No. 243 Squadron RAF

Last updated

No. 243 Squadron RAF
Active20 Aug 1918 - 15 Mar 1919
12 Mar 1941 - 20 Jan 1942
1 Jun 1942 - 31 Oct 1944
15 Dec 1944 - 15 Apr 1946
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg Royal Air Force
Motto(s)Swift in pursuit
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA seahorse holding a sword erect
Squadron CodesNX (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)
SN (Jun 1942 - Oct 1944)

No. 243 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. Originally formed in August 1918 from two flights that had been part of the Royal Naval Air Service, the squadron conducted anti-submarine patrols during the final stages of World War I. The squadron was later re-raised during World War II, operating initially as a fighter squadron in Malaya and Singapore during 194142. It was briefly disbanded just prior to the fall of Singapore, and was re-formed in mid-1942, again as a fighter squadron, and fought in the Tunisian and Italian campaigns in 194244, before being disbanded in October 1944. In 1945, after training on transport aircraft in Canada, the squadron moved to Australia where it operated in support of the British Pacific Fleet before disbanding in mid-1946.

Contents

History

World War I

No. 243 Squadron was formed in August 1918 from Nos 414 and 415 Flights of the seaplane station at Cherbourg which had been functioning as an out-station of Calshot while part of the Royal Naval Air Service. From the time of its formation, the squadron equipped with Wight Converted and Short Type 184 seaplanes carried out anti-submarine patrols off the French coast and around the Channel Islands until the end of the war and it disbanded on 15 March 1919. [1]

World War II

On 12 March 1941, No.243 reformed at Kallang as a fighter squadron for the defence of Singapore. The shortcomings of its Brewster Buffaloes were soon apparent and when Japanese fighters came within range, the squadron suffered heavy losses and by the end of January 1942 was operating its surviving aircraft as part of a mixed force, the other Buffalo squadrons being in a similar state. Its identity was gradually lost to the evacuation of redundant personnel and by the time all fighters were withdrawn from the Singapore airfields, it no longer existed as a unit, having been disbanded on 20 January 1942.

On 1 June 1942, No. 243 reformed at Outston, taking over 242 Squadron's Supermarine Spitfires and became operational on the 12th. After defensive duties, it turned its aircraft over to 232 Squadron at the end of September and in November sailed for North Africa, where it became operational again with Spitfires in Algeria in January 1943. For the rest of the Tunisian campaign, it flew sweeps and provided escorts for day bombers attacking enemy bases and transport and in June moved to Malta for similar missions over Sicily. A few days after the Allied landings there, No.243 moved into the beachhead, repeating this in September after the Salerno landings. In December 1943, it moved to the Levant and after fully converting to Spitfire IXs left for Corsica in April 1944. Escort missions and ground attack sweeps were flown over northern Italy and southern France and cover provided for the Allied landings on the French Riviera in August before the squadron was again disbanded on 31 October 1944.

No. 243 reformed on 15 December 1944 at Morecambe, two days before embarking for Canada where it began training with Dakotas. In January 1945, these began moving across the Pacific to Australia, where it became part of No. 300 Wing and conducted communications flights began between British bases in the South West Pacific area, mainly to British Pacific Fleet bases. By the end of the war the squadron was flying scheduled services and extended these to Hong Kong on its surrender. A large proportion of the squadron personnel was Australian and they were demobilised locally when No. 243 disbanded on 15 April 1946.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewster F2A Buffalo</span> WWII American fighter plane

The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications for aircraft carriers. The Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the U.S. Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft. Although superior to the Grumman F3F biplane it replaced, and the early F4Fs, the Buffalo was largely obsolete when the United States entered the war, being unstable and overweight, especially when compared to the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 14 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

14 Squadron RNZAF is a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 2015 the squadron was re-raised and equipped with 11 Beechcraft T-6 Texan II. A new aerobatic display team called the Black Falcons was also formed using the new aircraft. They replaced the RNZAF display team known as the Red Checkers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 33 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Westland Puma HC.2 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan campaign</span> 1941–1942 World War II military campaign

The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the Malay Operation, was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units and the Imperial Japanese Army, with minor skirmishes at the beginning of the campaign between British Commonwealth and Royal Thai Police. The Japanese had air and naval supremacy from the opening days of the campaign. For the British, Indian, Australian, and Malayan forces defending the colony, the campaign was a total disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seletar Airport</span> Airport in Seletar Aerospace Road , Singapore

Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north from the main commercial city-centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sembawang Air Base</span> Military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force

The Sembawang Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Sembawang, in the northern part of Singapore. The base motto is Swift and Resolute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 488 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

No. 488 Squadron was the name given to two distinct Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons during the Second World War. Both were formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang Airport</span> Former airport of Singapore (1937—1955)

Kallang Airport was the first purpose-built civil international airport in Singapore, opened officially on 12 June 1937 and ceased operations in 1955, when it was relocated to Paya Lebar. Situated on the eastern shore of the Kallang Basin, the Kallang Airport spanned the modern planning areas of Kallang and Geylang at its greatest extent. The conserved complex, including the airport's terminal building, is located wholly within Kallang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 453 Squadron RAAF</span> Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 453 Squadron is an air traffic control unit of the Royal Australian Air Force. It was established at Bankstown, New South Wales, in 1941 as a fighter squadron, in accordance with Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme for overseas service with the Royal Air Force during World War II. No. 453 Squadron saw combat first in the Malayan and Singapore campaigns of 1941–42. Severe aircraft losses effectively destroyed the squadron and it was disbanded in March 1942. A successor unit by the same name was raised in Britain from mid-1942, to take part in fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe until 1945. The squadron was disbanded in 1946. It was re-formed in its current role in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Fisken</span>

Geoffrey Bryson Fisken, was a New Zealand fighter pilot who was the British Commonwealth's leading air ace in the Pacific theatre of World War II. He is credited with shooting down 11 Japanese aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 66 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 66 Squadron was a Royal Flying Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAC Middle Wallop</span> Military airfield in Hampshire, England

Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Middle Wallop is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop, used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the umbrella of the Army Aviation Centre. 2 (Training) Regiment performs ground training; 7 (Training) Regiment trains aircrew on AAC aircraft after they complete basic training at RAF Shawbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 67 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

The name No. 67 Squadron has been used by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force for two quite different units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombing of Singapore (1941)</span>

The bombing of Singapore was an attack on 8 December 1941 by seventeen G3M Nell bombers of Mihoro Air Group, Imperial Japanese Navy, flying from Thu Dau Mot in southern Indochina. The attack began at around 0430, shortly after Japanese forces landed on Kota Bharu, Kelantan in northern Malaya. It was the first knowledge the Singapore population had that war had broken out in the Far East.

No. 62 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was originally established as a Royal Flying Corps squadron in 1916 and operated the Bristol F2B fighter in France during the last year of the First World War. After the war the squadron was disbanded and it was re-established in 1937 as part of the buildup of the RAF in the late 1930s. During the Second World War the Squadron was deployed to the Far East, operating the Bristol Blenheim from Singapore and Malaya. In 1942 No. 62 Squadron was re-equipped with the Lockheed Hudson and it moved to Sumatra, then Burma and then India. After the close of World War II the squadron disbanded for the second time. It was briefly re-established from 1946 to 1947 as a Dakota squadron and operated out of Burma and India. It final incarnation was as a Bristol Bloodhound missile unit in the early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Wipiti</span>

Bert Sam Wipiti, DFM was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. Born in New Plymouth, he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1941 and when he was posted to No. 243 Squadron in Singapore, he was the first Māori airman to leave New Zealand for active duty. Following the Japanese invasion of British Malaya, he destroyed five Japanese aircraft before being evacuated to Java in February 1942. He later flew with the RNZAF's No. 485 Squadron in Europe and was killed on operations while escorting bombers on a raid over France.

No. 232 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was active in both World War I and World War II in a variety of roles, having seen action as an anti-submarine patrol, fighter and transport squadron.

No 81 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew Fighter aircraft during the Second World War, and reconnaissance aircraft in the Far East after the war and was disbanded in 1970.

No. 132 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Noble MacKenzie</span> New Zealand flying ace

John Noble MacKenzie, was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was officially credited with the destruction of nine enemy aircraft.

References

  1. Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. p. 77. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
  2. Stenman and Thomas 2010, p. 44.
  3. Stenman and Thomas 2010, p. 44.
Bibliography