No. 295 Squadron RAF

No 295 Squadron RAF was an airborne forces and transport squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It was the first unit to be equipped with the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle transport and glider tug aircraft.

No. 295 Squadron RAF
Active3 August 1942 – 21 January 1946
21 January 1946 – 31 March 1946
10 September 1947 – 31 October 1948
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleAirborne forces and Transport
Part ofNo 38 Group RAF
Motto(s)Latin: In caelo auxilium
(Translation: "Aid from the skies")[1][2]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA hand manacled and couped at the wrist holding a sword in its scabbard in bend sinister[1][2]
Squadron CodesPX (Aug 1942 – Nov 1943)[3]
8Z (Nov 1943 – Jan 1946 ('A' Flt))[4][5]
8E (Feb 1944 – Jan 1946 ('B' Flt))[6][7]

History

With the Airborne Forces
Paratroopers dropping out of a 295 Sqn Whitley, October 1942.

No. 295 Squadron was formed on 3 August 1942 at RAF Netheravon as an airborne forces unit, equipped with Whitley Mk.Vs. These were from November 1942 used in leaflet dropping missions over France, supplemented in February 1943 with Halifax Mk.Vs, which they used in Operation Beggar. By October 1943 the squadron converted to the Albemarle Mk.I. With these aircraft the squadron shared – with 570 Sqn.- the honour of being the first to drop troops over Normandy on the eve of D-Day, while other aircraft of the squadron towed gliders to the landing zones.

An example of the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle as used by No 295 Sqn.

The Albemarles gave way in July 1944 to the Stirling Mk.IV. The squadron used these aircraft during the Battle of Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, again towing gliders.

In early October 1944, Short Stirlings of the RAF's No 295 Squadron took up residence at RAF Rivenhall, with most of its operations consisting of supply drops to Norwegian resistance forces and similar activities over the Netherlands and Denmark. The last assault action with the Stirlings was on 24 March 1945, when the unit took part in Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine. The Stirlings further provided service carrying troops to Norway to disarm the Germans there when the war was over. The squadron was disbanded at Rivenhall on 21 January 1946,[2][8] whereupon the station was held on a care and maintenance basis.

A Short Stirling bomber taking off from RAF Harwell, Oxfordshire with a Horsa glider in tow – Operation Market-Garden, 17 September 1944

With Transport Command

On that same day 190 squadron was renumbered to 295 squadron as a Transport Squadron (Rawlings claims 1 February, and does not mention the renumbering[1]), flying Halifaxes of the A.7 type. It was soon disbanded however, on 31 March 1946 at RAF Tarrant Rushton, the same airfield where it had been reformed,[2] and renumbered to 297 Squadron[8]

With the Airborne Forces again

The squadron was reformed again as an airborne forces squadron on 10 September 1947 at RAF Fairford, again flying Halifaxes, but now the A.9 type. After a little more than a year it disbanded again, at Fairford, on 1 October 1948,[1] on 31 October 1948,[2][9] or on 1 November 1948.[8][10]

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 295 Squadron RAF – data from[1][2][8]
FromToAircraftVariant
August 1942November 1943Armstrong Whitworth WhitleyMk.V
February 1943November 1943Handley Page HalifaxMk.V
October 1943July 1944Armstrong Whitworth AlbemarleMk.I
November 1943July 1944Armstrong Whitworth AlbemarleMk.I
April 1944July 1944Armstrong Whitworth AlbemarleMk.V
June 1944January 1946Short StirlingMk.IV
January 1946March 1946Handley Page HalifaxA.7
September 1947October 1948Handley Page HalifaxA.9

Squadron airfields
Airfields used by No 295 Squadron RAF, data from[1][2][8] FromToStationRemark
3 August 19421 May 1943RAF Netheravon, WiltshireDet. at RAF Hurn, Dorset
1 May 194330 June 1943RAF Holmsley South, Hampshire
30 June 194315 March 1944RAF Hurn, Dorset
15 March 194411 October 1944RAF Harwell, (then) BerkshireDet. at RAF Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
11 October 194421 January 1946RAF Rivenhall, Essex
21 January 19461 April 1946RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset
10 September 19471 November 1948RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire

Commanding officers
Officers Commanding No 295 squadron RAF, data from[1][10]
FromToName
3 August 194229 August 1942Sqn Ldr A.B Wilkinson, DFC(US) (Acting)
29 August 19421 January 1943Wg Cdr G.P. Marvin
1 January 194319 February 1943Wing Commander P.V.M. Lysaght (acting) KIA – Saumur, France
19 February 1943March 1943Squadron Leader L.C. Bartram (acting)
March 194314 September 1944Wing Commander B.R. Macnamara, OPW2(USSR)
14 September 1944November 1945Wing Commander H.E. 'Pluto' Angell, DFC
November 194521 January 1946Wing Commander R.N. Stidolph

References

Notes
  1. Rawlings 1982, p. 194.
  2. Halley 1988, p. 352.
  3. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 98.
  4. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 124.
  5. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 61.
  6. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 39.
  7. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 60.
  8. Jefford 2001, p. 86.
  9. http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/h295.html
  10. http://www.raf38group.org/295squadron

Bibliography
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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