No. 52 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 52 Squadron was a Royal Air Force
squadron
that saw service in both World War I
and World War II
.
was formed as a Corps Reconnaissance squadron at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
on 15 May 1916. It moved to France in November that year, being the first squadron equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
. At first the squadron had little success with its R.E.8s, suffering many spinning accidents, and these losses affected morale so much that in January 1917 the squadron swapped its R.E.8s for the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s of 34 Squadron
. It re-equipped again with R.E.8s in May, flying in support of the allied offensives at Ypres that summer. In March 1918 it suffered heavy losses flying ground attack sorties against the German Spring Offensive
in March 1918. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force
when the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
on 1 April 1918, continuing in the Corps Reconnaissance role, for the rest of the war. It returned to the United Kingdom in February 1919, disbanding at Lopcombe Corner on 23 October 1919.
on 18 January 1937 from a nucleus provided by 15 Squadron. It was initially equipped with Hawker Hind
biplane light bombers, these being replaced by Fairey Battle
monoplane
s from November 1937. In February 1939, the squadron became was assigned the task of training crews for the other squadrons in its group, with its Battles being supplemented by Avro Anson
to aid the training task. Following the outbreak of the Second World War it continued in the training role, supporting the Battle equipped Advanced Air Striking Force before being absorbed into No 12 Operational Training Unit on 8 April 1940.
The squadron reformed on 1 July 1941 at RAF Habbaniya
in Iraq as a maintenance unit. Although it had no aircrew, it did have 21 Hawker Audaxes on charge, which were occasionally flown by members of other units based at Habbaniya on reconnaissance missions. In December that year the Audaxes were disposed of, while the Squadron moved to Mosul
in August 1942.
No. 52 became a flying squadron again in October 1942, when it received Bristol Blenheim
s, which were used for survey work over Iraq. Its Blenheims were supplemented with Martin Baltimore
s in January 1943. It moved to Egypt in February 1943, when it discarded its Blenheims to become a solely Batimore equipped Squadron. 24 Squadron moved to Tunisia in June 1943, where it became operational, flying maritime reconnaissance and Air-Sea-Rescue searches. The squadron moved to Italy in November that year, with detachments at Malta, and then moved again to Gibraltar
in February 1944, disbanding on 31 March 1944.
, a transport squadron equipped with a mix of Lockheed Hudson
s and Douglas Dakotas based at Dum Dum
near Calcutta, India, was split into two, with the Dakota equipped 'C' and 'D' Flights becoming 52 Squadron. A major role of the new squadron was flying air mail over the Himalaya Mountains
to China, the so called "Hump route
". It was also used to operate a mail and general transport service throughout India and Ceylon
.
The Squadron received a number of Liberators in December 1944 for Hump operations, with a few Beechcraft Expeditor
light transports and de Havilland Tiger Moth
s modified as air ambulance
s in 1945. It continued its transport routes to China and throughout India following the end of the War, extending them to Malaya. By the time flights over the Hump route to China finished in December 1945, the Squadron had flown 830 crossings of the Himalayas, carrying 3,277 passengers, 1,916,443 lb (871,100 kg) of cargo and 454,834 lb (20,380 kg) of mail for the loss of one aircraft.
The squadron moved to Mingladon in Burma in October 1946, but transferred to Singapore in July 1947 following a coup. From here it was soon involved in 'Operation Firedog'. Dakotas were replaced by Valettas in 1951 and based at RAAF Butterworth these continued to be used on a regular passenger run between Singapore and Butterworth until unreliability forced cessation of passenger carrying. The squadron continued to operate, notably from Kuching dropping supplies to the jungle troops, mainly Gurkhas, fighting the Indonesian troops in the confrontation war until disbanded on 25 April 1966. The squadron reformed, for the final time so far, on 1 December 1966 at Seletar. It was still employed on general transport duties but was now equipped with Andover aircraft, which it used until disbanding on 31 December 1969.
Motto: Sudore quam sanguine (By sweat other than through blood)
It was reformed at RAF Seletar in March 1967 with the arrival of three Andover C Mk.1 aircraft, adding to the three that had arrived in December 1966.
The aircraft were XS606, XS607, XS608, XS612, XS613 and XS637.
Confrontation with Indonesia had finished just before the squadron's Andovers arrived, and rumour has it that the Air Commander was all for sending the aircraft back to the UK.
Tasks were found for the squadron with regular flights to RAAF Butterworth, a twice weekly flight to RAF Kuching, Seria
Anduki and RAF Labuan, with the aircraft returning after a night stop. The latter flight was also utilised to ferry Gurkha
troops to Singapore for onward flights to Nepal
.
Other than this, the only route fights were trainers under one pretext or another. Flights were undertaken to Hong Kong via Saigon and, by using a single ferry tank
, a direct return flight was possible.
Bangkok was always a favourite with a tour of the USAF bases, occasionally witnessing the start or finish of a strike against the North Vietnamese.
Laos was visited, as was Cambodia. Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & two Bars, AFC was flown to Indonesia to review the Indonesian Air Force
after the end of confrontation.
Nearer home, para dropping of the SAS and dropping of Seac packs kept the squadron up to standard in those skills. A few landings on the short strips used by the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer
s were also carried out.
In 1968 the squadron was relocated to RAF Changi. The Squadron Commander was most displeased when one aircraft arrived supposedly full of spares but carrying only the captain's motorcycle and the inevitable six sided Ukkers Board.
The squadron was disbanded at RAF Changi in January 1970, and the aircraft returned to the UK.
Two Andover C2 aircraft transferred to 48Sqn, XS791&792
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...
squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
that saw service in both World War I
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...
and 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...
.
First World War
No. 52 Squadron of the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
was formed as a Corps Reconnaissance squadron at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome was a grass airfield, operational 1914-1920. It was situated in the London borough of Hounslow, and in 1919 was the location from which the first scheduled daily international commercial air services took place.-1909-1914:...
on 15 May 1916. It moved to France in November that year, being the first squadron equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed by John Kenworthy. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was more difficult to fly, and was regarded with great suspicion at first in the Royal...
. At first the squadron had little success with its R.E.8s, suffering many spinning accidents, and these losses affected morale so much that in January 1917 the squadron swapped its R.E.8s for the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s of 34 Squadron
No. 34 Squadron RAF
No. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron, and in the 1930s operated light bombers...
. It re-equipped again with R.E.8s in May, flying in support of the allied offensives at Ypres that summer. In March 1918 it suffered heavy losses flying ground attack sorties against the German Spring Offensive
Operation Michael
Operation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
in March 1918. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force
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...
when the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
on 1 April 1918, continuing in the Corps Reconnaissance role, for the rest of the war. It returned to the United Kingdom in February 1919, disbanding at Lopcombe Corner on 23 October 1919.
Reformation
No 52 Squadron reformed at RAF AbingdonRAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps....
on 18 January 1937 from a nucleus provided by 15 Squadron. It was initially equipped with Hawker Hind
Hawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
biplane light bombers, these being replaced by Fairey Battle
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
s from November 1937. In February 1939, the squadron became was assigned the task of training crews for the other squadrons in its group, with its Battles being supplemented by 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...
to aid the training task. Following the outbreak of the Second World War it continued in the training role, supporting the Battle equipped Advanced Air Striking Force before being absorbed into No 12 Operational Training Unit on 8 April 1940.
The squadron reformed on 1 July 1941 at RAF Habbaniya
RAF Habbaniya
Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah...
in Iraq as a maintenance unit. Although it had no aircrew, it did have 21 Hawker Audaxes on charge, which were occasionally flown by members of other units based at Habbaniya on reconnaissance missions. In December that year the Audaxes were disposed of, while the Squadron moved to Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
in August 1942.
No. 52 became a flying squadron again in October 1942, when it received Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s, which were used for survey work over Iraq. Its Blenheims were supplemented with Martin Baltimore
Martin Baltimore
The Martin 187 Baltimore was a two-engined light attack bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company in the United States, originally ordered by the French in May 1940 as a follow-up to the earlier Martin Maryland, then in service in France. With the fall of France, the production series was...
s in January 1943. It moved to Egypt in February 1943, when it discarded its Blenheims to become a solely Batimore equipped Squadron. 24 Squadron moved to Tunisia in June 1943, where it became operational, flying maritime reconnaissance and Air-Sea-Rescue searches. The squadron moved to Italy in November that year, with detachments at Malta, and then moved again 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...
in February 1944, disbanding on 31 March 1944.
