An eagle, wings elevated, preying on a serpent. The use of the Royal Regiment of Artillery's red lightning bolt on a light background, was adopted in recognition of the squadron's close cooperation with the Royal Artillery during the First World War.[3] The badge was approved by King George VI in January 1938.
Lanoe Hawker's Bristol Scout C 1611, flown by Hawker on 25 July 1915 in his Victoria Cross-earning engagement.
The squadron was formed on 31 January 1914, at Farnborough Aerodrome as No. 6 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.[6] Its first squadron commander was Major John Becke.[7][8] The squadron had an initial aircraft inventory of two Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and two Farmans, with the squadron also initially incorporating a flight operating man-lifting kites.[9] The squadron, equipped with a mixture of B.E.2s, Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8s and Farmans crossed the English Channel in October 1914 to support IV Corps in its attempt to prevent the Germans from capturing Antwerp.[8][10] In November, the squadron joined the newly formed 2nd Wing of the RFC, with the role of supporting the Second and Third Corps,[11] taking part in the First Battle of Ypres.[8]
In February 1915, 9 Squadron, an experimental unit equipped with radio equipped aircraft, was split up, with one flight of aircraft going to 6 Squadron and the other to 2 Squadron. The new flight replaced 6 Squadron's existing C Flight, which together with flights from 2 Squadron and 5 Squadron, was used to form 16 Squadron.[12][13] In March 1915, the squadron received two Martinsyde S.1 scouts, to escort the squadrons aircraft,[12] and these were later supplemented by Bristol Scouts in the escort role, while the main part of the squadron used the B.E.2.[14] On 25 July 1915, Captain Lanoe Hawker, flying a Bristol Scout,[15] attacked three German aircraft in succession. The first aerial victory for Hawker that day occurred after he emptied a complete drum of bullets from his aircraft's single Lewis machine gun into a German aircraft which went spinning down. The second victory saw a German aircraft driven to the ground damaged, and the third saw a German aircraft– an Albatros C.I of FFA 3– burst into flames and crash. For this feat he was awarded the Victoria Cross.[16]
The squadron was deployed directing artillery during the Actions of the Bluff near Ypres in February 1916 and the Actions of St Eloi Craters in March–April that year.[17] During the Battle of the Somme from July to November 1916, the squadron carried out bombing attacks, including night bombing operations, against targets in the Ypres salient to prevent the Germans transferring troops to the Somme front.[18] In May 1917, the squadron re-equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8s.[14] The squadron took part in the Battle of Messines in June 1917, artillery spotting during the preparatory bombardment, and then flying contact patrols.[18] Later that year, the squadron took part in the Battle of Passchendaele,[19] In September 1917, the squadron supported the British Second Army during the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge.[20] In November 1917, the squadron was pulled out of the line and attached to V Corps, which was being held in reserve to exploit a potential breakthrough in the front, and was used to give training on cooperation between aircraft and ground forces to infantry, artillery and staff officers.[21] As the squadron had posted away most of its observers, it was not drafted into action during the German spring offensive from March 1918, being sent to Le Crotoy to be out of the way of the offensive, while its commanding officer, Archibald James, was employed in finding airfields for the squadrons of the RFC (and RAF) as they were forced to relocate owing to the German advance.[22][23]
While most of the squadron continued in its training duties, one flight was attached to the Cavalry Corps when the pressure from the German offensive died down, and in July 1918, the squadron reunited as an operational unit under the command of Major George Pirie in support of the Cavalry Corps.[22] The squadron took part in the Battle of Amiens in August 1918,[24] and the Battles of Bapaume and the Scarpe at the end of the month.[25] The squadron continued to fly in support of the Cavalry Corps until the end of the war.[22]
Inter-war years
Following the Armistice, the squadron was initially employed for communications and photographic duties in France, before being transferred to Iraq, arriving in July 1919, continuing to operate the R.E.8.[22] Operating in the army co-operation role, the squadron received Bristol Fighters in July 1920,[14] which it used against the Iraqi Revolt that broke out that year, bombing rebel forces.[26] In 1924, the squadron was part of a large force of aircraft deployed against Kudish revolts led by Mahmud Barzanji, bombing the city of Sulaymaniyah. On 14 September 1924, 6 Squadron Bristol Fighters attacked two Turkish cavalry columns that had crossed into Iraq, dispersing the columns.[27] In 1925, the squadron carried out further operations against forces led by Mahmud.[28] In 1927, the squadron supported operations against Ahmed Barzani which resulted in the occupation of Barzan by Iraqi Levies, and the retreat of Ahmed Barzani to the hills.[29]
