No. 112 Squadron RAF

No. 112 Squadron
No. 112 Squadron
	1943: A Kittyhawk Mark III of 112 Squadron, taxiing through scrub at Medenine, Tunisia. The "erk" sitting on the wing is directing the pilot, who cannot see past the aircraft's nose.
Active	30 July 1917 – 13 June 1919; 16 May 1939 – 30 December 1946; 12 May 1951 – 31 May 1957; 1 August 1960 – 31 March 1964; 2 November 1964 – 1 July 1975
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)	"The Shark Squadron"
Motto(s)	"Swift in Destruction"
Battle honours	Home Defence 1917–1918, Egypt 1940, Greece 1941, Western Desert 1941–43, Italy 1943
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Clive Caldwell; Billy Drake
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	"A cat sejant".
Squadron codes	XO May–Sep 1939 ; RT 1940 – Jun 1941 ; GA Jun 1941 – Dec 1946 ; T May 1951 – Jul 1953 ; A Jul 1953 – Jan 1954

Last updated April 09, 2021

No. 112 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served in both the First World War and Second World War and was active for three periods during the Cold War. It is nicknamed "The Shark Squadron", an allusion to the fact that it was the first unit from any Allied air force to use the famous "shark mouth" logo on Curtiss P-40s.^[3]

First World War

The squadron was formed as No. 112 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps on 30 July 1917 at Throwley Aerodrome, Kent, England for air defence duties protecting the London area. It was equipped initially with Sopwith Pups and received Sopwith Camels in 1918. One of its first commanding officers was Major Quintin Brand (who would become a group commander with RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain). In the summer of 1918, the best pilots were selected to form No. 151 Squadron which was sent to France. Still flying Camels they operated at night, attacking German airfields. Following the end of the war, the squadron was disbanded on 13 June 1919.

Second World War

The squadron was re-formed 16 May 1939, on board the aircraft carrier HMS Argus for service in Egypt. It was based initially at RAF Helwan at Helwan, Cairo Governorate. On 26 May, "B" Flight was detached and sent to Sudan. The squadron did not receive its aircraft, obsolescent Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters, until June. After Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940, the squadron was soon in action, defending Egypt from Italian bombers.^[4] "B" Flight became part of No. 14 Squadron RAF on 30 June.

In January 1941, the squadron joined Allied forces in the Battle of Greece, providing air cover and offensive support over Albania. It later took part in dogfights as part of the air defence of the Athens area. With the defeat of the Allied campaign on the Greek mainland, 112 Sqn withdrew to Crete and then to Egypt, from where it rejoined the North African Campaign, supporting the Eighth Army. For much of the remainder of the war, the squadron was part of No. 239 Wing, with No. 3 Squadron RAAF, No. 250 Squadron RAF, No. 260 Squadron RAF and No. 450 Squadron RAAF.

During July 1941, the squadron was one of the first in the world to become operational with the Curtiss Tomahawk, which it used as a fighter and fighter-bomber. Inspired by the unusually large air inlet on the P-40, the squadron copied the "shark's mouth" logo painted on some German Messerschmitt Bf 110s of Zerstörergeschwader 76 earlier in the war. (This practice was later followed by P-40 units in other parts of the world, including the Flying Tigers, American volunteers serving with the Chinese Air Force.) In December, the Tomahawks were replaced by the improved P-40 Kittyhawk, which the squadron used for the remainder of its time with the Desert Air Force, often as a fighter bomber.

The squadron had many personnel from the air forces of Poland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Another member was the British ace Neville Duke (later prominent as a test pilot). For most of 1942, it was commanded by the highest-scoring Australian ace of World War II, Clive Caldwell, the first Empire Air Training Scheme graduate to command a British unit. He was succeeded by Billy Drake, the highest-scoring RAF P-40 pilot and the second-highest-scoring British Commonwealth P-40 pilot, behind Caldwell. Later in the war, an increasing number of South African pilots joined the unit.

After the invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943, the squadron moved to the island and onto the Italian mainland in September. In June 1944, the Kittyhawks were replaced by the North American Mustang Mark III and from February 1945, Mustang Mk IVs. The squadron remained in Italy at Lavariano as part of the occupying forces, until disbanding on 30 December 1946 at Treviso. By the end of the war some 206 air victories had been claimed by the squadron and 62 destroyed on the ground.^[5]

Cold War

The squadron re-formed at RAF Fassberg in Germany on 12 May 1951, in the fighter bomber role, equipped with de Havilland Vampire Mk 5s. It later moved to Jever and then RAF Bruggen. In January 1954 it assumed the day fighter role, when its Vampires were replaced by Canadair Sabre F Mk IVs. Hawker Hunters were delivered to 112 Sqn in April 1956, but the unit was disbanded at Bruggen on 31 May 1957.

