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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0216.PDF
218 FLIGHT BELOW SQUADRON STATUS ... R.A.F., squadrons associated with, and having personnel from, the Dominions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The first of these were formed on March 1,1941, being four Canadian (400, 401, 402, 403), and one New Zealand (485). The use of squadron numbers in the 400 series was decided upon for all Dominion squadrons, this being the only sequence not then in use. In order to avoid confusion, the flights with 400 series numbers were transferred to a new group with 1400 series numbers. In many instances this was done simply by adding 1,000 to the previous designation. Thus 401/405 Met. Flights became 1401/1405 Met. Flights. Out of Sequence Flight numbers were not always issued in strict sequence; flights with similar duties were sometimes allocated blocks of numbers, provision being made for additional flights to be added to the existing blocks. Thus, the met. flights in the original sequence (1401/1405) had trebled by 1943, the additional nights being numbered between 1406 and 1415. Of these, 1401 remained at Mildenhall with Gladiators, until October 1941 when it moved to Bircham Newton with one flight of Gladiators and one of Hurricanes, the aircraft carrying code "TE." Spitfire IIAs and 5s were added later, as daylight bombing and photographic recon- naissance rendered new meteorological requirements necessary. Early morning flights to the greatest possible height were given the code name PRATA. In August 1941 meteorological flights into enemy territory were commenced, under the code name PAMPA. In a re-organization of met. units in June 1942, 1401 combined with 1403 to form 521 (Met.) Sqn. In August 1943, a new 1401 Met. Flight was formed from the PRATA element of 521 Sqn. at Manston, in Fighter Command. Equipped with the Spitfire 9, and later other marks including 5C and 16 (all coded BN), it joined 2nd T.A.F. in January 1945. No. 1402 Met. Flight remained at Aldergrove until December 1944 when it moved to Ballyhalbert. Equipment included Hurri- canes, Spitfires, and Gladiators, some of the latter still being air- worthy in 1345. This unit was engaged on similar activities to 1401 Flight. No, 1403 Met. Flight continued to use Blenheim IVs for a while, but later in 1941 these were replaced by Hudsons. Shortly before the re-organization in June 1942, six Venturas were received. After the flight's re-formation at Gibraltar in November 1942, Hudsons were again allocated, together with some Hampdens and Gladiators. This existence, too, was to be of short duration, and on September 20, 1943, the unit became 520 Met. Sqn. Nos. 1404 Met. Flight (St. Eval) and 1405 Met. Flight (Alder- grove) had Blenheim IVs originally, these being replaced in turn by Hudsons and Hampdens. In addition, 1404 Met. Flight had a few Venturas and Albemarles in 1943. In August of that year these flights became 517 and 518 Met. Squadrons, respectively. Nos. 1406 and 1408 Met. Flights were both formed at Wick, in 18 Group, in August 1941, and were combined on August 15, 1943, to form 519 Met. Sqn. No. 1406 Flight used Spitfires and Hudsons, whilst 1408 Flight used Hudsons, replaced in November 1942 by Hampdens. In Iceland, 1407 Met. Flight, based at Reykjavik, used Hudsons, Hampdens and Venturas. During 1944, a Mosquito flight of 521 Sqn. was redesignated 1409 Met. Flight. Using Mosquito Met. 16s (coded "AE") it operated from Oakington on long-range-penetration met. duties (PAMPA) for Bomber Command, until June 1945. Other aero- dromes used included Brize Norton, Upwood, Wyton and Water- beach. From the latter, in 1945, the flight also operated Liberators, again coded "AE." In the Middle East, five flights operated, all originally equipped with Gladiators. No. 1411 Met. Flight was attached to H.Q-, R.A.F. Middle East, and later received some Hurricanes; 1412 Met. Flight operated at first with 203 Group, but later it, too, was attached to H.Q., R.A.F. Middle East, and received Hurricanes. No. 1413 Met. Flight operated in the Levant, 1414 Met. Flight in East Africa and 1415 Met. Flight in Iraq, 1414 Flight having its Gladiators replaced later by Lysanders and Ansons. Odd Assortment The next batch of flights—Nos. 1421 to 1449—was an assorted collection. No. 1421 Fighter Flight was the former 421 Flight redesignated. It continued to use "LZ"-coded Spitfire 2A's from Gravesend and Hawkinge, eventually becoming 91 Sqn., with a consequent change in code letters to "DL." No. 1422 Flight was used on night fighter duties, operating Havoc Is from Heston in 194112. No. 1423 Fighter Flight operated around the same period in defence of Iceland. It was equipped with ten Hurricane Is and three Fairey Battles, which it flew from Kaldadarmes, with a detachment based at Reykjavik. No. 1425 Transport Flight oper- ated some of the earliest Liberator transports from Lyneham, and in October 1942 it became 511 Sqn. No. 1429 Flight was a Czech O.T. Flight, whilst 1430 Flight was the new designation of 403 Flight, flying Vincents in Abyssinia and Eritrea. This designa- tion was later transferred to a flying-boat flight formed from 209 Sqn. in the Far East, and eventually redesignated 88 