Stained glass memorial window in St Andrew's church, Quidenham. The memorial window, dedicated in November 1944, is unique in that it was the first 8th Air Force memorial in a British church.
"The modern east window of the memorial chapel in the south aisle was designed by Reginald Bell and depicts an American airman meeting Jesus. This was the first commemorative window of its kind in England and is dedicated to Herbert Allen, the Flight surgeon of the 338th Squadron of the 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy), who were based at RAF Snetterton Heath. The chapel is dedicated to the memory of the US airmen of the 96th Bomb Group who lost their lives in WW2."
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A chapel with a stained glass window and an inscribed tablet on the wall below. The window has two main lights - the left depicting a figure of Christ and the right an American airman and a flight of aircraft. Both lights have badges of the 8th air force and the group's four squadrons at the top - and a small light above depicting the unit badge and motto.
Inscription -
Memorial Chapel
In Memory of Comrades who gave
their lives in the cause of freedom
1943-1945
96th Bombardment Group (H)
United States Army Air Forces"The aerodrome at Snetterton was constructed by Taylor Woodrow Ltd in 1942 to the specifications required for a standard Class-A bomber airfield. Originally designed for use by the RAF the runways had to be upgraded when in 1943 the station was re-scheduled for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the number of aircraft dispersals, which were situated along the southern and eastern side, was increased to 50. The main runway was 2,000 metres long. In total, an area of 530,000 square yards of concrete were poured and to accommodate the aerodrome, all the servicing utilities and buildings, 20 miles of draining pipe, 4 miles of sewer, 6 miles of water pipe and 10 miles of road and pathways were constructed.
From mid-September 1943 to mid-June 1945 Snetterton Heath also served as the headquarters for the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing of the 3rd Bomb Division. The 3rd Bomb Division was stationed at Elvedon Hall in Suffolk. which is located about three kilometres to the south-west of Thetford and about 25 kilometres distant from the aerodrome.
The first unit to arrive at Station 138 was the 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) but they stayed only for one week. It was followed by the 96th BG (Heavy) in mid-June 1943. The group formed part of the 45th Combat Wing of the 3rd Air Division which also included Knettishall (Station 136) in Suffolk and Deopham Green (Station 142) in South Norfolk.
The unit comprised the following operational squadrons:
337th Bombardment Squadron
338th Bombardment Squadron
339th Bombardment Squadron
413th Bombardment Squadron
The unit, which was the first double-strength group in the Eighth Air Force, had entered combat in May 1943 and led the first shuttle mission to Regensburg in mid-August 1943, flying B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft. They attacked mainly strategical industrial targets such as railway yards, airfields, oil refineries and shipyards. The 96th lead the 3rd Division on the ill-fated Schweinfurt mission on 14 October 1943. Other missions included the bombing of coastal defences, railway bridges and gun emplacements in the battle area prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and attacking the communications of the German armies on the western front in the early months of 1945. The 96th received two Distinguished Unit Citations, one for withstanding severe assault by enemy fighters (at Regensburg) and another for leading the 45th Wing at great distance through heavy clouds and intense anti-aircraft fire (Poland, 9 April 1944).
Group Commanding Officer, Lt Col Archie Old, was considered the father of the 96th. He took command of the newly formed 96th Bomb Group in June 1942 and flew with them on many missions, it has in fact been reported that he took part in so many missions that General LeMay had to issue direct orders for him to stay off some of them. In September 1943 he was transferred to command the newly transformed 45th Combat Wing (CBW) of the Third Air Division.
The 96th Bomb Group had a famous mascot, a donkey called Lady Moe, purchased in August 1943 in North Africa by "The Miracle Tribe", a B-17 bomber aircraft crew headed by Lt Andrew Miracle of Kentucky and flown to England on the return leg of the historic Regensburg-North Africa shuttle. She is reported to have flown a combat mission, and she participated in exhibitions of patriotism in England and substituted for the Army mule mascot at the Army-Navy football game in London in 1944. The 96th's post theatre and recreational field were named for her. Lady Moe had also received a number of awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation with one cluster, the Good Conduct Medal and the ETO (European Theatre of War) Medal. Sadly, in 1945 she was killed by a train on the railway line running through the base.
After the war, the unit ferried food supplies to the Dutch and carried out training and transport flights throughout the newly liberated Europe. In November 1945 the group's aircraft were flown back to the US and its squadrons inactivated. The ground personnel left the base in early December. By the end of the war, the 96th had lost 189 aircraft in 316 missions. This was the highest loss rate in the Eighth Air Force. After the war, the airfield was transferred to No. 262 Maintenance Unit RAF before it was closed at the end of 1948."
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