On 1 August 1960, the squadron was re-formed as a Bloodhound surface-to-air missile unit, at RAF Church Fenton, defending Thor IRBM sites in the area. The squadron's operational base was at RAF Breighton. Following withdrawal of the Thor from service, the need for the unit was reduced, and it disbanded on 31 March 1964.

However, 112 Sqn was re-formed on 2 November 1964, at RAF Woodhall Spa, equipped with Bloodhound Mk 2s. The squadron moved to Cyprus on 1 October 1967 and remained there until it was disbanded on 1 July 1975.

Aircraft operated

1917–1918 – Sopwith Pup
1918–1919 – Sopwith Camel
1919 – Sopwith Snipe
1939–1941 – Gloster Gladiator I & II
1940–1940 – Gloster Gauntlet
1941 – Hawker Hurricane I
1941 – Curtiss Tomahawk I
1941 – Curtiss Tomahawk IIA & IIB
1941–1942 Curtiss Kittyhawk 1A
1942–1944 Curtiss Kittyhawk III
1944 Curtiss Kittyhawk IV
1944–1945 North American Mustang III
1945–1946 North American Mustang IV
1951–1954 de Havilland Vampire FB5
1954–1956 Canadair Sabre F4
1956–1957 Hawker Hunter F4
1960–1964 Bristol Bloodhound I
1964–1975 Bristol Bloodhound II

Related Research Articles

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter of World War II, after the P-51 and P-47; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 Group RAF under RAF Middle East Command in North Africa in 1941 to provide close air support to the British Eighth Army against Axis forces. Throughout the Second World War, the DAF was made up of squadrons from the Royal Air Force (RAF), the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and other Allied air forces.

Number 17 Squadron, currently No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was reformed on 12 April 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning.

Number 23 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force responsible for 'day-to-day space operations', having been reformed in January 2021, as the first "space squadron".. Up until its disbandment in October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.

Number 3 Squadron, also known as No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, since reforming on 1 April 2006. It was first formed on 13 May 1912 as one of the first squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps – being the first to fly heavier than air aircraft.

Number 25 (Fighter) Squadron is squadron of the Royal Air Force, having reformed on 8 September 2018.

No. 111 Squadron RAF Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 111 (Fighter) Squadron, also known as No. CXI (F) Squadron and nicknamed Treble One, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1917 in the Middle East as No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps during the reorganisation of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force after General Edmund Allenby took command during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The squadron remained in the Middle East after the end of the First World War until 1920 when it was renumbered as No. 14 Squadron.

Number 54 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. On 1 September 2005, it took on the role of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operational Conversion Unit, and is currently responsible for training all RAF crews assigned to the Sentry AEW1, Sentinel R1, Shadow R1, RC-135W Rivet Joint and Poseidon MRA1. It also runs the Qualified Weapons Instructor Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Course.

Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed the Firebirds for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both the First and Second World Wars.

No. 3 Squadron RAAF Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron, headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales. Established in 1916, it was one of four combat squadrons of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, and operated on the Western Front in France before being disbanded in 1919. It was re-raised as a permanent squadron of the RAAF in 1925, and during World War II operated in the Mediterranean Theatre. The Cold War years saw the squadron disbanded and re-raised twice. It was based at RAAF Butterworth during the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi. Equipped with McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters from 1986, the squadron deployed to Diego Garcia in 2002 to provide local air defence, and the following year contributed aircraft and crews to the invasion of Iraq as part of Operation Falconer. In April 2016, it deployed to the Middle East as part of the military intervention against ISIL.

No. 19 Squadron RAF Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 19 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed on 1 September 1915 as a Royal Flying Corps squadron, the unit served during the First World War. No. 19 Squadron was the first squadron in the RAF to operate the Supermarine Spitfire on 4 August 1938, which it flew for the majority of the Second World War. The squadron operated several different types during the Cold War from the Gloster Meteor F.4 to the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 as No. 19 (Fighter) Squadron. From September 1992 until November 2011, the unit was designated No. 19 (Reserve) Squadron. The unit most recently operated the BAe Hawk T.1, T.1A and T.2 from RAF Valley until it was disbanded on 24 November 2011.

Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919. Reformed on 10 October 1939, the unit was supposed to be equipped with medium bombers but in the spring of 1940 it became one of the first RAF units to receive the Supermarine Spitfire, going on to fight in the Battle of Britain.

No. 71 Squadron RAF Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 71 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron. The number has been used three times: once by the Royal Flying Corps for an Australian Flying Corps squadron; in the Second World War as the first of three Eagle Squadrons; and post-war as a fighter-bomber unit under the command of Royal Air Force Germany.

No. 225 Squadron RAF is a former Royal Air Force squadron.

No. 616 Squadron is an active Reserve unit of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) assigned to the RAF ISTAR Force at RAF Waddington. It was originally formed as a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force in 1938, active throughout World War 2 as a fighter unit, becoming the 1st operational RAF unit to fly jets and disbanded in 1957. The unit reformed in its current guise in April 2019 as 616 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

No 605 Squadron was formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. Initially formed as a bomber unit, it was one of the most successful participants of the Battle of Britain. It also had the distinction of being active during the Second World War at two fronts at a time, when the squadron was split up between Malta and the Dutch East Indies. In its last incarnation as an active flying unit, the squadron served as the first jet fighter unit in the post-war Royal Auxiliary Air Force; 616 having already flown Gloster Meteors during the war. No. 605 Squadron was reformed as a RAuxAF Logistic Support Squadron (LSS) on 1 Nov 2014 within No. 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing of the RAF A4 Force. On the 1 January 2019, the Reserve Logistic Support Wing (RLSW) was established with 501, 504 and 605 LSS Squadron's moving from No. 85 Wing RAF to form RLSW.

No. 268 Squadron RAF was a Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated the North American Mustang on missions over occupied Europe and in support of the D-Day landings.

No. 260 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron formed as a reconnaissance and anti–submarine unit in World War I and a fighter unit in World War II.

5 Squadron SAAF was a South African Air Force Fighter / Fighter-Bomber squadron during World War II. It was disbanded at the end of the war and was re-commissioned in 1950. It remained active until 2 October 1992, when it was disbanded; its Atlas Cheetah E aircraft were also decommissioned.

Alan Charles Rawlinson, was an Australian airman who became a fighter ace in World War II. He was credited with at least eight aerial victories, as well as two aircraft probably destroyed, and another eight damaged. Born in Fremantle, Western Australia, Rawlinson joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1938. He was posted to the Middle East in July 1940 and saw action with No. 3 Squadron, flying Gloster Gladiator and Gauntlet biplanes initially, and later Hawker Hurricanes and P-40 Tomahawks. Twice credited with shooting down three enemy aircraft in a single sortie, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in October 1941 and took command of No. 3 Squadron the next month. He received a bar to his DFC in December 1941, and returned to Australia in March 1942.

References

↑ Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes . London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 227. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
↑ "112 Squadron RAF". Royal Air Force Heraldry Trust, the Squadron Badges List. 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015. A black cat facing left within circle "Fighter Squadron Royal Air Force" surrounded by laurel wreath.
↑ Crawford 1977 p. 14.
↑ Gustavsson, Håkan. "Squadron Leader Homer Powell Cochrane DFC, RAF no. 40991". Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
↑ Shores, Christopher F.; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth forces of WWII. London: Grub Street. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-898697-00-8.

Bibliography

Brown, Robin. Shark Squadron: The History of 112 Squadron, 1917–1975. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-947554-33-5.
Crawford, Jerry L. Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1977. ISBN 0-89747-029-X.
Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons: A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife, 1988, 2nd edition 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Zbiegniewski, Andre R. 112 Sqn "Shark Squadron", 1939–1941 (bi-lingual Polish/English text). Lublin, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Kagero, 2003. ISBN 83-89088-55-X.
Zbiegniewski, Andre R. 112 Sqn "Shark Squadron", 1942–1945 (bi-lingual Polish/English text). Lublin, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Kagero, 2003. ISBN 83-89088-75-4.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes . London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 227. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.

[2] "112 Squadron RAF". Royal Air Force Heraldry Trust, the Squadron Badges List. 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015. A black cat facing left within circle "Fighter Squadron Royal Air Force" surrounded by laurel wreath.

[3] Crawford 1977 p. 14.

[4] Gustavsson, Håkan. "Squadron Leader Homer Powell Cochrane DFC, RAF no. 40991". Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War. Retrieved 30 January 2013.

[5] Shores, Christopher F.; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth forces of WWII. London: Grub Street. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-898697-00-8.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]