26 Squadron SAAF is a disbanded squadron of the

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 ...

. The squadron was based at

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city as well as ...

, Gold Coast (now

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

) on the West Coast of Africa during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. They flew Vickers Wellingtons on anti-submarine and convoy escort patrols over the Atlantic. The squadron was seconded to No. 298 Wing RAF.

History

* First formed: 24 August 1942 * Formed at:

AFB Swartkop Air Force Base Swartkop is South Africa's oldest air force base and houses the South African Air Force Museum. It is managed as part of AFB Waterkloof and houses one of the three branches of the South African Air Force Museum. The name of th ...

, South Africa * First Operational: 4 May 1943 * Main Role: Anti-submarine (U-boat) patrols and convoy escort duties, Atlantic * Main base:

, Gold Coast (now Ghana), West Africa * Historic aircraft flown:

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...

MK X and XI * Disbanded: 12 June 1945 * War Graves: Takoradi European Public cemetery(Ghana), Du Plantation cemetery(Liberia), Yaba Cemetery (Nigeria) * Memorials: Bays Hill Memorial(South Africa) Commonwealth

Air Forces Memorial The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, in Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from air forces of the British Empire who were lost in air and other operations during World War ...

(Malta), Umtentweni Memorial(South Africa) Vickers wellington VIII torpedo

External links

*'
26 Squadron SAAF Web Site (Unofficial)
'' * A Wellington similar to those flown by SAAF 26 Squadron

References

{{SAAF navbox Squadrons of the South African Air Force Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945