Royal Air Force Derna or more simply RAF Derna is a former
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
located near
Derna,
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
.
History
On 4 November 1943
No. 1586 Flight RAF was formed at RAF Derna.
The following squadrons were also here at some point:
*
No. 6 Squadron RAF between 5 and 8 April 1941 with the
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
*
No. 45 Squadron RAF between 4 and 6 April 1941 with the
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...
IV
*
No. 55 Squadron RAF between 4 and 7 April 1941 with the Bristol Blenheim IV
*
No. 80 Squadron RAF between 7 September and 19 October 1943 with the
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
VC & IX
*
No. 148 Squadron RAF between 5 April and 1 September 1943 with the
Consolidated Liberator I and
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.
The Halifax has its or ...
II
* Detachment of
No. 223 Squadron RAF between September 1942 and March 1943 with the
Martin Baltimore III
*
No. 227 Squadron RAF between 5 May and 24 June 1943 then again between 19 July and 16 August 1943 with the
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufor ...
VIC
*
No. 274 Squadron RAF between 9 August and 7 October 1943 with the Supermarine Spitfire VB & VC
* Detachment of
No. 294 Squadron RAF between September 1943 and March 1944 with the
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 ...
IC &
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine Amphibious aircraft, amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British Squadron (aviation), squadron-service ai ...
* Detachment of
No. 680 Squadron RAF between February and August 1943 with the Supermarine Spitfire IX
See also
*
Martuba Airbase nearby
References
*
Royal Air Force stations in Africa
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