No. 133 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadron
s formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF
during World War II
.
. It was a training unit for the Handley Page O/400, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
, that was expected to move to France, but was disbanded on 4 July 1918. Various attempts to reform as both a bomber and fighter squadron were all abandoned as the end of the war
approached.
It was reformed at RAF Coltishall
in July 1941 as the third of the Eagle squadrons, equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIB fighters. It transferred to RAF Duxford
in August, and by October was at RAF Eglinton, County Londonderry
in Northern Ireland
, where it was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire IIAs. It then transferred back to the south-east England including time at RAF Biggin Hill. The squadron ran fighter sweeps over France until September 1942 when it was transferred to the USAAF
and became the 336th Fighter Squadron
of the 4th Fighter Group.
, Co. Donegal. His plane's coolant overheated during a patrol mission just north of the Inishowen peninsula. Trying to return to RAF Eglinton, he had no choice but to bail out of his Spitfire, as he was losing altitude. His plane crashed in the heather covered area of Moneydarragh, Gleneely. He was arrested and sent to Curragh detention prison, where he spent two years. He was then released and went on to serve the 'Eagles' once again. His Spitfire was recovered on the 28, June 2011 by aviation historian Johnny McNee, along with others. The recovery was filmed, and will be made into a documentary for the BBC
.
, "The Empty Child
", Jack Harkness
, from the 51st century, is posing as a volunteer in the squadron during 1941.
Eagle squadron
The Eagle Squadrons were 3 fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force formed during World War II with volunteer pilots from the United States...
s formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF
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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
133 Squadron was first formed in 1918 at RAF TernhillRAF Ternhill
RAF Ternhill is a small Royal Air Force station at Ternhill in Shropshire, near the towns of Newport and Market Drayton. The station, home of Volunteer Gliding Squadron 632, was a helicopter base but is now principally used as an outpost for the tri-service helicopter training establishment at RAF...
. It was a training unit for the Handley Page O/400, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...
, that was expected to move to France, but was disbanded on 4 July 1918. Various attempts to reform as both a bomber and fighter squadron were all abandoned as the end of the war
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...
approached.
It was reformed at RAF Coltishall
RAF Coltishall
The former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....
in July 1941 as the third of the Eagle squadrons, equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIB fighters. It transferred to RAF Duxford
Duxford
Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, some ten miles south of Cambridge.-History:The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex...
in August, and by October was at RAF Eglinton, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, where it was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire IIAs. It then transferred back to the south-east England including time at RAF Biggin Hill. The squadron ran fighter sweeps over France until September 1942 when it was transferred to the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and became the 336th Fighter Squadron
336th Fighter Squadron
The 336th Fighter Squadron ' is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 4th Operations Group and stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina....
of the 4th Fighter Group.
Roland Wolfe's crash in Inishowen
In November of 1941, Roland 'Bud' Wolfe crash landed in InishowenInishowen
Inishowen is a peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. It is also the largest peninsula in all of Ireland. Inishowen is a picturesque location with a rich history...
, Co. Donegal. His plane's coolant overheated during a patrol mission just north of the Inishowen peninsula. Trying to return to RAF Eglinton, he had no choice but to bail out of his Spitfire, as he was losing altitude. His plane crashed in the heather covered area of Moneydarragh, Gleneely. He was arrested and sent to Curragh detention prison, where he spent two years. He was then released and went on to serve the 'Eagles' once again. His Spitfire was recovered on the 28, June 2011 by aviation historian Johnny McNee, along with others. The recovery was filmed, and will be made into a documentary for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Aircraft operated
- 1918 - Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2bRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.2The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...
- 1941 - Hawker Hurricance IIBHawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
- 1941 - Supermarine Spitfire IIBSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
- 1942 - Supermarine Spitfire VA and VBSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
- 1942 - Supermarine Spitfire IXSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Fiction
In the 2005 episode of Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, "The Empty Child
The Empty Child
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
", Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
, from the 51st century, is posing as a volunteer in the squadron during 1941.
External links
- 133 Squadron history
- RAF Eagle Squadron (historic video)