No. 26 Squadron RAF facts for kids
Quick facts for kids No. 26 (South African) Squadron RAF |
|
|---|---|
No. 26 Squadron badge
|
|
| Active | 8 October 1915 - 1 April 1976 |
| Branch | Royal Air Force. |
| Type | Army Co-operation Unit. |
| Motto(s) | N Wagter in die Lug Afrikaans: "A guard in the sky". |
| Battle honours | East Africa, 1916-18: France & Low Countries, 1939-40: Dunkirk: Fortress Europe, 1940-44: Dieppe: France & Germany, 1944-45: Normandy, 1944: Walcheren. |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A springbok's head couped |
| Squadron Roundel |  |
No. 26 Squadron was a special unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was created in 1915 and stopped operating for good in 1976. Their motto was N Wagter in die Lug, which means "A guard in the sky" in Afrikaans. Their badge showed a springbok's head.
Contents
The Story of No. 26 Squadron
Early Days: 1915-1918
No. 26 Squadron started at Netheravon on October 8, 1915. It was made up of people from the South African Air Corps. The squadron used B.E.s and Farmans planes. They were sent to East Africa in 1915, arriving in Mombasa in January 1916. In February 1918, the squadron returned to the UK. It was then officially closed down in July 1918.
Between the World Wars
No. 26 Squadron was started again on October 11, 1927, at Catterick. It began with one group of Armstrong Whitworth Atlas planes. These planes helped the army. A second group was added on September 1, 1928. In July 1933, they received Hawker Audax planes. These were replaced by Hawker Hectors in August 1937.
No. 26 Squadron in World War II
When the Second World War began, the squadron had Westland Lysander planes. In October 1939, they moved to France. When Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, No. 26 Squadron had to move to Lympne. From there, they flew missions to scout, bomb, and deliver supplies over northern France.
Coastal patrols started in June 1940. For the next few years, the squadron mostly trained with the army. In February 1941, Curtiss Tomahawks began to arrive. These planes replaced the Lysanders for scouting missions. In October 1941, the Tomahawks started flying low-level attacks over northern France. However, they were not fast enough for these missions.
So, in January 1942, North American Mustangs replaced the Tomahawks. The squadron continued to fly scouting and attack missions until July 1943. They then moved to Yorkshire and later to Scotland in March 1944.
To get ready for the Normandy landings, No. 26 Squadron practiced spotting naval guns. They did this job on and after D-Day. For this role, the squadron used Supermarine Spitfires. But in December 1944, they went back to using Mustangs. These were for scouting missions over the Netherlands. In April 1945, the squadron spent two weeks helping French warships. They spotted targets for the ships to bomb German forces. In August, the squadron moved to Germany. No. 26 Squadron stayed there until April 1, 1946, when it was closed down again.
After the War: 1946-1976
On the same day it was disbanded, No. 41 Squadron was renamed No. 26 Squadron. This happened at Wunstorf. They flew Spitfires and Hawker Tempests until April 1949. Then, they received de Havilland Vampire planes. In November 1953, while at RAF Oldenburg, No. 26 Squadron switched to Sabres. They changed again to Hunters in July 1955. The squadron remained a day-fighter unit until it was closed on September 10, 1957.
It was started again with Hawker Hunters at RAF Gutersloh on June 7, 1958. But it was closed down once more on December 30, 1960. No. 26 Squadron was reformed again at RAF Odiham on June 1, 1962. This time, it became a helicopter squadron, flying Bristol Belvederes.
A first group of personnel moved to Aden in March 1963. The rest went to RAF Kuching, Borneo in November 1963 for a one-year trip. The helicopters that stayed in RAF Khormaksar in 1965 went to Singapore on November 30, 1965. There, they joined No. 66 Squadron RAF. The ground crew went to No. 74 Squadron.
On February 3, 1969, the Training Command Communications Squadron at RAF Wyton was renamed No. 26 Squadron. This squadron used a mix of Beagle Bassets and Percival Pembrokes. Their job was to provide communication support for RAF Training Command. The squadron stopped using its Pembrokes in March 1971. In July of that year, they received de Havilland Devons. The squadron's Bassets were retired in May 1974. No. 26 Squadron continued with Devons until it was finally closed down on April 1, 1976.
See also
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
