Summary
No. 525 Squadron was a Royal Air Force transport aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.
| No. 525 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 September 1943 – 1 December 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Part of | No. 44 Group, RAF Transport Command[1] (1943–1944) No. 47 Group, RAF Transport Command[2] (1945–1946) |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Vinciendo Vincimus (Translation: "We link together to conquer")[3] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A winged foot enfiled by a chaplet of roses and maple leaves[3] |
| Squadron Codes | 8P (Allocation confirmed, use unconfirmed)[4][5] WF (Feb 1945 – Dec 1946)[6] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Vickers Warwick Twin-engined converted former medium bomber C-47 Skytrain Twin-engined military transport version of famous Douglas DC-3 Dakota airliner Short Stirling Four-engined converted former heavy bomber |
History edit
The squadron was formed on 1 September 1943 at RAF Weston Zoyland to operate the Vickers Warwick in the transport role.[7] It first operated on the routes from England to Gibraltar and North Africa, but the Warwick was not the best aircraft for the role and it was withdrawn in 1944.[7] The Warwick was replaced with the Douglas Dakota and one example[8] of the Mark III transport version of the former four-engined heavy bomber, the Short Stirling.[9] The squadron soon operated on routes throughout Europe and also became mainly manned by Canadian personnel.[7] By the end of the war it was mainly operating routes to India.[7] The Canadians withdrew at the end of the war, but the squadron continued with trooping flights.[7] On 1 December 1946 the squadron was disbanded at RAF Abingdon, when it was re-numbered to 238 Squadron.[7][9]
Aircraft operated edit
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1943 | September 1944 | Vickers Warwick | Mk.I |
| June 1944 | July 1945 | Douglas Dakota | Mk.III |
| July 1944 | November 1944 | Short Stirling | Mk.III |
| August 1944 | September 1944 | Vickers Warwick | Mk.III |
| February 1945 | December 1946 | Douglas Dakota | Mk.IV |
Squadron airfields edit
| From | To | Airfield | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1943 | 6 February 1944 | RAF Weston Zoyland, Somerset | |
| 6 February 1944 | 15 July 1945 | RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire | Det. at RAF Almaza, Egypt |
| 15 July 1945 | 31 October 1945 | RAF Membury, Berkshire | Det. at Vienna-Schwechat, Austria |
| 31 October 1945 | 1 December 1946 | RAF Abingdon, Berkshire | Det. at Vienna-Schwechat, Austria |
Commanding officers edit
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| October 1943 | September 1944 | W/Cdr. C.E.F. Riley |
| September 1944 | June 1945 | W/Cdr. D.R. Miller |
| June 1945 | March 1946 | W/Cdr. R.G. Dutton, DSO, DFC |
| March 1946 | December 1946 | W/Cdr. H.G. Newman |
See also edit
References edit
- Notes
- ^ Delve 1994, p. 74.
- ^ Delve 1994, p. 81.
- ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 400.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 84.
- ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 61.
- ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 116.
- ^ a b c d e f Orbis 1985, p. 4213
- ^ a b c d Rawlings 1982, p. 230.
- ^ a b c d Jefford 2001, p. 97.
- Bibliography
- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
External links edit
- No. 525 Squadron history at old MOD site
- No. 525 Squadron history at new MOD site
- Squadron histories for nos. 521–540 squadron at RafWeb's Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation