RAF Little Walden

RAF Little Walden USAAF Station AAF-165
Located Near Saffron Walden, Essex, England
Little Walden Airfield - 9 July 1946. The administrative and dispersed domestic accommodation sites are located on the southeast side of the airfield
RAF Little Walden Map showing the location of RAF Little Walden within Essex.
Coordinates	52°04′06″N 000°16′05″E / 52.06833°N 0.26806°E / 52.06833; 0.26806
Type	Military airfield
Code	LL
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1943
In use	1944-1958
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Ninth Air Force Eighth Air Force
Occupants	409th Bombardment Group 361st Fighter Group

RAF Little Walden (also known as Hadstock) is a former Royal Air Force station in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northeast of Saffron Walden; about 38 miles (61 km) north-northeast of London

Opened in 1944, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber and fighter combat airfield. After the war it was used for surplus military storage before being closed in 1958.

Today the remains of the airfield are located on private property being used as agricultural fields.

Little Walden airfield was assigned to the USAAF in August 1942 and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force. It was known as USAAF Station AAF-165 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "LL".

The airfield was opened on 9 March 1944 and was first used by the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force 409th Bombardment Group (Light), which arrived from DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana. The group consisted of the following squadrons and had the following fuselage codes:

The 409th flew the A-20 "Havoc" and A-26 "Invader" light bomber. The group moved to their Advanced Landing Ground in at Bretigny, France (A-48) to support Third Army's advance toward Germany on 10 September.

In February 1945 the 409th moved to Laon-Couvron Air Base (A-70) France, remaining until June. The group returned to the United States and was inactivated at Seymour Johnson AAF North Carolina on 6 October 1945.

With the departure of the 409th, Little Walden was transferred to the Eighth Air Force which transferred the 361st Fighter Group from RAF Bottisham to the airfield on 26 September 1944. The group was under the command of the 65th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command. Aircraft of the group were identified by yellow around their cowling.