No. 152 Squadron RAF

No. 152 Squadron RAF

152 Squadron pilot and Spitfire in Burma during WWII, showing the distinctive leaping black panther emblem
Active 1918–1919
1939–1947
1954–1958
1958–1967
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Role Fighter squadron
Nickname(s) Black Panthers
Motto(s) "Faithful Ally"
Battle honours
Insignia
Badge A head-dress. (No 152 Squadron became the gift squadron of Hyderabad and took as its badge the head-dress of the Nizam of Hyderabad.)[2]

No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during both World War I and World War II.

Squadron history

World War I

No 152 Squadron was first formed on 1 October 1918 at RAF Rochford as a Sopwith Camel night fighter unit. On 30 June 1919, the squadron was disbanded.[3]

World War II

The squadron was reformed at RAF Acklington, flying the Gloster Gladiator, and became operational on 6 November 1939. Converted to Spitfires, throughout the Battle of Britain the Squadron defended the southern England sector, which included Portland Naval Base, and were based at RAF Warmwell.[3]

During 1942 it operated around the Mediterranean, taking part in Operation Torch, and also operated from bases in Malta and Sicily during the invasions of Sicily and Italy.[3]

152 Squadron moved to Burma on 19 December 1943 and joined the RAF Third Tactical Air Force (TAF). During the Battle of Imphal, the squadron operated from front-line strips and supported the Fourteenth Army during its final conquest of Burma. It was disbanded on 10 March 1946 in Singapore to where it had moved after the Japanese surrender.[3]

Post-war

On 8 May 1946, No. 136 Squadron was renumbered No. 152 while in transit to Bombay, and began flying Spitfires in June pending the arrival of its Tempests. By early August it had received these, but spares problems led to its being disbanded on 15 January 1947.[3]

The squadron was reformed at RAF Wattisham on 1 June 1954 as a night fighter unit flying the Meteor NF12 and NF14, until again disbanded at RAF Stradishall on 11 July 1958.[3]

On 1 October 1958, No.152 Squadron was reformed, this time as a transport squadron in the Persian Gulf. It was disbanded on 15 November 1967.[3]

Aircraft operated

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rooker, Rob (2012). "Honours & Medals". 152hyderabad.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Rooker, Rob (2014). "152 (Hyderabad) Squadron History". 152hyderabad.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "152 Squadron RAF". Royal Air Force. 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.