7 Squadron was a unit 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 ...

which served in the Second World War as well as in South Africa between 1951 and 1992. During the war, the squadron was used as a fighter squadron deployed to the Western Desert as well as in the Aegean, Italy and

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. The squadron was inactive from the end of the war until 1951 when it re-activated as a citizen force training squadron, a role it retained during two periods of active service until 1992, when it was disbanded for the last time.

History

7 Squadron was formed as a South African Air Force unit on 12 January 1942 at Zwartkop Air Station equipped with Harvard and Mohawk aircraft, with

Douglas Loftus Douglas Haig Loftus (1917-1991) was a South African flying ace of World War II, credited with 4 'kills' and 1 shared. After joining the Permanent Force he served with the Coastal Artillery before moving to the South African Air Force, joining ...

as commanding officer. It was re-equipped with Hurricane Mk Is in April 1942 and was then moved to Egypt. By the time the war in Africa had been concluded, the squadron was equipped with Spitfire Mk Vs in July 1943 and was tasked with convoy escort and fighter-interception sorties. On 10 September 1943 six pilots and a

DC-3 Dakota The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper v ...

with ground staff were ordered to Cyprus to set up an advanced base to provide air cover for the planned invasion of the

Dodecanese Islands The Dodecanese (, ; , ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger and 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. This island group generally defines ...

. It transpired that the initial intention was that the squadron, consisting of six

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

Mk Vs, was to be the total air cover contingent for the planned invasion. However, by 13 September the squadron was joined by two more of the squadron's Spitfires all operating from the island of Kos. They were later joined by 74 Squadron RAF but by then the Luftwaffe attacks on Kos had severely damaged the primitive airfields and after intense aerial fighting, there was only one serviceable Spitfire left in the squadron by 1 October. On 3 October German landings commenced and the grounded SAAF personnel were compelled to escape by whatever means possible – some crossed to Turkey in small boats and others were evacuated back to Egypt with the retreating allied ground forces. By the time of re-assembly in Egypt, the squadron had lost six officers killed and 15 other ranks missing for the cost of 12 enemy aircraft having been shot down. The squadron remained in Egypt for a few months, and then in April 1944, equipped with Spitfire Mk lXs, rejoined No. 7 Wing in Italy. After the surrender of German forces in Italy, the squadron was sent to the Far East, but the war in the East ended before the squadron could be deployed. It then returned to Ceylon and thereafter back to South Africa. It was disbanded on 10 September 1945. The squadron was reformed at Ysterplaat Air Station in August 1951 and was equipped with Harvards and was again disbanded in 1959. It was re-formed once more at Youngsfield in the Cape on 1 August 1961 and later moved to Ysterplaat in 1969. The squadron received Impala Mk Is in 1977 as a citizen force unit and was moved to Cape Town International Airport in 1978. It was again moved to AFB Langebaanweg and to AFB Pietersburg. The squadron was disbanded in December 1992.

Aircraft

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations {{SAAF navbox Squadrons of the South African Air Force Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992

History

Aircraft

See also

Notes