In October 1929, 6 Squadron moved to RAF Ismailia in Egypt, with a detachment at RAF Ramleh, Mandatory Palestine.[30][7] In April 1931, the squadron's role was re-assigned to that of a bomber squadron,[31] while from June that year, it started to receive more modern Fairey Gordons,[14][32] with the last Bristol Fighters being withdrawn by June 1932.[14] In October 1935, the squadron reequipped with Hawker Hart bombers, with an additional flight receiving Hawker Demons (a fighter version of the Hart),[6] and the squadron's Gordons being transferred to 14 and 47 Squadrons.[32] The Demons were not kept for long, being transferred to 29 Squadron in January 1936.[6] The outbreak of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine in 1936 saw the whole of the squadron move to Ramleh, carrying out operations ranging from dropping leaflets and escorting trains and road convoys to bombing and strafing hostile forces.[32][33] The main body of the squadron returned to Egypt in November 1936, with fighting in Palestine reducing.[34] A resurgence of violence in Palestine saw the squadron return to Ramleh in November 1937,[32][35] From January 1938, the squadron's Harts were replaced by Hawker Hardys (another, General Purpose, variant of the Hart),[14] with the squadron continuing to be heavily deployed against the revolt through the rest of 1938 and well into 1939.[36][32]
The squadron added Gloster Gauntlet fighters and Westland Lysander army cooperation aircraft to its Hardys in August and September 1939 respectively,[14] but the declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939 had little effect on the squadron at first, with internal security duties in Palestine remaining the squadron's priority.[37] At the end of February 1940, the squadron was redesignated an army co-operation squadron.[38][7] Hostilities with Italy broke out in June 1940, and in September 1940, the squadron deployed one flight of Lysanders to Egypt to work with the army, with the remainder of the squadron remained in Palestine.[37] In February 1941, the whole squadron transferred to North Africa, moving to Barca in Libya, with a flight forward deployed at Agedabia[30][39] The Lysander was unsuitable for operations when faced by modern fighters, and one flight was reequipped with Hawker Hurricanes at the start of March 1941.[14][40] When the German North African offensive in the spring of 1941 caused the Allied forces to withdraw, the flights of 6 Squadron were forced to make a number of moves to avoid being overrun, and when Tobruk was besieged the squadron ended up within the perimeter of Tobruk, carrying out reconnaissance operations on behalf of the beseiged forces.[41][42] The squadron suffered from spares shortages, while the airfield was subject to German shelling, and the squadron's aircraft were vulnerable to attack by German fighters when landing. Two of the squadron's three flights were ordered to evacuate in 19 April,[43] while the remaining flight left Tobruk on 10 May.[7] In June 1941, the squadron was equipped completely with Hurricanes, discarding its remaining Lysanders,[14][43] At the end of June, the squadron was pulled off the front line and withdrawn to Tel Aviv for a period of rest.[43][44]
In August 1941, the squadron, now equipped with Lysanders and Gloster Gladiator fighters, moved to Wadi Halfa in Sudan, with a detachment at Kufra in south-west Libya.[43][45] On 26 September 1941, one of the squadron's Kufra-based Gladiators intercepted an Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, claiming it as possibly damaged. This was the last combat engagement by an RAF-flown Gladiator.[46] A few Hurricanes were added in September 1941, and four Bristol Blenheims added in November that year.[43] The squadron was withdrawn from operations again early in 1942, and carried out maintenance tasks until its next equipment arrived.[6][43]
In April 1942, the squadron moved to RAF Shandur to re-equip with the Hurricane Mk. IID, a specialist ground-attack version armed with two Vickers S 40 mm cannon, designed for anti-armour operations.[47][48] The squadron moved up to RAF Gambut on 4 June 1942 for operations, flying its first, unsuccessful combat operation with the Hurricane II.Ds on 7 June, while on 8 June it claimed one tank destroyed and several other vehicles damaged, at a cost of two Hurricanes shot down by anti-aircraft fire and another damaged.[49] As the Hurricane IID was slow and relatively vulnerable to enemy attack, it was employed under tight conditions - requiring fighter escort and targets whose position was known, could be easily identified from the air and not protected by too much anti-aircraft fire were attacked - this allowed the aircraft to operate effectively while minimising casualties.[50]
