No. 576 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
History
No. 576 Squadron was formed on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 103 squadronNo. 103 Squadron RAF
No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-Formation in World War I:...
at RAF Elsham Wolds
RAF Elsham Wolds
RAF Elsham Wolds is a former Royal Air Force station in England, which operated in World War I and World War II. It is located just to the north east of the village of Elsham in north Lincolnshire.-World War I:...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. They started operations beginning in the night of 2 to 3 December 1943, when seven Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s were send out to bomb Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Eleven months later 576 Squadron moved to RAF Fiskerton
RAF Fiskerton
RAF Fiskerton was located in the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton, 5 miles east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It was one of many new bomber airfields built in the early part of World War II. The airfield was situated north of the village...
, a little way outside Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
. During its brief period of existence 576 Squadron operated only one type of aircraft, the Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
four-engined heavy bomber. It carried out 2,788 operation sorties with the Lancaster, with the loss of 66 aircraft. The last bombs of the squadron were dropped on 25 April 1945, when 23 of the squadrons aircraft bombed Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, their last operational mission was a food dropping to the starving Dutch people in Rotterdam on 7 May 1945. 576 Squadron was disbanded at Fiskerton on 13 September 1945.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1943 | September 1945 | Avro Lancaster Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other... |
Mks.I, III |
Notable aircraft
Four of the Lancasters that flew with 576 squadron managed to survive one hundred operations or more:| Serial no. | Name | Operations | Call-sign | Fate | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ED888 | "Mike Squared" | 140 | UL-V2, UL-M2 | Struck off charge, 8 January 1947 | |
| ME801 | "Nan" | 114 | UL-C2, UL-N2 | Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 | |
| LM594 | "A Able" | 104 | UL-G2, UL-A2 | Struck off charge, 13 February 1947 | |
| LM227 | "Item" | 100 | UL-I2 | Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 1943 | 31 October 1944 | RAF Elsham Wolds RAF Elsham Wolds RAF Elsham Wolds is a former Royal Air Force station in England, which operated in World War I and World War II. It is located just to the north east of the village of Elsham in north Lincolnshire.-World War I:... , Lincolnshire Lincolnshire Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders... |
| 31 October 1944 | 13 September 1945 | RAF Fiskerton RAF Fiskerton RAF Fiskerton was located in the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton, 5 miles east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It was one of many new bomber airfields built in the early part of World War II. The airfield was situated north of the village... , Lincolnshire |