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No. 82 Squadron RAF

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No. 82 (United Provinces) Squadron RAF
Active7 January 1917 – 30 June 1919
14 June 1937 – 15 March 1946
1 Oct 1946 – 1 September 1956
22 July 1959 – 10 July 1963
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Nickname(s)United Provinces
Coventry's 'own' Squadron[1]
Motto(s)Latin: Super omnia ubique
("Over all things everywhere")[2]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryIn front of a sun in splendour a weathercock[1][2]
Squadron codesOZ (Nov 1938 – Sep 1939)[3]
UX (Sep 1939 – Mar 1946)[4]

No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) unit.

History

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Formation and First World War

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No.82 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at RAF Doncaster, Yorkshire as an army co-operation unit on 7 January 1917.[5] It deployed to France flying Armstrong Whitworth FK8 aircraft on 20 November 1917,[6] It was declared operational in January 1918, flying artillery spotting and photo-reconnaissance over the Western Front, undertaking numerous missions in response to the German spring offensive. It continued to fly army co-operation missions until the Armistice ended the fighting on the Western Front.[7] The squadron was disbanded on 30 June 1919.[8]

Reformation and Second World War

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No. 82 Squadron was reformed as a light-bomber squadron from a flight detached from No. 142 Squadron, equipped with the Hawker Hind at RAF Andover on 14 June 1937 and joining No. 2 Group.[9][10] The squadron transferred to No. 1 Group and moved to RAF Cranfield on 8 July 1937.[10] It re-equipped with Blenheim Mk Is during 1938, returning to 2 Group on 15 July that year[9][a] and received the more advanced Blenheim Mk.IV in August 1939,[9] moving to RAF Watton on 22 August.[11]

The squadron started the Second World War flying anti-shipping missions over the North Sea, one of its aircraft sinking the German submarine U-31 near Wilhelmshaven on 11 March 1940,[9][12] though U-31 was subsequently raised, and returned to service, only to be sunk again, this time by a destroyer, in November.[13] On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, and 82 Squadron was deployed in attacks against the German forces. On 17 May, 12 Blenheims were sent to attack German forces near Gembloux, Belgium, but the expected fighter escort did not show up, and after one Blenheim was shot by German flak, the remaining aircraft were intercepted by Messerschmitt Bf 109s, with ten more aircraft being shot down. 22 aircrew were killed and 3 taken prisoner.[14][15][16] Despite these losses, it continued to fly missions in support of the BEF, and after the evacuation from Dunkirk, against German held airfields and invasion barges in the Channel ports. On 13 August, a raid on an airfield at Aalborg, Denmark again suffered catastrophic losses to German fighters, losing eleven out of twelve.[17]

From early 1941, the squadron played a prominent part in No. 2 Group's offensive against shipping in the English Channel and North Sea. Losses continued both to fighters and to flak defences.

A detachment was sent to Malta in May 1941, with the rest of the Squadron following in June. It flew ships against enemy shipping and ports through into July, but extremely heavy losses led to it being withdrawn back to the UK at the end of the month, being replaced by 110 Squadron. Once back in the UK, it continued anti-shipping strikes as part of 2 Group.[18]

To India

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The squadron left Bomber Command and relocated to RAF Cholavarum, India in early 1942. Re-equipped with Vultee Vengeance dive-bombers the squadron began anti-submarine patrols on 17 November. In June 1943, the squadron began bombing operations against Imperial Japanese targets in Burma from RAF Salbani. it was deployed against the Japanese offensive against Imphal and Kohima.[19] The squadron was re-equipped with Mosquitoes in July 1944, but was temporarily grounded due to failures in the wooden structure before commencing ground attack sorties on 19 December. These operations continued until 12 May 1945, when the squadron was withdrawn to India to prepare for the proposed invasion of Malaya. This operation did not occur due to the end of the war, and the squadron was disbanded on 15 March 1946.[8][20]

Post-war operations in Africa

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On 1 October 1946, the squadron was reformed at RAF Benson equipped with Avro Lancasters and Supermarine Spitfire PR. XIXs to undertake aerial surveys of Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The squadron moved to Kenya in October 1947,[21] it was flying from RAF Eastleigh, Nairobi, by 1950.[22] In 1952, the squadron relocated to the UK and was re-equipped with Canberras in November 1953, remaining in the reconnaissance role. On 1 September 1956 the squadron was disbanded.[23][24]

On Thor missiles

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No. 82 Squadron reformed once again on 22 July 1959 at RAF Shepherds Grove as a Thor missile unit, part of Project Emily. The upcoming ICBM missiles however soon made the Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile obsolete, and in 1962 the Minister of Defence announced the phase-out of the Thor missiles. The unit therefore was disbanded the last time on 10 July 1963.[23][24]

Aircraft operated

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From To Aircraft Variant
Aug 1917 Feb 1919 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 AW FK8
Jun 1937 Mar 1938 Hawker Hart
Mar 1938 Sep 1939 Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
Aug 1939 Mar 1942 Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV
Aug 1942 Jul 1944 Vultee Vengeance Mks.I, Ia
Apr 1943 Jul 1944 Vultee Vengeance Mk.II
Mar 1944 Jul 1944 Vultee Vengeance Mk.III
Jul 1944 Mar 1946 de Havilland Mosquito Mk.VI
Oct 1946 Oct 1947 Supermarine Spitfire PR.19
Oct 1946 Dec 1953 Avro Lancaster PR.1
Nov 1953 Feb 1955 English Electric Canberra PR.3
Oct 1954 Sep 1956 English Electric Canberra PR.7
Jul 1959 Jul 1963 PGM-17 Thor