In the spring of 1944, the squadron moved to a coastal field south-east of Termoli, Italy. The squadron flew Hurricane Mk.IVs equipped with rocket projectiles. Moored Axis ships were attacked at Yugoslav harbours and the Dalmatian islands. They were strongly defended by anti-aircraft gunners on Siebel ferries with their multiple guns, as the ships were being used to supply the German forces. Squadron detachments were also made to Bastia in Corsica, Araxos near Patras in Greece, Brindisi, and near Ancona. A fixed 44-gallon extra petrol tank under the port wing increased the Hurricanes' duration to almost three hours at 160mph (260km/h) cruising speed. The airfield on Vis (island) was extensively used as an advanced base from May 1944 to February 1945, usually to top up tanks before each armed reconnaissance.[51][52]
Post-Second World War/Cold War
In July 1945, the squadron moved to Palestine where it cooperated with the police, patrolling the Kirkuk-to-Haifaoil pipeline to deter sabotage attacks. The squadron was the last RAF combat unit to operate Hurricanes, and for a brief period four Spitfires due to a lack of Hurricanes. It converted, briefly, to Hawker Tempest Mk. VIs followed, in 1946, by de Havilland Vampire FB.5s.[51]
On 6 April 1956, after a brief period back at RAF Habbaniya in Iraq the squadron returned to Cyprus and operated from RAF Akrotiri.[54] From there it attacked Egyptian airfields during the Suez Crisis. In 1957, the squadron again re-equipped, this time with English Electric Canberras, which it continued to operate from Akrotiri until 1969.[55]
Having been located outside of the UK for 50 years, the squadron returned in 1969 and was the first to receive the Phantom FGR.2 at RAF Coningsby the same year, before re-equipping with the Jaguar GR.1 and T.2 at RAF Lossiemouth in 1974. The squadron then moved to RAF Coltishall, being declared operational in the tactical nuclear role with twelve aircraft and eight WE.177 nuclear bombs until 1994, when the squadron's nuclear role was terminated and the weapons withdrawn.[56][57]
Post-Cold War
Two Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4s of No. 6 Squadron, with squadron specific codes "EJ" and "EU", March 2013.
The squadron continued at RAF Coltishall in its non-nuclear role until Coltishall closed on 1 April 2006, and the squadron moved to RAF Coningsby. The squadron's aircraft were deployed to the Gulf as part of Operation Granby (Gulf War), for which it received battle honours, and later as part of the Northern No-Fly-Zone. The squadron deployed to Italy for operations over Bosnia from 1993.[58]
The squadron was the last to fly the SEPECAT Jaguar, and was disbanded on 31 May 2007. The Jaguar's intended replacement in RAF service was the Eurofighter Typhoon. The RAF announced that No. 6 Squadron was to be the fourth operational front-line squadron equipped with the Typhoon and the first with Tranche 2 aircraft, initially scheduled to reform in 2008 at RAF Leuchars in Fife. However, this was delayed until 2010, with the squadron reforming at RAF Leuchars on 6 September 2010, when a closed standing-up ceremony was performed to mark the squadron's reforming, including the arrival of the new Typhoon aircraft in 6 Squadron colours from RAF Coningsby.[4]
The squadron has taken over the role of Quick Reaction Alert for the north of the United Kingdom from No. 111 Squadron RAF, the RAF's last Panavia Tornado F.3 squadron, in March 2011.[4][59] In November 2011 four Typhoons from No. 6 Squadron flew to RMAF Butterworth to participate in aerial war games for the 40th anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements.[60][61] In August 2013, several Typhoons from No. 6 were exercising with HMSDragon and US fighters in the Gulf.[62] In June 2014, the squadron began to move to its new home in RAF Lossiemouth.[63]
In March 2020, the squadron was awarded the right to emblazon a battle honour on its squadron standard, recognising its role in Bosnia during 1995.[65]
↑ Air Chief Marshal Sir David Lee, "Flight From The Middle East," (H.M.S.O. London, UK, 1980), ISBN0117723568, 106; Jefford, "RAF Squadrons," 1988, 26.
Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-164-9.
Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF Squadrons: a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN1-84037-141-2.
Rawlings, John D. R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN0-7106-0187-5.
Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN0-354-01028-X.
Shores, Christopher; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell (2012). A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940–1945: Volume One: North Africa: June 1940 – January 1942. London: Grub Street. ISBN978-1-908117-07-6.
Shores, Christopher; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell; Olynyk, Frank; Bock, Winfried (2012). A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940–1945: Volume Two: North African Desert: February 1942 – March 1943. London: Grub Street. ISBN978-1-909166-12-7.
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