No. 321 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 321 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force
during World War II
formed from the personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service.
, the squadron moved to RAF Carew Cheriton
on 28 July 1940 and became operational. The squadron flew coastal and anti-submarine patrols with Avro Anson
's until the squadron was disbanded, due to lack of personnel, and merged with No. 320 Squadron
on 18 January 1941.
, Sri Lanka
on 15 August 1942 with PBY Catalina's
from personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service who escaped to Ceylon. The squadrons headquarters was based at RAF China Bay with detachments based in Mombasa, Cocos Islands, Socotra
, Masirah, Ceylon
, Durban
, Port Elizabeth
, Aden
& Cape Town
. Supplemented with B-24 Liberator's
in July 1945 the air echelon moved to Cocos Island
in preparation for the proposed invasion of Malaya
.
After the Japanese surrender, relief flights and supply drops to thousands of internees in the POW camps were flown to Java
and Sumatra
, and in October the squadron moved to its new base near Batavia
, where the squadron passed to the control of the Dutch Naval Aviation Service on 8 December 1945, keeping the same squadron number No. 321 Squadron MLD. The 321 squadron is to be disbanded in 2005, due to budget cuts.
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|To
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Version
|-
| Jun 1940
| Jan 1941
| Avro Anson
| Mk.I
|-
| Aug 1942
| Dec 1944
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.II
|-
| Dec 1943
| Aug 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.III
|-
| Dec 1944
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Liberator
| Mk.VI
|-
| Aug 1945
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.Va
|-
| Dec 1945
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.IVb
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|To
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Name
|-
| Jun 1940
| Aug 1940
| Lt/Cdr. H. Kolff
|-
| Aug 1940
| Oct 1940
| Lt/Cdr. M.G. Smalt
|-
| Oct 1940
| Jan 1941
| Lt/Cdr. W. van Lier
|-
| Jul 1942
| 1945
| Lt/Cdr. W. van Prooijen
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...
formed from the personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service.
Formation
Formed on 1 June 1940 at Pembroke DockPembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
, the squadron moved to RAF Carew Cheriton
RAF Carew Cheriton
RAF Carew Cheriton was a World War II Royal Air Force airfield of Coastal and Training Command near Carew Pembrokeshire. It was sited 6 miles north of Tenby. It was built on the site of RNAS Pembroke from World War I, which had been decommissioned and sold off in the inter war years.Carew...
on 28 July 1940 and became operational. The squadron flew coastal and anti-submarine patrols with Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
's until the squadron was disbanded, due to lack of personnel, and merged with No. 320 Squadron
No. 320 Squadron RAF
No. 320 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during World War II formed from the personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service.-Formation:...
on 18 January 1941.
Catalinas
The squadron was re-activated at TrincomaleeTrincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
on 15 August 1942 with PBY Catalina's
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
from personnel of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service who escaped to Ceylon. The squadrons headquarters was based at RAF China Bay with detachments based in Mombasa, Cocos Islands, Socotra
Socotra Airport
Socotra Airport is an airport in Socotra, Yemen . It is the only commercial airport that serves the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea and its capital town of Hadibo...
, Masirah, Ceylon
Ratmalana Airport
Ratmalana Airport , formally known as Colombo Airport, is a major domestic airport and military base in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was once Colombo's international airport, until the current Bandaranaike International Airport opened in the 1960s...
, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth Airport
Port Elizabeth Airport , formerly H. F. Verwoerd Airport, is an airport situated in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The airport is owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa which also operates nine other airports around South Africa....
, Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
& Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. Supplemented with B-24 Liberator's
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...
in July 1945 the air echelon moved to Cocos Island
Cocos Island
Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
in preparation for the proposed invasion of Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
.
After the Japanese surrender, relief flights and supply drops to thousands of internees in the POW camps were flown to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, and in October the squadron moved to its new base near Batavia
Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport
-Accidents and Incidents:*On 24 June 1982, British Airways Flight 009, a Boeing 747-200 flew through a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, causing the failure of all four engines. The crew diverted the aircraft to Jakarta and it landed safely.-References:* -External...
, where the squadron passed to the control of the Dutch Naval Aviation Service on 8 December 1945, keeping the same squadron number No. 321 Squadron MLD. The 321 squadron is to be disbanded in 2005, due to budget cuts.
Aircraft operated
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|From! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|To
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Version
|-
| Jun 1940
| Jan 1941
| Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
| Mk.I
|-
| Aug 1942
| Dec 1944
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.II
|-
| Dec 1943
| Aug 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.III
|-
| Dec 1944
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Liberator
| Mk.VI
|-
| Aug 1945
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.Va
|-
| Dec 1945
| Dec 1945
| Consolidated Catalina
| Mk.IVb
Commanding officers
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|From! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|To
! style="text-align: left; background: #B0C4DE;"|Name
|-
| Jun 1940
| Aug 1940
| Lt/Cdr. H. Kolff
|-
| Aug 1940
| Oct 1940
| Lt/Cdr. M.G. Smalt
|-
| Oct 1940
| Jan 1941
| Lt/Cdr. W. van Lier
|-
| Jul 1942
| 1945
| Lt/Cdr. W. van Prooijen