Sqn. In Malta 431 G.R. Flight became 1431 Flight for a few weeks, but soon adopted the title of 69 Sqn., as the arrival of a further batch of Marylands enabled it to increase its reconnaissance activities. Nos. 1433, 1434 and 1435 Flights all operated in the Middle East; 1433 Flight used Lysanders with 207 Group in 1942 and 1435 Flight had quite a lengthy and interesting history. It was originally formed in the summer of 1942, when a convoy reached Malta with R.A.F. personnel and equipment. Aboard H.M.S. Welshman were some 80 ground-crew tradesmen, the majority of whom were banded together as 1435 Flight, and aboard one of the aircraft carriers in the convoy was a batch of Spitfire 5Bs. As these landed they were pounced upon by the pilots of the newly formed flight. Aircraft carried their individual letters (sometimes chalked on in the heat of battle), and also a single letter "V" aft of the roundel on both sides of the fuselage. Operating from Luqa, Spitfire 5Cs were later added to the equip- ment. Around 1943 the flight became known as 1435 Sqn.; but this was very likely an unofficial title, since squadrons are normally numbered within the 1-699 series. The Spitfires were later converted to fighter-bombers, a 250 lb bomb being carried under each wing in makeshift bomb-racks designed and manu- factured at the Kalafrana workshops. By the time of the Sicilian invasion the flight had moved to a dirt landing strip at Safi, and in October 1943 it became a mobile unit with the forces in Italy, based at Grottaglia. Here it returned to a defensive role, being responsible, with 126 Sqn., for the daytime air defence of the ports of southern Italy, south of Bari. Eventually equipped with Spitfire 9s, the unit engaged mainly in the pursuit of photo- graphic reconnaissance Fwl90s and MelO9Fs, operating from Grottaglia and Brindisi airfields. Around this time the unit acquired a crest of a red and white Maltese Cross, and the motto "Defy and Destroy." Moving to Ancona, on the Adriatic, it was disbanded in 1945. From Autogiros to Austers Nos. 1437 and 1438 were strategic reconnaissance flights. No. 1437 S.R. performed photographic reconnaissance duties with the Desert Air Force in North Africa, using Baltimores, and as these aircraft were unsuitable for the new conditions, it re-equipped with Mustangs for the invasion of Sicily. It formed part of 285 Wing, but soon after the Wing reached Gioia, in Italy, on September 23, 1943, it was disbanded, being by then virtually superfluous. No. 1438 S.R. Flight operated in the Levant, with Blenheims. No. 1441 Flight was based at Abbotsinch in 1942. No. 1444 Ferry Training Flight was based at Horsham St. Faith at this time, crews being trained on Hudson C.3As, which in some cases they flew to join a squadron when training was completed. No. 1448 Flight was employed mainly on radar calibration duties; formed at Duxford early in 1941, it was equipped with Cierva C.30, C.30A and C.40 Autogiros. It later received Auster Is, and had moved to Halton by the time it became 529 Sqn. on June 15, 1943. On May 19, 1941, a detachment from 87 Sqn., Colerne, was sent to St. Mary's in the Scilly Isles for defence duties. Equipped with six Hurricane 2Bs, it was redesignated 1449 Flight in March 1942. Anti-shipping radar patrols were conducted from a cliff-top field on the island. Nos. 1451 to 1460 were allocated to a series of night fighter flights equipped with Havocs. No. 1452 Flight was at West Mailing, 1453 Flight at Wittering, 1456 Flight at High Ercall, 1457 Flight at Hunsdon, 1458 Flight at Middle Wallop, and 1460 Flight at Acklington. No. 1456 Flight became 535 Sqn. in August 1942. I No. 1464 Met. Flight was stationed in the Middle East in 1943, being attached to H.Q., R.A.F. Middle East, and equipped with Gladiators and Hurricanes. This number is believed to have been re-allocated to a flight of Halifax 3s employed on radar duties in the Far East in 1945. Further assorted flights included 1471 at Old Sarum; 1473 Flight at Finmere; 1474 Flight equipped with Wellington lCs, and having the task of detecting the wavelengths of German air radar; and 1477 (Norwegian) Flight, which served with 18 Group at Woodhaven in 1943, using Catalina flying-boats. The latter unit was redesignated No. 333 (Norwegian) Squadron on May 10,1943. A series of bombing and gunnery flights provided practice in bomb-aiming and air-to-air firing, this last by means of drogues flown behind Defiant target-tugs. No. 1481 B. and G. Flight, stationed at Binbrook, had a number of Wellingtons, in addition to its Defiants, whilst 1482 B. and G. Flight at Hunsdon, and later West Raynham and Great Massingham, used a variety of types. Defiants and Blenheims were the basic equipment, but Havocs, Venturas, Bostons, Mitchells, Martinets, Lysanders, Oxfords and Ansons were also employed. These were mainly t?"Sq1U^°S air"aft' and retained their old code-markings. No. 1484 B. and G. Flight at Driffield used Defiants, Battles (some of them target-tugs) and Whitleys. No. 1485 B and G. Flight was based at Skellingthorpe. No. 1489 Fighter Gunnery Wight at Hutton Cranswick operated in conjunction with 1484 is. and (j. Flight and flew Master 3s. ...: ...,. =. (To be continued)
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