12 Squadron was a

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

squadron that served in the Second World War in East Africa and the Western Desert as a

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

squadron. After the war, the squadron was used in various roles, including that of a helicopter squadron until 1963, when it was equipped with

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havilla ...

light bombers, remaining a light bomber and reconnaissance squadron until disbanded in 1990.

History

12 Squadron was formed in December 1939. On 16 June 1940 it flew the first SAAF bombing raid against Italian forces in Abysinna when it attacked the town of

Moyale Moyale is a city situated on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. In Ethiopia, it serves as the administrative centre for two Ethiopian woredas: Moyale of the Oromia Region and Moyale of the Somali Region. In Kenya, it is the largest tow ...

using

Junkers Ju 86 The Junkers Ju 86 is a monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed and produced by the Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Junkers. It was designed during the mid-1930s in response to a specification for a modern twin-engined aircraft suit ...

bombers. 12 Squadron later saw combat during the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

operating

Douglas Boston The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

light bombers. In May 1941 the squadron converted to the

Martin Maryland The Martin Model 167 Maryland was an American light bomber Martin Maryland
Milit ...

, and moved to Egypt. From then until the end of 1941 the squadron formed part of No.3 (S.A.A.F.) Wing (together with

24 Squadron SAAF 24 Squadron SAAF is a disbanded squadron of the South African Air Force. Its last role was as an attack aircraft squadron. The squadron was first formed during World War II on 5 March 1941 by renumbering 14 Squadron SAAF in Egypt. It later carr ...

and

No. 113 Squadron RAF No. 113 Squadron began service in 1917 with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force commanded by General (United Kingdom), General Edmund Allenby. Initially, the squadron was a unit of the Royal Flying Corps, serving during the Sinai and Palestine Camp ...

) and used its Marylands to attack Axis troop concentrations and bases. In January 1942 the squadron received the Douglas Boston, using these aircraft on the same roles from 15 March 1942 until the final German surrender in Tunisia. The squadron then moved to Malta, from where it supported the fighting in Sicily and on the Italian mainland, before moving to Italy in October 1943. Assigned to No. 3 Wing with 21 and 24 squadrons. The Bostons were retained until January 1944, when they were replaced with the new Martin Marauder. Both aircraft were used in a similar role, to attack enemy communications behind the front line, although the Marauder saw more service at day, and against strategic targets. After the war the squadron flew its aircraft back to Egypt, where in November 1945 it disbanded. Following the end of the war in Europe the squadron flew South African personnel home until it was disbanded. 12 Squadron was re-formed in October 1946 equipped with

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

aircraft for anti-

Tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Gloss ...

spraying duties. It operated in this role in Zululand and

Mtubatuba Mtubatuba is a town north of Richards Bay close to the entrance of Ncivi and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously Greater St Lucia Wetland Park) but now the iSimangaliso Wetland Park is known to be under Mtuba town in KwaZulu-Natal, South A ...

. The squadron was later re-equipped with

Sikorsky S-51 The Sikorsky H-5 (initially designated R-5 and also known by company designations S-48, S-51 and VS-327Fitzsimons, Bernard, (general editor). ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 20, p ...

helicopters that were at times also utilised in anti-

spraying duties, it but was eventually made a flight of 28 Squadron. The squadron was re-formed in late 1963 to operate

bombers.Potgieter and Steenkamp (1981), p. 68 It was the only SAAF squadron equipped with Canberras, and they were used as both tactical bombers and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron saw combat over

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

during the

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

,Lord (2008), pp. 70, 101, 139, 172 and remained active with these aircraft in 1981. 12 Squadron was disbanded in 1990. Two ex-12 Squadron Canberras have been preserved by the SAAF.

Aircraft

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * *

External links

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Squadrons of the South African Air Force SAAF12 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1990 1939 establishments in South Africa S