No. 200 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 200 Squadron of the Royal Air Force
operated during the Second World War.
It was formed in May 1941 from a section of No. 206 Squadron RAF
, at Bircham Newton
in Norfolk
, operating Lockheed Hudson
bombers. That June, it deployed to Gibraltar
and then the Gambia, where it flew convoy protection missions out of Jeswang, moving to Yundum
in 1943 and re-equipping with Liberator VI
bombers.
In August 1943, Flying Officer
Lloyd Allan Trigg
was awarded the Victoria Cross
for an action in which his aircraft sank U-468, a German submarine
. Flying out of Banjul
, the Liberator V he piloted depth-charged the submarine, taking heavy anti-aircraft fire in the process and crashing into the ocean with the loss of all crew. The only survivors of the engagement were seven German crewmen, who commended the bravery of the aircrew, making this one of the few Victoria Cross
es to have been awarded on the recommendation of an enemy officer (and the sole VC to be awarded solely on enemy testimony).
Detachments of the squadron also flew from several other West African bases in this period.
In March 1944, the squadron redeployed to India; in April 1945 it was renumbered as No. 8 Squadron RAF and 200 Squadron was disbanded.
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...
operated during the Second World War.
It was formed in May 1941 from a section of No. 206 Squadron RAF
No. 206 Squadron RAF
No. 206 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit employed, until 2005, in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR.2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also...
, at Bircham Newton
Bircham Newton
Bircham Newton is the smallest of the three villages that make up the civil parish of Bircham, in the west of the English county of Norfolk. The village is located about 1 km north of the larger village of Great Bircham, 20 km north-east of the town of King's Lynn, and 60 km...
in 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...
, operating Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
bombers. That June, it deployed to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and then the Gambia, where it flew convoy protection missions out of Jeswang, moving to Yundum
Yundum
Yundum is a small town in Gambia, east of the capital, Banjul. It is situated adjacent to the country's international airport....
in 1943 and re-equipping with Liberator VI
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bombers.
In August 1943, Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Lloyd Allan Trigg
Lloyd Allan Trigg
Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC , of Houhora, New Zealand, was a pilot in the RNZAF. He was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy for British and Commonwealth armed forces...
was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for an action in which his aircraft sank U-468, a German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. Flying out of Banjul
Banjul
-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
, the Liberator V he piloted depth-charged the submarine, taking heavy anti-aircraft fire in the process and crashing into the ocean with the loss of all crew. The only survivors of the engagement were seven German crewmen, who commended the bravery of the aircrew, making this one of the few Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es to have been awarded on the recommendation of an enemy officer (and the sole VC to be awarded solely on enemy testimony).
Detachments of the squadron also flew from several other West African bases in this period.
In March 1944, the squadron redeployed to India; in April 1945 it was renumbered as No. 8 Squadron RAF and 200 Squadron was disbanded.
Aircraft operated
- 1941 - Lockheed Hudson IVLockheed HudsonThe Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
- 1942 - Lockheed Hudson III and IIIALockheed HudsonThe Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
- 1942 - Lockheed Hudson VILockheed HudsonThe Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
- 1943 - Consolidated Liberator V
- 1944 - Consolidated Liberator VI