Number 33 Squadron of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
operates the
Westland Puma HC.2 from
RAF Benson
Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located at Benson, near Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line station and home to the RAF's fleet of Westland Puma HC2 support helicopters, us ...
,
Oxfordshire.
History
First World War
No. 33 Squadron of the
Royal Flying Corps was formed from part of
No. 12 Squadron at
Filton
Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...
on 12 January 1916. For the remainder of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the squadron was employed for Home Defence in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
, guarding against German airship raids against northern
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, being first equipped with
Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2s, these being supplemented with
Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2s. Its headquarters were at
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
, with its flights based on three stations:
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England.
RAF Scampton stands on the site of a Firs ...
(A Flight),
RAF Kirton in Lindsey (B Flight) and
RAF Elsham Wolds
Royal Air Force Elsham Wolds or more simply RAF Elsham Wolds is a former Royal Air Force station in England, which operated in the First World War and the Second World War. It is located just to the north east of the village of Elsham in nort ...
(C Flight). The FE.2s were replaced by
Bristol Fighters in June 1918, which were in turn replaced by
night fighter
A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...
s in August. The squadron did not destroy any enemy airships, despite a number of interceptions and was disbanded in June 1919.
[Rawlings 1970, p. 327.]
Between the wars
The Squadron was reformed at
RAF Netheravon
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) ...
on 1 March 1929 as a bomber unit, equipped first with the
Hawker Horsley and in February 1930, it became the first squadron to receive the new
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
, an aircraft faster than the RAF's
fighter aircraft. In 1935, as part of Britain's response to the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War, the unit moved to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, taking part in air policing in
Palestine.
In February 1938, the squadron re-equipped with
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.
Developed private ...
s, changing role to a fighter squadron, although at first it continued in support of British ground forces in Palestine.
Second World War
With the exception of a time in Greece and Crete in 1941, 33 Sqn remained in the Middle East for most of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Equipped initially with the Gloster Gladiators they had used in Palestine, the Squadron claimed its first victories of the Second World War on 14 June 1940, while supporting the British capture of
Fort Capuzzo, when the squadron shot down an Italian
Caproni Ca 310 and a
Fiat CR.32. It suffered its first losses of the war five days later in a combat with
Fiat CR.42 Falcos, with one Gladiator being shot down in exchange for two Fiats. The squadron re-equipped with Hurricanes in October 1940, allowing it to intercept the Italian
SM.79 bombers, which were faster than the Gladiator.
[Rawlings 1970, p.328.]
It was withdrawn from the desert fighting in January 1941, in order to help resist the
Italian invasion of Greece
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
. From 12 March,
Pat Pattle
Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle, (3 July 1914 – 20 April 1941), usually known as Pat Pattle, was a South African-born English Second World War fighter pilot and flying ace (an aviator credited with the destruction of five or more enem ...
, the leading Commonwealth flying ace, was in command until he was killed in action on 20 April. The squadron was involved in heavy fighting following the
German intervention, and had to be withdrawn to Crete on 27 April. Due to continuing heavy losses, the squadron had to amalgamate with
No. 80 Squadron RAF and the ground personnel fought hand-to-hand with German paratroopers to protect the airfield.
The remnants of 33 Squadron retired to Egypt by the end of May after the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
.
The Squadron returned to support the Army in the Western Desert, including at the
Battle of El Alamein
There were two battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The Battles occurred in North Africa, in Egypt, in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein.
* First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 July 1942
* Secon ...
, trading its Hurricanes for
Supermarine Spitfires in December 1943.
[Rawlings 1970, pp.328–329.]
Returning to the
UK in 1944 for
Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy), the squadron flew the
Spitfire IX F from
RAF Lympne in
Air Defence of Great Britain
The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was a RAF command comprising substantial army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles. It lasted from 1925, following recommendations that the RAF take control of homeland air ...
, though under the operational control of
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, ...
(2nd TAF). It flew fighter support on
D-Day (6 June 1944), then moved to France with 2nd TAF in October 1944, when it concentrated on ground-attack operations. It re-equipped with the
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest is a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the ''Typhoon II'', was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to a ...
in December, returning to action from
Gilze-Rijen
Gilze en Rijen () is a municipality in the southern Netherlands. The municipality contains four villages: Rijen, Gilze, Hulten and Molenschot. It is home to the Gilze-Rijen Air Base.
Rijen grew in the 19th century due to its leather factories.
P ...
in February 1945, flying fighter sweeps in North West Europe. The squadron remained in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
until 1949.
[Rawlings 1970 p.329.]
Post War operations
From 1949 to 1970, 33 Squadron spent much of its time in the Far East, based at
Kai Tak
Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, until sent to
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
in
Malaya, flying their Tempests in ground attack missions against
Communist guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...
during the
Malayan Emergency. It re-equipped with twin-engined
de Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by de Havilland, was a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction techniques that had been pioneered by the de Havilland Mosquito. Development of the ...
s in 1951, disbanding in March 1955, having flown 6,150 sorties during its stay in Malaya.
