No. 311 Squadron RAF | |
---|---|
Squadron crest | |
Active | 29 July 1940 - 15 February 1946 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Allegiance | Czechoslovak National Liberation Committee |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Role | Bomber, maritime patrol, transport |
Motto(s) |
(Czech): Na množství nehleďte ("Never regard their numbers") |
Insignia | |
Squadron badge | A thresher and a morning star in saltire, the halves fracted. |
Squadron codes |
KX (Jul 1940 - Apr 1942)[1] PP (1945 - Feb 1946)[2] |
Aircraft flown | |
Bomber |
Vickers Wellington Consolidated Liberator |
No 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
At the end of the war, it disbanded as an RAF unit and became part of the reformed Czechoslovak Air Force.
History[]
It was first formed at RAF Honington on 29 July 1940,[3] equipped with Wellington I bombers and crewed mostly by Czechoslovakian aircrew who had escaped from Europe. It was transferred from Bomber Command to Coastal Command in April 1942 to carry out maritime patrol work. It re-equipped with Consolidated Liberator bombers in June 1943 and continued in anti-submarine work but now over the Bay of Biscay. Following the end of the war, in June 1945 the squadron was transferred to RAF Transport Command and began flights between the UK and Czechoslovakia.[3] The squadron continued flying from UK bases until it was disbanded in the UK at RAF Milltown on 15 February 1946,[4] but since 21 August 1945 actually flew from Prague.[5]
Aircraft of this squadron used squadron code letters "KX" on their Wellingtons, and later "PP" on their Liberators.[6]
Commanding officers[]
From | To | Name |
---|---|---|
July 1940 | November 1940 | W/Cdr John Griffiths DFC[7] |
July 1940 | March 1941 | W/Cdr. Karel Toman-Mareš |
1941 | 1941 | Sqn Ldr Percy Charles Pickard DFC.[8] |
March 1941 | July 1941 | W/Cdr. Josef Schejbal |
July 1941 | April 1942 | W/Cdr. Josef Ocelka, DFC |
April 1942 | January 1943 | W/Cdr. Josef Šnajdr, DFC |
January 1943 | August 1943 | W/Cdr. Jindřich Breitcetl, DFC |
August 1943 | January 1944 | W/Cdr. V. Nedvěd, MBE, DFC |
January 1944 | August 1944 | W/Cdr. J. Šejbl, DFC |
August 1944 | February 1946 | W/Cdr. J. Kostohryz, DSO |
Squadron bases[]
Period | Name |
---|---|
29 July 1940 - 16 September 1940 | RAF Honington |
16 September 1940 - 28 April 1942 | RAF East Wretham |
28 April 1942 - 12 June 1942 | RAF Aldergrove |
12 June 1942 - 26 May 1943 | RAF Talbenny |
26 May 1943 - 23 February 1944 | RAF Beaulieu |
23 February 1944 - 7 August 1944 | RAF Predannack |
7 August 1944 - 6 August 1945 | RAF Tain |
6 August 1945 - 21 August 1945 | RAF Manston |
21 August 1945 - 15 February 1946 | Prague |
Aircraft operated[]
Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1940–1943 | Vickers Wellington | IC | Twin-engined medium bomber |
1943 1943-1945 1945-1946 |
Consolidated Liberator | IIIA V VI |
Four-engined heavy bomber |
Legacy[]
A cafe commemorating the No. 311 Squadron RAF was opened in Brno in 1999. It is called Air Cafe and exhibits a small but interesting collection of memorabilia connected with the Czech manned squadron.[10]
See also[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 64.
- ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 83.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Halley 1988, p. 362.
- ↑ Rawlings 1982, p. 199.
- ↑ Rijnhout & Rennison 1980, p. 92.
- ↑ Sqn Histories 310-347_P rafweb.org
- ↑ Zdeněk Hurt Czechs in the RAF In Focus
- ↑ K. R. M. Short, Pickard, Percy Charles (1915–1944), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008 accessed 24 Feb 2013 subscription required
- ↑ Jefford 1988, page 85
- ↑ http://aircafe-brno.com/exhibits-2
Bibliography[]
- Bowyer, Michael J.F. and Rawlings, John D.R. Squadron Codes 1937-56. Bar Hill, Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- 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, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Capka, Jo and MacDonald, Kendall. Red Sky at Night, the Story of Jo Capka, DFM. London: Anthony Blond, 1958.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964, new edition 1976. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
- Rijnhout, Bart M. Het mysterie van de L 7788. De lotgevallen van een Engelse bommenwerper en zijn Tsjechische bemanning 1940/1944 (in Dutch). Zutphen, the Netherlands: De Walburg Pers, 1979. ISBN 90-6011-185-0.
- Rijnhout, Bart M. Het mysterie van de L 7788. Oud-bemanning even terug op plek des onheils... (in Dutch). Leidschendam, the Netherlands: House Printing Unit HTM, 1979. No ISBN.
- Rijnhout, Bart M. and Rennison, John P. The Sky is our Ocean. De rol van het 311(Tsjechisch) R.A.F.-squadron tijdens de tweede wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Wyt Uitgeverij, 1980. ISBN 90-6007-141-7.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF. |
- No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron at raf.mod.uk Bomber Command history
- No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF movement and equipment history - Bomber Command
- No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF movement and equipment history - Coastal Command
- Air Cafe in Brno, a cafe to commemorate the Czech manned squadron with a small exhibition of memorabilia
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The original article can be found at No. 311 Squadron RAF and the edit history here.