No. 113 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 113 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Air Force
that served as a reconnaissance, army cooperation, bomber, fighter, transport and missile operation squadron during its existence.
, Egypt
as a corps reconnaissance and army co-operation unit. In September it began tactical reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions over Palestine
, where it remained until the end of World War I
. The squadron returned to Egypt
on 16 February 1919 and a year later it was disbanded by being renumbered to No. 208 Squadron RAF
on 1 February 1920.
on 18 May 1937 as a day bomber unit, equipped with Hawker Hind
s. In April 1938 it left for the Middle East
, converting to Blenheims
in June 1939. After Italy joined the war in June 1940, the Squadron carried out bombing raids on Italian bases in Libya before moving to Greece in March 1941. There it was overtaken by the German invasion and lost all its aircraft, the Squadrons personnel being evacuated to Crete and Egypt. Bombing operations began again in June 1941, but the after the outbreak of war in the Far East the Squadron was moved to Burma where it attacked Japanese columns until it was evacuated to Calcutta in March 1942. From Assam No. 113 bombed Japanese communications and airfields until it converted to Hurricanes
in March 1943. These were used for ground-attack duties being replaced by Thunderbolts
in April 1945 which were flown until the Squadron was disbanded on 15 October 1945.
at Aqir was renumbered to No. 113 squadron RAF and was engaged in transport duties with Halifax A.7s
until disbanded on 1 April 1947. The Squadron reformed on 1 May 1947 at RAF Fairford
now flying Douglas Dakotas alongside Halifax A.9s, being disbanded on 1 September 1948.
. The squadron was equipped with three Thor
Intermediate range ballistic missiles, based at RAF Mepal.
In October 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis
, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in the USSR.
The squadron was disbanded on 10 July 1963, with the termination of the Thor Program in Britain.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
that served as a reconnaissance, army cooperation, bomber, fighter, transport and missile operation squadron during its existence.
Formation in World War I as reconnaissance unit
No. 113 Squadron was formed on 1 August 1917 at RAF IsmailiaIsmaïlia
-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
as a corps reconnaissance and army co-operation unit. In September it began tactical reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions over Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, where it remained until the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The squadron returned to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on 16 February 1919 and a year later it was disbanded by being renumbered to No. 208 Squadron RAF
No. 208 Squadron RAF
No 208 Squadron is at present a reserve unit of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. It operates the BAe Hawk aircraft.-World War I:...
on 1 February 1920.
Reformation as bomber squadron in World War II
No. 113 reformed at RAF Upper HeyfordRAF Upper Heyford
RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The base was brought into use for flying in July 1918 by the Royal Flying Corps. During World War II it was used by many units of the RAF, mainly as a training...
on 18 May 1937 as a day bomber unit, equipped with Hawker Hind
Hawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
s. In April 1938 it left for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, converting to Blenheims
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
in June 1939. After Italy joined the war in June 1940, the Squadron carried out bombing raids on Italian bases in Libya before moving to Greece in March 1941. There it was overtaken by the German invasion and lost all its aircraft, the Squadrons personnel being evacuated to Crete and Egypt. Bombing operations began again in June 1941, but the after the outbreak of war in the Far East the Squadron was moved to Burma where it attacked Japanese columns until it was evacuated to Calcutta in March 1942. From Assam No. 113 bombed Japanese communications and airfields until it converted to Hurricanes
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
in March 1943. These were used for ground-attack duties being replaced by Thunderbolts
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
in April 1945 which were flown until the Squadron was disbanded on 15 October 1945.
Post war reformations as a transport squadron
On 1 September 1946 No. 620 Squadron RAFNo. 620 Squadron RAF
No 620 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. During its existence it served as bomber, airborne forces and transport squadron.-History:...
at Aqir was renumbered to No. 113 squadron RAF and was engaged in transport duties with Halifax A.7s
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
until disbanded on 1 April 1947. The Squadron reformed on 1 May 1947 at RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...
now flying Douglas Dakotas alongside Halifax A.9s, being disbanded on 1 September 1948.
On Thor missiles
The squadron was reformed - as 113(SM) Sqn. - on 22 July 1959 as one of 20 Strategic Missile (SM) squadrons associated with Project EmilyProject Emily
Project Emily was the deployment of American-built PGM-17 Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the United Kingdom between 1959 and 1963....
. The squadron was equipped with three Thor
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
Intermediate range ballistic missiles, based at RAF Mepal.
In October 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in the USSR.
The squadron was disbanded on 10 July 1963, with the termination of the Thor Program in Britain.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1917 | Apr 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 | BE.2e |
| Sep 1917 | Feb 1920 | Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed by John Kenworthy. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was more difficult to fly, and was regarded with great suspicion at first in the Royal... |
|
| Feb 1918 | Oct 1918 | Nieuport 17 Nieuport 17 |-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137–153.... |
17, 23 & 24 |
| Feb 1919 | Dec 1919 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 | BE.2e |
| May 1937 | Jun 1939 | Hawker Hind Hawker Hind -See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3.... |
|
| Jun 1939 | Mar 1940 | Bristol Blenheim Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter... |
Mk.I |
| Jun 1941 | Dec 1941 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.I |
| Mar 1940 | Apr 1941 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.IV |
| Jun 1941 | Oct 1942 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.IV |
| Oct 1942 | Sep 1943 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.V |
| Sep 1943 | Apr 1945 | Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... |
Mk.IIc |
| Apr 1945 | Oct 1945 | Republic Thunderbolt P-47 Thunderbolt Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to... |
Mks.I & II |
| Sep 1946 | Dec 1946 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing... |
A.7 & C.8 |
| Sep 1946 | Apr 1947 | Handley Page Halifax | A.9 |
| Sep 1946 | Sep 1948 | Douglas Dakota | C.4 |
| Nov 1947 | Sep 1948 | Handley Page Halifax | A.9 |
| 22 July 1959 | 10 July 1963 | Thor IRBM PGM-17 Thor Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was... |
SM.75 |