No. 576 Squadron RAF

No. 576 Squadron RAF
No. 576 Squadron RAF
Active 25 Nov 1943 - 13 Sep 1945
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg Royal Air Force
Role Bomber squadron
Part of No. 1 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1]
Motto Latin: Carpe Diem
(Translation: "Seize the opportunity" or "Pluck the day")[2][3]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry A merlin, wings inverted and addorsed, preying on a serpent[3]
The squadron had its aircraft fitted with Merlin engines and the badge is symbolic of the unit seeking out and destroying its prey[2]
Squadron Codes UL (Nov 1943 - Sep 1945)[4][5]
Aircraft flown
Bomber Avro Lancaster
Four-engined heavy bomber

No. 576 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Second World War heavy bomber squadron.

Contents

History

No. 576 Squadron was formed on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 103 squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire. They started operations beginning in the night of 2 to 3 December 1943, when seven Avro Lancasters were send out to bomb Berlin.[6] Eleven months later 576 Squadron moved to RAF Fiskerton, a little way outside Lincoln. During its brief period of existence 576 Squadron operated only one type of aircraft, the Avro Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber. It carried out 2,788 operation sorties with the Lancaster, with the loss of 66 aircraft.[7] The last bombs of the squadron were dropped on 25 April 1945, when 23 of the squadrons aircraft bombed Berchtesgaden, their last operational mission was a food dropping to the starving Dutch people in Rotterdam on 7 May 1945.[6] 576 Squadron was disbanded at Fiskerton on 13 September 1945.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 576 Squadron, data from[3][6][8]
From To Aircraft Version
November 1943 September 1945 Avro Lancaster Mks.I, III

Notable aircraft

Four of the Lancasters that flew with 576 squadron managed to survive one hundred operations or more:

No. 576 Squadron RAF aircraft with the most number of operations, data from[9]
Serial no. Name Operations Call-sign Fate Remarks
ED888 "Mike Squared" 140 UL-V2, UL-M2 Struck off charge, 8 January 1947 [10]
ME801 "Nan" 114 UL-C2, UL-N2 Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 [11]
LM594 "A Able" 104 UL-G2, UL-A2 Struck off charge, 13 February 1947 [12]
LM227 "Item" 100 UL-I2 Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 [13]

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 576 Squadron, data from[3][8][14]
From To Base
25 November 1943 31 October 1944 RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire
31 October 1944 13 September 1945 RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire

References

Notes

  1. ^ Delve 1994, pp. 68, 77.
  2. ^ a b Moyes 1976, p. 269.
  3. ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 413.
  4. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 101.
  5. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 109.
  6. ^ a b c Moyes 1976, p. 270.
  7. ^ Falconer 2003, p. 256.
  8. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 98.
  9. ^ Moyes 1976, p. 362.
  10. ^ Franks 1994, pp. 72–78.
  11. ^ Franks 1994, pp. 154–158.
  12. ^ Franks 1994, pp. 141–144.
  13. ^ Franks 1994, pp. 130–134.
  14. ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 269–270.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; John D.R. Rawlings (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; Andrew Thomas (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. 
  • Franks, Norman (1994). Claims to Fame: The Lancaster. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-220-0.. 
  • 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. 
  • Falconer, Jonathan (2003). Bomber Command Handbook 1939-1945. Stroud, England: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3171-X. 
  • Jefford, Wing Commander C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-85310-053-6. 
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd.. ISBN 0-354-01027-1. 

External links

Related content


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • No. 103 Squadron RAF — Official squadron crest for No. 103 Squadron RAF Active 1 Sep 1917 1 Oct 1919 10 Aug 1936 26 Nov 1945 30 Nov 1954 1 Aug 1956 1 Aug 1959 31 Jul 1963 1 Aug 1963 31 Jul 1975 …   Wikipedia

  • No. 16 Squadron RAF — Active 10 February 1915 – Present Role Elementary Flying Training …   Wikipedia

  • No. 41 Squadron RAF — Official Squadron Badge of No. 41 Squadron RAF Active 14 July 1916 Country …   Wikipedia

  • No. 99 Squadron RAF — No. 99 Squadron Royal Air Force Official squadron crest for no. 99 squadron RAF Active 15 Aug 1917 2 Apr 1920 1 Apr 1924 15 Nov 1945 17 Nov 1947 7 Jan 1976 1 Jan 2002 Present Day …   Wikipedia

  • No. 1 Squadron RAF — Official Squadron Badge of No. 1 Squadron RAF Active 1 April 1911 (RE), 13 May 1912 (RFC), 1 April 1918 (RAF) to 1 Novemb …   Wikipedia

  • No. 201 Squadron RAF — Official Squadron crest for No. 201 Squadron RAF Active 17 Oct 1914(RNAS) 21 Jun 1915 6 Dec 1916 1 Apr 1918 1 Apr 1918(RAF) 31 Dec 1919 1 Jan 1929 28 Feb 1957 …   Wikipedia

  • No. 208 Squadron RAF — Active 26 October 1916 – 7 November 1919 1 February 1920 30 March 1959 1 April 1959 10 September 1971 1 March 1974 31 March 1994 1 April 1994 present Country …   Wikipedia

  • No. 46 Squadron RAF — No. 46 Squadron Active 19 April 1916 31 August 1975 Country United Kingdom Branch Royal Air Force Size squadron No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps …   Wikipedia

  • No. 609 Squadron RAF — No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron Active 10 Feb 1936 15 Sep 1945 31 Jul 1946 10 Mar 1957 1 Jul 1998 present Country Unite …   Wikipedia

  • No. 263 Squadron RAF — Official Squadron Badge Crest of No. 263 Squadron RAF Active 27 September 1918 16 May 1919 20 October 1939 28 August 1945 29 August 1945 1 July 1958 1 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”