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Michael Foley looks back at how the people of East Anglia reacted to the American "invasion" during World War Two that saw the building of dozens of airfields

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 may have taken place a long way from England’s east coast but it was to have a major effect on the area and people of East Anglia. The entry of the United States into the war led to a large influx of American aircraft to join the RAF in bombing Germany in early 1942.

To do this they wanted to be as close as possible to the enemy. This led to the building of more than 200 airfields across the country but the majority were in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. There were so many Americans that airmen and staff at the airfields often outnumbered the local population in small villages.

Cambridgeshire’s RAF Molesworth was built at the beginning of World War Two for the RAF but it was then occupied by No 460 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. It then became one of the early United States Air Force bases in February 1942. Its facilities were updated for heavy bombers. Crews from Molesworth became the first Americans to bomb targets in Europe.

There may have been some unease at the friendly invasion in some areas. Between 1942 and 1945 there were around 50,000 Americans based in Norfolk and some of the things they brought with them were quite strange. Who had ever heard of peanut butter or Coca-Cola? Hardwick airbase in Cambridgeshire was a heavy bomber station. It was a typical base with accommodation for more than 3,000 men. This was around 460 officers and the rest enlisted men. It is hard to imagine how the influx of so many men affected the area and this was repeated over and over again.