No. 33 Squadron RAF

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No. 33 Squadron RAF
Active	12 January 1916
Role	Support helicopters
Garrison/HQ	RAF Benson
Motto	"Loyalty"
Equipment	Puma HC.1
Battle honours	Home Defence 1916-1918, Palestine 1936-1939, Egypt and Libya 1940-1943, Greece 1941, El Alamein, France and Germany 1944-1945, Normandy 1944, Walcheren, Rhine, Gulf 1991
Insignia
Identification symbol	A hart's head affrontée, couped at the neck

No. 33 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma HC.1 from RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.

1 Current Role
2 History
3 Previous Aircraft
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Current Role

The squadron is part of the RAF Support Helicopter force, which reports into the Joint Helicopter Command.

Formed in 1971 at RAF Odiham as the RAF's first Puma squadron, the squadron has flown in a large number of operations. These include the Gulf War of 1991, and Operation Agricola, the NATO Kosovo Force, Operation Barwood in Mozambique, NATO operations in Bosnia and in Iraq during Operation Telic.

[edit] History

No. 33 Squadron was formed from part of 12 Sqn at Filton on 12 January 1916. For the remainder of the First World War the squadron was employed in the Home Defence role in Yorkshire, guarding against German airship raids against northern England. The squadron did not destroy any enemy airships, despite a number of interceptions; it was disbanded in June 1919.

The Squadron was reformed in 1929 as a bomber unit equipped first with Hawker Horsleys and then the Hawker Hart. In 1935 the unit moved to the Middle East where they took part in the Abyssinian crisis in Egypt and in air policing in Palestine.

With the exception of a time in Greece and Crete in 1941, 33 Sqn remained in the Middle East for most of World War II. Equipped initially with the Gloster Gladiators they had used in Palestine the squadron re-equipped with Hurricanes and flew in support of the Army in the Western Desert, including at the Battle of El Alamein. Returning to the UK in 1944 the squadron flew the Supermarine Spitfire, and later the Hawker Tempest, flying fighter sweeps in North West Europe. They remained in Germany until 1949. Over 200 air kills were claimed 1940-45.

From 1949 to 1970, 33 Squadron was stationed in the Far East. Initially flying their Tempests in ground attack missions during operations against Communist guerrillas in Malaya. A number of different types were operated during several disbandments and reformations throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. In March 1965 33 Sqn became a Bloodhound surface-to-air missile unit in Malaya.