In the parking lot.

Polished black granite stone of remembrance with gilded inscription in capital lettering and topped by the emblem of the 493rd Bomb Group. The stone is set within a paved area which also has a granite tablet set into the flagstones showing a plan of the airfield.

Debach Airfield in Suffolk was built during 1942/1943 by US Army Aviation Engineer Battalions with the assistance of British sub-contractors to Class A Bomber standard. It was May 1944 when the 860th, 861st, 862nd and 863rd Bomb Squadrons of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H) arrived to what was now designated USAAF Station 152. The pronunciation of Debach was always a problem for the newly arrived Americans, who generally referred to 'Dee-bark' whereas locals have always pronounced it as 'Deb-idge'. The 493rd were the fortieth and last group to join the US Eighth Air Force in England therefore assisting the organisation at the pinnacle of its strength. Flying Consolidated B-24J Liberators, they were assigned to the Third Air Division and completed the 93rd Combat Wing along with the 490th BG at Eye and the 34th BG at Mendlesham. The 493rd nicknamed themselves 'Helton's Hellcats' after their Commanding Officer, Colonel Elbert Helton. Their first mission was on 6th June 'D-Day' in support of the invasion force. They went on to complete 47 missions from Debach in their B-24's before switching to the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress in early September. For the 4 weeks of March 1945, the group relocated to Little Walden in Essex whilst the runways at Debach were resurfaced. They carried out a further 110 missions in their new ships making a total of 157 credited by war end. In their 11 month war, the 493rd lost 41 aircraft in combat with 234 personnel losing their lives whilst serving at Debach. A number of humanitarian missions were completed by the group during May before returning to the US Zone of The Interior. After a short spell being used as a Prisoner Of War camp, Debach Airfield was sold and slowly reverted back to agricultural and industrial use. In the last 20 years, the 493rd Bomb Group Museum has been curated by volunteers and centres in the main around the old Control Tower.

Source of information: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, The Eighth Air Force Historical Society (official) Facebook page

Source of images: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, https://493bgdebach.co.uk, https://www.geograph.org.uk

DEBACH AIRFIELD

UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE

STATION 152

DURING WORLD WAR II

(-US Military National Aircraft Star Roundel [1943-1947]-)

THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED

IN MEMORY OF

THOSE WHO SERVED

AT DEBACH AIRFIELD

JOINING OUR BRITISH ALLIES

IN THEIR FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

1944 - 1945

860^TH SQ  861^ST SQ  862^ND SQ  863^RD SQ

AND SUPPORTING UNITS

DEDICATED 21 MAY 1994