some of the other bomb groups, in that many of its ground personnel came from four Second Air Division bomb groups already in England.
The air crews trained in the United States at Biggs Field, Texas and at Pueblo, Colorado before moving overseas on 21 April 1944.
Like several of the other Second Air Division bomb groups, the 491st air crews flew their B-24 Liberators to England via the southern ferry route, which included stops in Florida, Brazil, and Morocco.
They were stationed at Metfield from 25 April through to 15 August 1944, before moving to the North Pickenham airfield, where they completed their time in England.
The group flew its first mission on 2 June 1944 against an airfield near Bretigney, France and its last mission on 25 April 1945.
During this time, it flew 187 missions for 5,005 sorties, losing 47 aircraft in action.
The crew of Lucky Penny, except for Navigator 2nd Lt William L Reese who was "borrowed" to fly on the 853rd Squadron lead plane, were all killed on 8 June 1944 at Metfield.
They had aborted their mission with a feathered No. 1 engine and after returning to the airbase, circled the field three times with a full load of fuel and bombs.
They lost control as they attempted to land and crashed on the field.
William L Reese was later killed on 26 November 1944 on the raid over the oil refinery at Misburg in Germany.
The 491st Bomb Group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its part in the Misburg mission.
Redeployment to the United States began in June 1945.
The B-24 Liberators were flown home from 17-19 June. The ground crews left England for New York via the Queen Mary on 6 July 1945.
The 491st was then based at McChord Field, Washington, but with the end of the war the group was inactivated on 8 September 1945.
If you want to view various records relating to the 491st, visit our digital archive.
Metfield Airfield (Station 366)
Metfield Airfield became a USAAF base in August 1943 with the arrival of the 353rd Fighter Group.
The 353rd flew P-47 Thunderbolts and began combat operations on 9 August under the watchful eyes of the 56th Fighter Group at Boxted at nearby Halesworth.
A re-arrangement of P-47 bases led to the 353rd moving out in April 1944.
Its place was taken by the B-24 Liberators of the 491st Bomb Group from June 1944 until August 1944.
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 less than a mile south-east of the village of Metfield, off the B1123 Harleston to Halesworth road.
Remaining buildings
Some Nissen huts and Second World War brick buildings remain on the former airfield site, as well as one bay of most runways.
A massive explosion occurred on the airfield six weeks after the 491st Bomb Group commenced operations at Metfield.
Subsequently the group was relocated to North Pickenham airfield.
The base was then used to house a secret unit engaged in clandestine operations.
Memorials
There's a memorial honouring the 491st Bomb Group and other units which flew from Metfield.
It stands at the south-west corner of the airfield site, next to the B1123.
A commemorative plaque and Roll of Honor (pictured below), located inside Metfield Church, honour airmen from the 491st who were killed in service.
A memorial bench in honour of the 491st Bomb Group is located in North Pickenham, next to the village sign in The Street.
The inscription reads: "Remembering 'The Few' Who Triumphed Against Fearsome Odds 491st Bombardment Group (H) 29th July 1990".
Related websites
If you're interested in the history of the 491st you may find these websites useful:
If you want to know more about the 491st's later base at North Pickenham (Station 143), visit our page about the 492nd Bombardment Group at North Pickenham.
Bibliography
There are several good histories of the 491st Bomb Group available for use in the American Library.
Among those histories are:
- 491st Bombardment Group (H), Inc. Ringmasters: History of the 491st Bombardment Group (H)
- Peter Bodle: The 492nd and 491st Bomb Groups in Norfolk: A Pictorial History
- Information about the individual bases comes from from George H Fox's 8th Air Force Remembered: An illustrated guide to the memorials, memorabilia and main airfields of the US 8th Air Force in England in WW2 (London: ISO Publications, 1991).
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.
Images
491st Bomb Group memorial
The memorial honouring the 491st Bomb Group and other units which flew from Metfield. It stands at the south-west corner of the airfield.
