861 Naval Air Squadron

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861 Naval Air Squadron
Active16 September 1946 – April 1947
CountryFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
BranchFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Navy
TypeNaval Air Squadron
RoleFighter pilot training
Part of Netherlands Naval Aviation Service
Insignia
Identification Markings6-5 to 6-12 (Firefly)
Aircraft flown
Fighter Fairey Firefly

861 Naval Air Squadron (861 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Navy's Netherlands Naval Aviation Service, attached to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm for a period of work-up.

Contents

Service history

861 Naval Air Squadron was established at RNAS Dale (HMS Goldcrest) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on 16 September 1946, serving as a squadron of the Royal Netherlands Navy temporarily integrated with the Royal Navy for preparatory operations, [1] under the command of Luitenant G.H. Greve, RNIN. [2]

Initially equipped with four Fairey Firefly I fighter aircraft, [3] the squadron spent the next five months working up at RNAS Dale before embarking in the Royal Netherlands Navy’s first aircraft carrier, HNLMS Karel Doorman (QH1), on 22 February 1947. [1]

The squadron relocated to Valkenburg Naval Air Base, near Leiden, Netherlands, in early April 1947, [3] but was disbanded soon afterwards, [4] where it was rebranded as Opleiding Gevechts Vliegers (OGV) to facilitate the training of pilots and observers to meet operational standards. [3]

Aircraft flown

860 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type: [3]

861 Naval Air Squadron operated from a couple of naval air stations of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom, one Royal Netherlands Navy airbase in the Netherlands, and a Royal Netherlands Navy aircraft carrier: [3]

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 861 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment: [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Dale". Royal Navy Research Archive Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  2. "Fleet Air Arm 861 Squadron". Squadron Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945. 2005. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 245.
  4. "Netherlands Naval Aviation Unit History: No.861 Squadron". Aeroflight. 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2015.

Sources