No. 89 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron, mainly active in the fighter role during its existence.
| No. 89 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 Sep 1917 - 4 Jul 1918 25 Sep 1941 - 1 May 1946 15 Sep 1955 – 30 Nov 1958 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Dei Auxilio Telis Meis ("By the help of God with my own weapons")[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A wyvern pierced by a flash of lightning[2] |
| Squadron Roundel |  |
| Squadron Codes | WP (May 1942 - Jun 1942)[3] |
History
editFormation and World War I
editNo. 89 squadron was formed on 1 September 1917 as a training unit at Netheravon. The squadron was not used for operations and remained a training unit until it was disbanded on 4 July 1918.
Re-formation and World War II
editThe squadron was formed again on 25 September 1941 at RAF Colerne, equipped with Bristol Beaufighter night fighters. The squadron moved out to the Middle East to defend the Nile delta and the Suez Canal. On 3 March 1942 the squadron scored its first victory when it shot down a German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111. The squadron was active in the Mediterranean area, sending aircraft to Malta and Algiers, and in 1943 sought targets over Crete and later Sicily. With the withdrawal further north of the German night fighter units, the squadron moved first to Ceylon, then in the summer of 1944 to Burma on intruder missions. The aircraft withdrew from operations to convert to the de Havilland Mosquito. Apart from leaflet dropping from Singapore, there was little for the squadron to do and it was disbanded on 1 May 1946.
1950s
editWith the expansion of RAF Fighter Command in the mid-1950s, the squadron was re-formed on 15 September 1955 at RAF Stradishall and equipped with the de Havilland Venom NF.3. Two years later, these were replaced with the Gloster Javelin. It only flew for a year as an all-weather fighter squadron and was disbanded on 30 November 1957, when it was re-numbered as 85 Squadron.
Aircraft operated
edit| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1917 | Jul 1918 | Various, including Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | |
| Sep 1941 | Oct 1944 | Bristol Beaufighter | Mk.If |
| Jul 1942 | Apr 1945 | Bristol Beaufighter | Mk.VIf |
| Feb 1945 | Apr 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.VI |
| Apr 1945 | Mar 1946 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.XIX |
| Mar 1946 | Apr 1946 | Supermarine Walrus | Mk.II |
| Dec 1955 | Nov 1957 | de Havilland Venom | NF.3 |
| Oct 1957 | Nov 1958 | Gloster Javelin | FAW.2 |
| Oct 1957 | Nov 1958 | Gloster Javelin | FAW.6 |
Commanding officers
edit| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1941 | Sep 1942 | Wg Cdr G H Stainforth, AFC |
| Sep 1942 | Jun 1943 | Wg Cdr J A Leathart, DSO |
| Jun 1943 | Mar 1944 | Wg Cdr W D David, DFC & Bar, AFC |
| Mar 1944 | Nov 1944 | Wg Cdr A F McGhie |
| Nov 1944 | Jul 1945 | Wg Cdr F Collingridge |
| Jul 1945 | Sep 1945 | Sqn Ldr A E Browne |
| Sep 1945 | May 1946 | Sqn Ldr R J A Good |
| 1957 | Nov 1958 | Wg Cdr G A Martin, DFC, AFC |
References
editNotes
editBibliography
edit- Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald & Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (2nd edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.