American war historian reveals source of Stansted Second World War photos

An e mail from The usa has assisted to resolve the secret of a unusual collection of color photographs of Stansted airfield through the Next Environment War.

Carl Carrozza, whose father Frank was a radio operator and aspect gunner with the 344th Bomber Squadron who ended up centered there, noticed the tale on the Bishop’s Stortford Impartial site and straight away recognised the images.

“When I noticed these images you posted and you didn’t know who took them, I realized straight away,” wrote Carl, from his dwelling in upstate New York.

American airmen on Stansted airfield during WW2 (37531303)
American airmen on Stansted airfield through WW2 (37531303)

“It was Jack Havener. He was with the bomber group, and I have a folder of photographs that ended up taken by Jack and these visuals ended up in there. He was known for getting a good deal of color photographs, color getting in its infancy in all those days.”

Mountfitchet Castle owner Jeremy Goldsmith posted the visuals on Stansted social media discussion boards in June following he was passed the copies by a fellow war fanatic. He felt he ought to share them with the local community and was confused by the public’s reaction.

“Wow!” he claimed on learning that Carl had identified who took them. He programs to get hold of Carl to learn extra about the bomber group’s time at Stansted.

FACTFILE: Stansted’s early record

  • The station was 1st allocated to the United States Military Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force in August 1942. Development function by US engineers of the 817th Battalion began that month.
  • The airfield was formally opened on August 7, 1943 and was made use of through the war as RAF Stansted Mountfitchet by the Royal Air Force and the USAAF as a heavy bomber airfield.
  • Despite the fact that the formal identify was Stansted Mountfitchet, the foundation was known as simply Stansted in both written and spoken sort.
  • As properly as a bomber foundation, Stansted was a routine maintenance and supply depot anxious with key overhauls and modification of B-26s.
  • After the Americans’ withdrawal on August twelve, 1945, Stansted was taken above by the Air Ministry and made use of by an RAF routine maintenance device for storage reasons. From March 1946 to August 1947, it was made use of for housing German prisoners of war.
  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation last but not least took manage of Stansted in 1949 and the airport was then made use of as a foundation by a number of Uk charter airways.