No. 521 Squadron RAF
Active1 August 1942 – 31 March 1943
1 September 1943 – 1 April 1946
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Rolemeteorological
Part ofNo. 16 Group RAF, Coastal Command[1]
Insignia
Squadron Codes5O (Jun 1944 – Apr 1946)[2][3]

No. 521 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a Second World War meteorological observation unit operating from Norfolk.

History

First formation

The Squadron began on 4 February 1941 as No. 401 (Met) Flight of RAF Bomber Command. When all the meteorological flights were put under RAF Coastal Command it became No. 1401 (Met) Flight. On 1 August 1942 at RAF Bircham Newton the flight combined with 1403 flight to form No. 521 (Met) Squadron. It took part in Coastal Command's Meteorological operations[4] The squadron had inherited from its 1401 flight aircraft such as Gloster Gladiator biplanes and some Hawker Hurricanes. From 1403 flight came its Bristol Blenheims and Lockheed Hudsons. Later the squadron received some Supermarine Spitfires and de Havilland Mosquitos. The operations of the original Flights and later the Squadron was taking meteorological information for weather forecasting – previously provided by merchant shipping to the Met Office. The aircraft would take measurements of temperature and humidity in set areas over the North Sea from an altitude of 40,000 ft downwards. The squadron's Mosquitoes would operate on "PAMPA" flights that took them deep into occupied Europe to assess the weather over target areas for the bombers. On 31 March 1943 at Bircham Newton the squadron was split into nos. Nos. 1401 and 1409 (Met) Flights.[5][6][7]

Second formation

The squadron reformed on 1 September 1943 at RAF Docking, a satellite of the Bircham Newton station, adding to its original equipment Handley Page Hampdens, but doing without the earlier Mosquitos and Blenheims. In December 1943 the squadron received Lockheed Venturas to replace its Hudsons. Additional Hurricanes arrived in August 1944, to supplement the aging Gladiators, which were still on strength. Hudsons arrived again in September 1944, because the Venturas were needed elsewhere. In October 1944 the squadron moved a few miles to the other satellite of Bircham Newton, RAF Langham. For long-range missions the squadron received some Boeing Fortresses in December 1944, which were supplemented after the end of the war with Handley Page Halifaxes, by which time the squadron operated from RAF Chivenor, where the unit disbanded on 1 April 1946.[5][6][7]

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 521 Squadron RAF, data from[5][6][7]
FromToAircraftVersion
August 1942March 1943Bristol BlenheimMk.IV
August 1942March 1943de Havilland MosquitoMk.IV
August 1942March 1943Gloster GladiatorMks.I, II
August 1942March 1943Lockheed HudsonMk.III
August 1942March 1943Supermarine SpitfireP.R Mk.IV[8]
After re-formation
September 1943December 1943Handley Page HampdenMk.I
September 1943January 1944Lockheed HudsonMks.III
September 1943April 1945Gloster GladiatorMks.I, II
September 1943November 1945Supermarine SpitfireMk.IX
December 1943October 1944Lockheed VenturaMk.V
August 1944February 1946Hawker HurricaneMk.IIc
September 1944March 1945Lockheed HudsonMk.VI
December 1944February 1946Boeing FortressMk.II
May 1945February 1946Boeing FortressMk.III
December 1945April 1946Handley Page HalifaxMk.VI

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 521 Squadron RAF, data from[5][6][7][9]
FromToBaseRemark
1 August 194231 March 1943RAF Bircham Newton, NorfolkDet. at RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
1 September 194330 October 1944RAF Docking, NorfolkDet. at RAF Skitten, Caithness, Scotland
30 October 19443 November 1945RAF Langham, NorfolkDet. at RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, Wales
3 November 19451 April 1946RAF Chivenor, Devon

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Delve 1994, p. 64,72,79.
  2. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 81.
  3. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 57.
  4. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 120.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Rawlings 1982, p. 254.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Halley 1988, p. 399.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Jefford 2001, p. 97.
  8. ↑ Matusiak 2007, p. 21.
  9. ↑ "rafcommands". Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Matusiak, Wojtek (2007). Merlin PR Spitfires. Classic Warbirds No. 10. Wellington, New Zealand: Ventura Publications. ISBN 0-9582296-2-7.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • Smith, Graham (1997). Norfolk Airfields in the Second World War. Countryside Books.
  • Sturtivant, Ray, ISO; Hamlin, John (2007). RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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