[1][2][25]

Squadron bases

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From To Place County/Country
7 Jan 1917 6 Feb 1917 RAF Doncaster Yorkshire
6 Feb 1917 30 Mar 1917 Beverley Yorkshire
30 Mar 1917 17 Nov 1917 RAF Waddington Lincolnshire
17 Nov 1917 20 Nov 1917 Saint-Omer Pas-de-Calais, France
20 Nov 1917 22 Jan 1918 Savy Aisne, France
22 Jan 1918 22 Mar 1918 Golancourt (Bonneuil) Oise, France
22 Mar 1918 24 Mar 1918 Catigny Oise, France
25 Aug 1939 1 Oct 1940 RAF Watton Norfolk
1 Oct 1940 18 Apr 1941 RAF Bodney[26] Norfolk
18 Apr 1941 3 May 1941 RAF Lossiemouth Morayshire
3 May 1941 21 Mar 1942 RAF Bodney Norfolk
11 June 1941 21 Mar 1942 Luqa (Detachment) Malta
24 May 1942 11 Jun 1942 Karachi Sindh, British India (then, now Sindh, Pakistan)
11 Jun 1942 6 Jul 1942 Quetta Baluchistan (then, now Balochistan (Pakistan))
6 Jul 1942 5 Mar 1943 Cholavaram Madras Presidency (then, now Tamil Nadu, India)
2 Jul 1942 28 Oct 1942 Karachi (Detachment) Sindh
26 Feb 1943 5 Mar 1943 Madhaiganj (Detachment) United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh, India)
5 Mar 1943 12 Apr 1943 Madhaiganj United Provinces
12 Apr 1943 23 May 1943 Asansol Bengal (then, now West Bengal, India)
23 May 1943 13 Aug 1943 Salboni Bengal (then, now West Bengal, India)
31 May 1943 20 Jun 1943 Chittagong (Detachment) Bengal (then, now Chittagong Division, Bangladesh)
13 Aug 1943 21 Nov 1943 Feni Airfield Bengal (then, now Feni District, Bangladesh)
21 Nov 1943 22 Jan 1944 Dohazari Bengal (then, now Chittagong Division, Bangladesh)
22 Jan 1944 25 May 1944 Jumchar Bengal (then, now Chittagong Division, Bangladesh)
20 Mar 1944 9 Apr 1944 Kumbhirgram (Detachment) Assam, India
25 May 1944 5 Oct 1944 Kolar Karnataka, India
5 Oct 1944 13 Dec 1944 Ranchi Bihar (then, now Jharkhand, India)
13 Dec 1944 19 Dec 1944 Chharra United Provinces
19 Dec 1944 26 Apr 1945 Kumbhirgram Assam
26 Apr 1945 4 Jun 1945 Joari Bengal (then, now Chittagong Division, Bangladesh)
4 Jun 1945 14 Oct 1945 Cholavaram Madras Presidency (then, now Tamil Nadu, India)

[1][2][25]

See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ It returned to 2 Group in August 1939 according to Bowyer.[10]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Moyes 1976, pp. 111–112
  2. ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 152
  3. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 13
  4. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 103
  5. ^ Thomas 1996, p. 33
  6. ^ Lewis 1959, p. 44
  7. ^ Thomas 1996, pp. 33–34
  8. ^ a b Lewis 1959, p. 45
  9. ^ a b c d Thomas 1996, p. 34
  10. ^ a b c Bowyer 1974, p. 484.
  11. ^ Bowyer 1974, p. 52
  12. ^ Blair 2000, p. 146
  13. ^ Nicholas 2019, p. 44
  14. ^ Thomas 1996, pp. 34–35
  15. ^ Richards 1953, p. 129
  16. ^ Nicholas 2019, p. 41
  17. ^ Thomas 1996, p. 35
  18. ^ Thomas 1996, pp. 35–36
  19. ^ Thomas 1996, pp. 36–37
  20. ^ Thomas 1996, pp. 37–38
  21. ^ Thomas 1996, p. 38
  22. ^ "No 81–85 Squadron Histories". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  23. ^ a b Thomas 1996, p. 39
  24. ^ a b "82 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  25. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 53
  26. ^ A satellite field for Watton

Bibliography

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  • Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
  • Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1974). 2 Group R.A.F.: A Complete History, 1936–1945. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-09491-0.
  • Bowyer, Michael J. F.; Rawlings, John D. R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • 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. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Lewis, Peter (1959). Squadron Histories: R.F.C, R.N.A.S and R.A.F. 1912–59. London: Putnam.
  • Moyes, Philip J. R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft (2nd ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Nicholas, David (October 2019). "The Lost Squadron". Aeroplane. Vol. 47, no. 10. pp. 40–44. ISSN 0143-7240.
  • Richards, Denis (1953). Royal Air Force 1939–1945: Volume One The Fight at Odds. London: HMSO.
  • Thomas, Andrew (November–December 1996). "Over All Things Everywhere: The story of 82 Squadron, Royal Air Force". Air Enthusiast. No. 66. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. pp. 33–39. ISSN 0143-5450.
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