No. 524 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 524 Squadron was a Royal Air Force
Coastal Command
aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.
, Argyll and Bute
in Scotland
on 20 October 1943 to operate the Martin Mariner
flying boat. The squadron's role was to introduce the Mariner into RAF service. By the end of 1943 the aircraft was ready for operations but the RAF had decided not to operate the type and the squadron was disbanded on either 7 December 1943 or 29 January 1944.
The squadron was reformed at RAF Davidstow Moor
on 7 April 1944 to operate the Vickers Wellington
. The squadron carried out night operations of the French coast in preparation for D-Day, mainly attacking E-boats and submarines but also other shipping. It also provided escort to Coastal Command Beaufighter
s carrying out night strikes. After the Normandy Invasion the squadron moved to the east of England to RAF Docking
in a similar role along the Dutch coast. The squadron also directed surface vessels to attack enemy shipping. With the end of the war approaching the squadron was disbanded on either 25 May 1945 or on 25 June 1945 at RAF Langham
, the appointment of S/Ldr. Willis pointing to the latter.
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...
Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.
History
No. 524 Squadron was formed at RAF ObanRAF Oban
RAF Oban was a Royal Air Force flying boat base located at the northern end of the island of Kerrera, in Ardantrive Bay west of Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland during World War II.-History:...
, Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 20 October 1943 to operate the Martin Mariner
PBM Mariner
The Martin PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. A total of 1,366 were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.-Design and...
flying boat. The squadron's role was to introduce the Mariner into RAF service. By the end of 1943 the aircraft was ready for operations but the RAF had decided not to operate the type and the squadron was disbanded on either 7 December 1943 or 29 January 1944.
The squadron was reformed at RAF Davidstow Moor
RAF Davidstow Moor
RAF Davidstow Moor was an airbase at Davidstow near Camelford in Cornwall, United Kingdom from late 1942 until 1945. Despite a few periods of intense activity it was one of Coastal Command's less-used airfields.-History:...
on 7 April 1944 to operate the Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. The squadron carried out night operations of the French coast in preparation for D-Day, mainly attacking E-boats and submarines but also other shipping. It also provided escort to Coastal Command Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s carrying out night strikes. After the Normandy Invasion the squadron moved to the east of England to RAF Docking
RAF Docking
RAF Docking was a RAF Station of the Second World War a few miles from Bircham Newton in Norfolk.It was a satellite airfield for the RAF Coastal Command station at RAF Bircham Newton and was mostly used for overflow from there....
in a similar role along the Dutch coast. The squadron also directed surface vessels to attack enemy shipping. With the end of the war approaching the squadron was disbanded on either 25 May 1945 or on 25 June 1945 at RAF Langham
RAF Langham
The former Royal Air Force Station Langham, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1940 to 1961.-History:...
, the appointment of S/Ldr. Willis pointing to the latter.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1943 | January 1944 | Martin Mariner PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. A total of 1,366 were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.-Design and... |
Mk.I | Twin-engined maritime patrol Maritime patrol Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.... flying boat Flying boat A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage... |
| April 1944 | January 1945 | Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... |
Mk.XIII | Twin-engined medium bomber |
| December 1944 | May 1945 | Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... |
Mk.XIV | Twin-engined medium bomber |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 1943 | 7 December 1943 | RAF Oban RAF Oban RAF Oban was a Royal Air Force flying boat base located at the northern end of the island of Kerrera, in Ardantrive Bay west of Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland during World War II.-History:... , Argyll Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
|
| 7 April 1944 | 1 July 1944 | RAF Davidstow Moor RAF Davidstow Moor RAF Davidstow Moor was an airbase at Davidstow near Camelford in Cornwall, United Kingdom from late 1942 until 1945. Despite a few periods of intense activity it was one of Coastal Command's less-used airfields.-History:... , Cornwall Cornwall Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of... |
|
| 1 July 1944 | 23 July 1944 | RAF Docking RAF Docking RAF Docking was a RAF Station of the Second World War a few miles from Bircham Newton in Norfolk.It was a satellite airfield for the RAF Coastal Command station at RAF Bircham Newton and was mostly used for overflow from there.... , Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... |
|
| 23 July 1944 | 17 October 1944 | RAF Bircham Newton RAF Bircham Newton RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:... , Norfolk |
Dets. at RAF Docking, Norfolk; RAF Langham, Norfolk and RAF Dallachy RAF Dallachy The former Royal Air Force Station Dallachy, commonly known as RAF Dallachy, was a British Royal Air Force airbase situated east of Elgin, in Moray, Scotland. During World War II it was a fighter station, used by 18 Group Coastal Ops.... , Moray Moray Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :... , Scotland (under No. 18 Group RAF No. 18 Group RAF No. 18 Group of the Royal Air Force was a group active from 1918 to 1919, and from 1938 to 1996.- 1918 - 1919 :The Group was initially formed on 1 April 1918 in No 4 Area. It was transferred to North-Eastern Area, 8 May 1918... , Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive... ) |
| 17 October 1944 | 25 May 1945 | RAF Langham RAF Langham The former Royal Air Force Station Langham, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1940 to 1961.-History:... , Norfolk |
Det. at RAF Dallachy, Moray, Scotland |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| October 1943 | December 1943 | W/Cdr. Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... W.E.M. Lowry |
| April 1944 | July 1944 | S/Ldr. Squadron Leader Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these... A.W.B. Naismith |
| July 1944 | May 1945 | W/Cdr. R.G. Knott, DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September... , DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
| May 1945 | June 1945 | S/Ldr. G.E. Willis, DFC |