No. 289 Squadron RAF | |
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Active | 17 November 1941 – 26 June 1945 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Motto(s) | None |
Insignia | |
Squadron Badge | None |
Squadron Code | YE (November 1941 –June 1945) |
No. 289 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron formed as an anti-aircraft cooperation unit in World War II.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.
A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force. Land based squadrons equipped with heavier type aircraft such as long-range bombers, cargo aircraft, or air refueling tankers have around 12 aircraft as a typical authorization, while most land-based fighter equipped units have an authorized number of 18 to 24 aircraft.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
The squadron formed at RAF Kirknewton on 17 November 1941 and was equipped with Lysanders and Blenheims, Hurricanes and Hudsons to provide practice for the anti-aircraft defences in Scotland by towing targets and conducting simulated attacks. The squadron moved to RAF Turnhouse and RAF West Freugh, then operated other aircraft types from bases in England before it was disbanded at RAF Andover on 26 June 1945.
Royal Air Force Kirknewton, otherwise known as RAF Kirknewton, is a Royal Air Force station at Whitemoss, a mile south east of Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland. It is retained by the Ministry of Defence and is home to 661 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's exceptional short-field performance enabled clandestine missions using small, improvised airstrips behind enemy lines to place or recover agents, particularly in occupied France with the help of the French Resistance. British Army air co-operation aircraft were named after mythical or historical military leaders; in this case the Spartan admiral Lysander was chosen.
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years and in some cases throughout the Second World War. The aircraft was developed as Type 142, a civil airliner, in response to a challenge from Lord Rothermere to produce the fastest commercial aircraft in Europe. The Type 142 first flew in April 1935, and the Air Ministry, impressed by its performance, ordered a modified design as the Type 142M for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber. Deliveries of the newly named Blenheim to RAF squadrons commenced on 10 March 1937.
From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
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Nov 1941 | Jan 1942 | Bristol Blenheim | IIC |
Nov 1941 | Mar 1942 | Westland Lysander | III |
Nov 1941 | Mar 1942 | Lockheed Hudson | III |
Nov 1941 | Jun 1945 | Hawker Hurricane | I, IIC, IV |
Mar 1942 | Jun 1945 | Airspeed Oxford | |
Mar 1942 | Jul 1943 | Boulton Paul Defiant | I, III |
Jun 1943 | Mar 1945 | Miles Martinet | |
Mar 1945 | Jun 1945 | Vultee Vengeance | IV |
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No. 290 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti-aircraft cooperation unit in World War II.
No. 291 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron formed as an anti-aircraft cooperation unit in World War II.
No. 288 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti-aircraft co-operation unit in World War II.
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