Historic bombardment group visits RAF Lakenheath

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class John A. Crawford
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Members of the 305th Bombardment Group Memorial Association visited RAF Lakenheath, England for a base tour 26 May.

The group, comprised of former members and descendants of the 305th, was shown a military working dog demonstration, received in-depth capabilities briefings from the fire station, control tower, radar approach control, weather center, Explosive Ordinance Disposal and Security Forces, and finished the tour by viewing a static display of an F-15C Eagle.

“The aircraft movement around the base brought back memories of missions out of RAF Coningsby in 1942,” said retired U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Doug Ward, a mechanic from the 305th.

Ward joined the Army Air Corps as a mechanic in 1942 but volunteered as a B-17 Flying Fortress Ball Turret gunner on 37 missions. He, along with the other 21 visiting members, spoke with Lakenheath Airmen about how the Air Force has changed since 1945.

“There’s more cars now than we had,” said Ward. “We didn’t have many cars. It was all bicycles, other than the convoys we had driving down the small roads. The houses are all the same now as they were then.”

The 305th BGMA was in the area for a rededication of the memorial for the unit in Chelveston, Northamptonshire, England where it was located from 1941 to 1945.

Community engagement tours provide community members and veterans the chance to speak with currently serving personnel and learn about the 48th Fighter Wing's mission to provide worldwide responsive combat airpower and support.

Ward said visiting the base has been a very emotional experience and that it was great to have the opportunity to come back to England and visit a base with so much history.