Well, did not make Eastern Command Line due to distractions - its at least a 1 1/2 hr drive, so visited Benacre area instead. Many pillboxes in this area so will detail the visit in a few bolgs. First up are a couple of Suffolk Squares, which are as far as I can see unrecorded (at least they are not on the DOB data base I've got). Both are constructed using wooden shuttering as opposed to the pre cast blocks you find further south. Both have obviously been used post invasion role to test direct weapons fire against embrasures.
At RAF Station Hethel, a remarkable defence post still exists. Admittedly, RAF Hethel is in Norfolk and not Suffolk, but the records for this site do provide some interest in relation to the defence of airfields in Eastern Command. Work on Hethel began in 1941 and the station was opened late 1942 and was actually one of the RAF Stations handed over to the USAAF for the use of its bomber units. The defence post was constructed in accordance with a new policy adopted by Eastern Command. Previously, airfield defences had been built as a result of the Taylor Report and largely consisted of pillboxes and breastworks which were large and conspicuous and vulnerable to air attack. Experience at Crete had shown the need for small inconspicuous field works. The new defences were to now consist of small two man weapon-slits and small machine gun pits constructed in accordance with “Infantry Training, 1937” Supplement No.3 – “The design and lay-out of Field Defences, 1942”. Above...
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