The 310th Czechoslovak Squadron ( eng. No. 310 Squadron RAF ) - formation ( squadron ) of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, consisting of Czechoslovak volunteers and participating in the Second World War. The call signs of the pilots of this squadron began with the letters NN .
| 310th Czechoslovak Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Official emblem of the 310th air squadron | |
| Years of existence | July 29, 1940 - February 15, 1946 |
| A country |  Great Britain  Czechoslovakia |
| Enters into | British Air Force |
| Type of | fighter squadron (since 1944 - fighter-bomber squadron) |
| Function | day departures |
| Motto | We Fight to Rebuild (from English - “We fight to rebuild”) |
| Equipment | Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire |
| Participation in | The Second World War
|
| Commanders | |
| Famous Commanders | Douglas Blackwood |
Content
History
Recruitment of volunteers in the squadron began officially in Duxford July 10, 1940 : this squadron was the first foreign squadron in the British Air Force during World War II. Most of the volunteers were Czechs and Slovaks who fled from the Nazis. Squadron originally used Hawker Hurricane I fighter jets.
The first commander of the 310th Squadron was Douglas Blackwood, who recruited experienced pilots. Within a month, the squadron became a full-fledged part of the British Air Force as part of the 12th Fighter Group and the Duxford Large Air Wing. During the Battle of Britain, the pilots of the 310th squadron won 37 official victories.
Since 1941, the squadron began to fly out of the English Channel and escort bombers. In March 1941, the new Hurricanes II entered service. In July 1941, the squadron flew over to Dyce base in Scotland for a rest and received Supermarine Spitfire models IIa and Vb in October 1941. In December 1941, the squadron again moved to defensive operations based in Cornwall, resting again in June 1943 for three months in Scotland.
In 1944, the Czechoslovak 310th already received the most modern Spitfire IX, retraining in the fighter-bomber squadron as part of the 134th wing. She participated in the bombing and ground attacks during the landing in Normandy, and spent the end of the war, patrolling the coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands. The total number of victories reached 52 by the end of the war, and in 4 cases the pilots shot down the German "flying bombs" V-1 .
On August 7, 1945, the squadron flew over to Hildesheim , and from there to Prague , where it became part of the Czechoslovak Air Force. Officially disbanded on February 15, 1946 .
Aircraft involved
| Service start | End of service | Aircraft | Modification |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1940 | March 1941 | Hawker hurricane | I |
| March 1941 | December 1941 | Hawker hurricane | IIa |
| June 1941 | November 1941 | Hawker hurricane | Iib |
| October 1941 | December 1941 | Supermarine spitfire | IIa |
| November 1941 | March 1944 | Supermarine spitfire | Vb |
| July 1942 | June 1943 | Supermarine spitfire | Vc |
| July 1943 | September 1943 | Supermarine spitfire | VI |
| September 1943 | March 1944 | Supermarine spitfire | Vc |
| January 1944 | July 1944 | Supermarine spitfire | Lf.ix |
| July 1944 | September 1944 | Supermarine spitfire | Vb |
| August 1944 | February 1946 | Supermarine spitfire | Lf.ix |
In popular culture
The 310th Squadron is mentioned in the song Aces in Exile by the Swedish power metal band Sabaton [3] .
Notes
- ↑ Rawlings 1978, p. 397.
- ↑ Halley 1988, p. 362.
- ↑ Aces in Exile lyrics (rus.) (Eng.)
Literature
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9 .
- Hurt, Zdenek. In Focus: Czechs in the RAF. Walton on Thames, Surrey, UK: Red Kite, 2004. ISBN 0-9538061-9-7 .
- Jefford, Wing Commander CG MBE, BA, RAF (Retd.). RAF Squadrons, Since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 ISBN 978-1-85310-053-6 (Second Edition: 2001, ISBN 978-1- 84037-141-3 ).
- Polak, Tomas and Jiri Rajlich. No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, 1940-45: Hurricane, Spitfire. France: WWW.RAF-in-Combat.com, 2008. ISBN 978-2-9526381-5-9 .
- Rawlings, John the DR Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X .