| No. 576 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 25 Nov 1943 – 13 Sep 1945 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force |
| Role | Bomber squadron |
| Part of | No. 1 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1] |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Carpe Diem (Translation: "Seize the opportunity" or "Pluck the day")[2][3] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry |
A merlin, wings inverted and addorsed, preying on a serpent[3] The squadron had its aircraft fitted with Merlin engines and the badge is symbolic of the unit seeking out and destroying its prey[2] |
| Squadron Codes | UL (Nov 1943 – Sep 1945)[4][5] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber |
Avro Lancaster Four-engined heavy bomber |
No. 576 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Second World War heavy bomber squadron.
History[]
No. 576 Squadron was formed on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 103 squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire. It started operations in the night of 2/3 December 1943, when seven Avro Lancasters were sent out to bomb Berlin.[6] Eleven months later 576 Squadron moved to RAF Fiskerton, a little way outside Lincoln. During its brief period of existence 576 Squadron operated only one type of aircraft, the Avro Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber. It carried out 2,788 operation sorties with the Lancaster, with the loss of 66 aircraft.[7] The last bombs of the squadron were dropped on 25 April 1945, when 23 of the squadrons aircraft bombed Berchtesgaden; its last operational mission was a food dropping to the starving Dutch people in Rotterdam on 7 May 1945.[6] 576 Squadron was disbanded at Fiskerton on 13 September 1945.
Aircraft operated[]
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1943 | September 1945 | Avro Lancaster | Mks.I, III |
Notable aircraft[]
Four of the Lancasters that flew with 576 squadron managed to survive one hundred operations or more:
| Serial no. | Name | Operations | Call-sign | Fate | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ED888 | "Mike Squared" | 140 | UL-V2, UL-M2 | Struck off charge, 8 January 1947 | [10] |
| ME801 | "Nan" | 114 | UL-C2, UL-N2 | Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 | [11] |
| LM594 | "A Able" | 104 | UL-G2, UL-A2 | Struck off charge, 13 February 1947 | [12] |
| LM227 | "Item" | 100 | UL-I2 | Struck off charge, 16 October 1945 | [13] |
Squadron bases[]
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 1943 | 31 October 1944 | RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire |
| 31 October 1944 | 13 September 1945 | RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire |
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Delve 1994, pp. 68, 77.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Moyes 1976, p. 269.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Halley 1988, p. 413.
- ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 101.
- ↑ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 109.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Moyes 1976, p. 270.
- ↑ Falconer 2003, p. 256.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jefford 2001, p. 98.
- ↑ Moyes 1976, p. 362.
- ↑ Franks 1994, pp. 72–78.
- ↑ Franks 1994, pp. 154–158.
- ↑ Franks 1994, pp. 141–144.
- ↑ Franks 1994, pp. 130–134.
- ↑ Moyes 1976, pp. 269–270.
Bibliography[]
- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; John D.R. Rawlings (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd.. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Flintham, Vic; Andrew Thomas (2003). Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Franks, Norman (1994). Claims to Fame: The Lancaster. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-220-0.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Falconer, Jonathan (2003). Bomber Command Handbook 1939–1945. Stroud, England: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3171-X.
- Jefford, Wing Commander C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd.. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 576 Squadron RAF. |
- 576 squadron history on old MOD site
- RAF Elsham Wolds Association
- Squadron histories for nos. 541–598 sqn on RafWeb's Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation
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The original article can be found at No. 576 Squadron RAF and the edit history here.