No. 333 Squadron RAF

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No. 333 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF was established as a detachment under the RAF 210 squadron, on 8 February, in 1942 by captain Finn Lambrechts. The squadron was located in Woodhaven, Fife, Scotland. On 10 May 1943 a B-Wing of the squadron was established in Leuchars, with de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and Bristol Beaufighters. The B-wing became No. 334 squadron the 22 June 1945.

On their first mission to Norway, the poet, and news-reporter Nordahl Grieg was with them to report from the flight. This was then a secret mission. After this mission, he wrote the poem: Flagget

During the war, the missions of 333 squadron included dangerous search and destroy submarine missions, patrolling, and secret missions along the Norwegian Coastline, behind the German defence lines. They landed and picked up agents, illegal radios, and transmitters. They also dropped Christmas presents to the Norwegian population, and did search and rescue missions.

After the war, they helped to rebuild the northern parts of Norway, transporting people, and equipment from the south to the north.

The oil-activity, establishing of the Norwegian economic zone, and establishing of the coast-guard created new demands to the squadron. Now they had to surveillance great sea areas, and they had to get new airplanes, the P-3 Orion.

In the 1980s they did search and destroy submarine missions along the coastline and in the fjords. Several times they have dropped sharp weapons against submarines that were illegal in Norwegian territory. In the 1990s, the Russian north fleet was reduced to the half in quantity. But still they have 67 operational submarines, and a great fleet of ships. But, the fleet is still just as powerful as earlier, because of new technology.

Today the squadron regularly does various missions as; surveilling military maritime operations, patrolling the economic zone, controlling the fishing, and the resources, submarine searches, but they also does search and rescue missions.

But also they often are a part of international missions, and training.

The squadron is the only one that has been active all the time since World War II, and is today a part of the 133 Air wing.

Locations:
- 1942 – 1945: Woodhaven, Scotland
- 1945 – 1963: Fornebu, Sola, detachments in Skattøra, Andøya and Bodø.
- 1963 – Today: Andøya, Norway

Aircraft:
- 1942 - 1954: Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (Vingtor, Jøssing, Viking, Ulabrand)
- 1954 - 1961: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (21 aircraft in total) these were never owned by Norway, but were on loan to them
- 1961 - 1969: Albatross amphibious
- 1969 - 1989: P3-B Orion, two were modified to P3-N and still are in service (Fritjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Gunnar Isachsen, Otto Sverdrup, Hjalmar Riiser Larsen, Bernt Balchen, Finn Lambrechts)
- 1989 – Today: P3-N Orion
- 1989 - Today: P3-C Update III Orion (Vingtor, Jøssing, Viking, Ulabrand)