No. 313 Squadron RAF

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313rd RAF Fighter Squadron
313. československá stíhací peruť RAF
№ 313 (Czechoslovak) Fighter Squadron
RAF313Sq.gif
Motto:
Every jestřáb mnoho vran rozhání
A hawk drives away many crows
Code:
RY
Originated:
May 10, 1941, Catterick
Dissolved
September 22, 1945, Brno

The 313rd Fighter Squadron was one of the four RAF air formations of the Czechoslovak Army in Exile that participated as units of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the fighting of the British Air Force during World War II in Europe. The season made a significant contribution to the Battle of Britain .

history

The 313rd Fighter Squadron was the fourth of all Czechoslovak squadrons of the Royal Air Force that formed in Great Britain and had participated in the fighting. It was created on May 10, 1941 in Catterick, Richmondshire (North Yorkshire), from members of the Czechoslovak Air Force who fled to France after the occupation of their country by the Wehrmacht and served there. After the collapse of France, they finally came to England.

From August 1941, the squadron patrolled the airspace of France. In May 1942 she was formed in Exeter together with the 312nd and 313st squadrons for the Czechoslovak Squadron. In late 1943 the Czechoslovak fighter squadrons were in the 84th group of the 2nd Tactical Air Force (2nd Tactical Air Force - TAF) incorporated to attend the planned Operation Overlord - the invasion of Normandy - participate; in June 1944, the 33rd Squadron supported the landing in Normandy. In July 1944, the squadron was transferred to Scotland and participated in the defense of Scapa Flow Bay in the Orkney Archipelago , where the main base of the British fleet was. From October 1944, after moving to eastern England, she escorted British and US bomber groups to Germany as part of so-called "round-the-clock" attacks and launched attacks in the Netherlands.

As a result of the losses, some pilots from other nations were also taken on, especially at the end of the war. The squadron's successes include 12 confirmed and 8 probable kills, and 16 damaged enemy aircraft.

In August 1945 the squadron was relocated to Czechoslovakia, where it was disbanded as a unit of the RAF on February 15, 1946 and became part of the new Czechoslovak Air Force.

Overviews

bases

The 313rd Squadron flew their missions from the following bases:

  • Catterick, Yorkshire, 10/05/41
  • Leconfield, Yorkshire, 01/07/41
  • Portreath, Cornwall, 08/26/41.
  • Hornchurch, Essex, 15/12/41
  • Fairlop, Essex, 29/04/42
  • Church Stanton, Somerset, 28/06/42
  • Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, 28/06/43
  • Hawkinge, Kent, 21/08/43
  • Ibsley, Hampshire, 18/09/43
  • Ayr, Ayrshire, 01/10/44
  • Ibsley, Hampshire, 01/20/44
  • Mendlesham, Suffolk, 02/20/44
  • Appledram, Sussex, 04/04/44
  • Tangmere, Sussex, 22/06/44
  • Lympne, Kent, 04/07/44
  • Skeabrae, Orkney, 07/11/44
  • North Weald, Essex, 04/10/44
  • Bradwell Bay, Essex, 29/12/44
  • Manston, Kent, 02/27/45

On August 24, 1945 the squadron was relocated to Czechoslovakia and stationed in Praha-Ruzyně, from September 22 in České Budějovice.

Planes

Spitfire IIA

The squadron was equipped with different types of Supermarine Spitfire fighters:

  • Supermarine Spitfire IA, IIA, VB, VC, HF VI, LF IXC, LF IXE, HF IX, VB, HF VII, F IX, HF IX, LF IXE

Personnel and losses

Of the 9 commanders of the 313rd Squadron, one was British, of the 9 commanders of Swarm A were one British, and of the 11 commanders of Swarm B, two were British. The personnel losses of the 313rd Squadron of the RAF during the war amounted to 25 persons.


Commanders of the entire squadron

Josef Jaške July 20, 1941 - December 15, 1941
Gordon L. Sinclair *) May 10, 1941 - September 24, 1941
Karel Mrázek, DFC December 15, 1941 - June 26, 1942
Jaroslav Himr 06/26/1942 - 09/24/1943
František Fajtl , DFC 09/24/1943 - 01/31/1944
Václav Bergman, DFC January 31, 1944 - May 22, 1944
Alois Hochmal May 22, 1944 - September 1, 1944
Karel Kasal 09/01/1944 - 11/15/1944
Otmar Kučera, DFC November 15, 1944 - ČSR


Commanders of the "A" swarm

Karel Mrázek May 15, 1941 - December 15, 1941
John L. Kilmartin, DFC *) 06/04/1941 - 06/25/1941
František Fajtl December 15, 1940 - April 27, 1942
František Vancl April 27, 1942 - May 21, 1942
Václav Hájek May 21, 1942 - October 1, 1942
Jaroslav Muzika October 1, 1942 - August 7, 1943
Alois Hochmal 08/07/1943 - 05/21/1944
Václav Slouf May 21, 1944 - September 30, 1944
František Masařík 09/30/1944 - ČSR


Commanders of the "B" swarm

Jan Čermák May 19, 1941 - July 21, 1941
Thomas W. Gillen *) 06/03/1941 - 09/15/1941
Stanislav Fejfar 07/21/1941 - 03/20/1942
Karel Vykoukal 03/20/1942 - 04/13/1942
Stanislav Fejfar April 13, 1942 - May 17, 1942
Václav Raba May 17, 1942 - October 1, 1942
Bohuslav Kimlička October 1, 1942 - January 1, 1943
Václav Bergman 01/01/1943 - 09/01/1943
Otmar Kučera, DFC 09/01/1943 - 05/01/1944
Ronald Wood, DFC *) 05/01/1944 - 02/28/1945
Karel Zouhar 02/28/1945 - ČSR

*) The Czechoslovak commanders were temporarily assigned British officers to ensure communication with the higher command structures.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information from the portal rafcommands.com, online at: rafcommands.com/Fighter/313F.html ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 7, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rafcommands.com
  2. ↑ No. 313 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron , online at: cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/Units/313.html ( memento of the original from September 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; see. also aircraft of squadrons 310 - 330, rafweb.org / ... ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , both accessed March 6, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cz-raf.hyperlink.cz @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rafweb.org
  3. ↑ No. 313 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron , online at: cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/Units/313 ( Memento of the original from September 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; see. also the list of members of the squadron, List of Czechoslovak airmen at No. 313 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadron, online at: cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/Units/staff313 ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , both accessed on March 9, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cz-raf.hyperlink.cz @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cz-raf.hyperlink.cz
  4. ↑ Statistics of Czechoslovak Airmen in the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve , online at: cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/Units/cz_stat ( memento of the original from September 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 7, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cz-raf.hyperlink.cz

swell

See also

Web links

Commons : No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files