349th Squadron (Belgium)

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349th Squadron
Active	November 1942
Country	Belgium
Branch	Air Component
Part of	10th Tactical Wing
Motto	"Strike Hard Strike Home"
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F-16 Fighting Falcon

The 349th Squadron is a fighter squadron in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. It is part of the 10th Tactical Wing and operates F-16 Fighting Falcons.

[edit] Royal Air Force

349 (Belgian) Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron formed by Belgian personal at Ikeja, West Africa on 9 January 1943. The squadron was equipped with the Curtiss Tomahawk for local defence duties. The squadron did not become operational and was disbanded in May 1943. On 5 June 1943 the Squadron was reformed at RAF Wittering with the Supermarine Spitfire V and became operational at RAF Digby in August 1943. The Squadron moved to southern England to operate over France on bomber escorts and low-level sweeps. In early 1944 it began to train as a fighter-bomber unit and then operated in this role in occupied Europe. During the invasion it carried out beach-head patrols and then were used as bomber escorts. In August 1944 the Squadron moved to France in the fighter-bomber role, it carried out armed reconnaissance behind enemy positions and attacked targets of opportunity (mainly vehicles). In February 1945 the Squadron returned to England to convert to the Hawker Tempest this did not go well and the Squadron re-gained Spitfire IXs. It moved to Belgium and was disbanded as an RAF unit on 24 October 1946 on transfer to the Belgian air force.