Transport squadron
On 1 July 1944, 353 SquadronNo. 353 Squadron RAF
No. 353 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron, active during World War II in the patrol and transport role.-History:No. 353 Squadron was formed on 1 June 1942 at Dum Dum, British India from 62 Squadron RAF and 103 Flight, Indian Air Force. The squadron was engaged in coastal patrols over the...
, a transport squadron equipped with a mix of 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...
s and Douglas Dakotas based at Dum Dum
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
near Calcutta, India, was split into two, with the Dakota equipped 'C' and 'D' Flights becoming 52 Squadron. A major role of the new squadron was flying air mail over the Himalaya Mountains
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
to China, the so called "Hump route
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
". It was also used to operate a mail and general transport service throughout India and Ceylon
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...
.
The Squadron received a number of Liberators in December 1944 for Hump operations, with a few Beechcraft Expeditor
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
light transports and de Havilland Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
s modified as air ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
s in 1945. It continued its transport routes to China and throughout India following the end of the War, extending them to Malaya. By the time flights over the Hump route to China finished in December 1945, the Squadron had flown 830 crossings of the Himalayas, carrying 3,277 passengers, 1,916,443 lb (871,100 kg) of cargo and 454,834 lb (20,380 kg) of mail for the loss of one aircraft.
The squadron moved to Mingladon in Burma in October 1946, but transferred to Singapore in July 1947 following a coup. From here it was soon involved in 'Operation Firedog'. Dakotas were replaced by Valettas in 1951 and based at RAAF Butterworth these continued to be used on a regular passenger run between Singapore and Butterworth until unreliability forced cessation of passenger carrying. The squadron continued to operate, notably from Kuching dropping supplies to the jungle troops, mainly Gurkhas, fighting the Indonesian troops in the confrontation war until disbanded on 25 April 1966. The squadron reformed, for the final time so far, on 1 December 1966 at Seletar. It was still employed on general transport duties but was now equipped with Andover aircraft, which it used until disbanding on 31 December 1969.
Motto: Sudore quam sanguine (By sweat other than through blood)
It was reformed at RAF Seletar in March 1967 with the arrival of three Andover C Mk.1 aircraft, adding to the three that had arrived in December 1966.
The aircraft were XS606, XS607, XS608, XS612, XS613 and XS637.
Confrontation with Indonesia had finished just before the squadron's Andovers arrived, and rumour has it that the Air Commander was all for sending the aircraft back to the UK.
Tasks were found for the squadron with regular flights to RAAF Butterworth, a twice weekly flight to RAF Kuching, Seria
Seria
Seria is a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Its full name is Pekan Seria in full . Seria was originally known as Padang Berawa which is Wild Pigeon's Field in Malay. The name "Seria" comes from the river located very near where oil was first discovered in the area in 1929...
Anduki and RAF Labuan, with the aircraft returning after a night stop. The latter flight was also utilised to ferry Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
troops to Singapore for onward flights to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Other than this, the only route fights were trainers under one pretext or another. Flights were undertaken to Hong Kong via Saigon and, by using a single ferry tank
Ferry tank
A ferry tank is an auxiliary fuel container that is usually temporarily attached to a motorized device which it feeds fuel to. A ferry tanks allows the motor to be used for an extra amount of time than the built specifications...
, a direct return flight was possible.
Bangkok was always a favourite with a tour of the USAF bases, occasionally witnessing the start or finish of a strike against the North Vietnamese.
Laos was visited, as was Cambodia. Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & two Bars, AFC was flown to Indonesia to review the Indonesian Air Force
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force is the air force branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.The Indonesian Air Force has 34,930 personnel equipped with 110 combat aircraft including Su-27 and Su-30.-Before Indonesian independence :...
after the end of confrontation.
Nearer home, para dropping of the SAS and dropping of Seac packs kept the squadron up to standard in those skills. A few landings on the short strips used by the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. Ltd., 1964.*Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X....
s were also carried out.
In 1968 the squadron was relocated to RAF Changi. The Squadron Commander was most displeased when one aircraft arrived supposedly full of spares but carrying only the captain's motorcycle and the inevitable six sided Ukkers Board.
The squadron was disbanded at RAF Changi in January 1970, and the aircraft returned to the UK.
Two Andover C2 aircraft transferred to 48Sqn, XS791&792