On 15 December 1955, it reformed as a night fighter squadron flying
de Havilland Venom
The de Havilland DH 112 Venom is a British post-war single-engined jet aircraft developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Much of its design was derived from the de Havilland Vampire, the firm's first jet-powered comb ...
NF.2s from
RAF Driffield
Royal Air Force Driffield or RAF Driffield is a former Royal Air Force station in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in England. It lies about south-west of Driffield and north-west of Beverley. It is now operated by the Defence Infrastructure Org ...
, being disbanded on 3 June 1957 and reformed on 1 October, by renumbering
No. 264 Squadron, another night fighter squadron operating
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
NF.14s from
RAF Leeming
Royal Air Force Leeming or RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Leeming, North Yorkshire, England. It was opened in 1940 and was jointly used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Between 1950 and 1991, it ...
.
It re-equipped with
Gloster Javelin
The Gloster Javelin is a twin-engined T-tailed delta-wing subsonic night and all-weather interceptor aircraft that served with Britain's Royal Air Force from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. The last aircraft design to bear the Gloster name ...
s in April 1958, at
RAF Middleton St George, being disbanded again on 18 November 1962. A number of types were operated during several disbandments and reformations throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. In April 1965, No. 33 Squadron became a
Bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...
surface-to-air missile unit based at
Butterworth in Malaya, being disbanded on 30 January 1970.
[Rawlings, 1970, pp. 329–330.]
The squadron reformed on 14 June 1971 at
RAF Odiham
RAF Odiham is a Royal Air Force station situated a little to the south of the village of Odiham in Hampshire, England. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook, and of the King’s Helicopter Flight (TKHF) . ...
as the RAF's first
Westland Puma squadron
[No 31 – 35 Squadron Histories](_blank)
. ''Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation''. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2009. it took part in the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
of 1991, the
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...
in the late 1990s, relief operations during the flooding in
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
in 2000 and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
operations in
Bosnia in the early 2000s.
On 8 August 2007, the crash of No. 33 Squadron Puma HC.1 ''ZA934'' left three personnel dead out of twelve on board in
Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 13,000 in 2017 and covering over 2,400 acres (about 10 ...
. The inquest coroner called No. 33 Squadron "a sloppy outfit", that allowed an unqualified crew to operate the helicopter. A recording played at the inquest revealed pilot Dave Sale remarking, "let's scare the shit out of this taxi", before apparently flying above a taxi, an incident that happened two hours prior to the crash, during the same flight.
A
court-martial of the co-pilot stated that "the officers on this board are shocked at the lack of professional standards displayed by those responsible for the aircraft." The squadron was deployed to
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
as part of
Operation Telic in 2009.
[
The Puma HC.1 was withdrawn from service and was replaced by the Puma HC.2 in December 2012.]["UK MoD receives first upgraded Puma HC2."](_blank)
''Flightglobal'', 13 September 2012. Retrieved: 5 January 2013
On 11 October 2015, one personnel member of the squadron was killed in an accident in Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Afghanistan, whilst landing at the NATO Training and Support Mission HQ. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the crash was "an accident and not the result of insurgent activity". The pilot was named a day later, and was repatriated back to the UK on the 20th. The Flight Lieutenant's CO commented saying "He died tragically doing a job he loved and flying an aircraft he had personally invested so much time developing. A loving husband, his loyalty and devotion to his friends, work colleagues and the job was unequalled and his memory and contribution will live on." A post mortem found he died of multiple injuries at an inquest. The inquest was adjourned indefinitely until the conclusion of separate inquiries being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence were completed.
Previous aircraft
Memorials
There is a Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
(RAF) memorial in Crete to the airmen of 30 and 33 Squadrons who died during the battle of Crete. The memorial is located behind the roadside hedge between Maleme and Tavronitis overlooking the () Iron Bridge across the Tavronitis River and the end of Maleme Airport runway.
See also
*List of RAF squadrons
Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, during the First World ...
Notes
Bibliography
Official Squadron page on the RAF Website
Retrieved 2008-06-25
* Ken Delve, ''D-Day: The Air Battle'', London: Arms & Armour Press, 1994, .
* Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1980. .
* Moyes, Philip. ''Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London, Macdonald and Jane's, 1964, Second revised edition 1976. .
*
* Rawlings J.D.R. "History of No. 33 Squadron". ''Air Pictorial'', September 1970, Vol. 32 No. 9. pp. 327–330.
* Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London, Macdonald and Jane's, 1969, Second revised edition 1976. .
External links
No 33 Squadron
{{RAF squadrons
033 Squadron
033 Squadron
Military units and formations established in 1916
1916 establishments in the United Kingdom
Military units and formations in Mandatory Palestine in World War II