No. 41 Squadron RAF
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| No. 41 Squadron RAF | |
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| Active | 14 July 1916 |
| Role | Operational Evaluation Unit |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Coningsby |
| Motto | "Seek and Destroy" |
| Equipment | Tornado GR4, Harrier GR9/9A |
| Battle honours | Somme 1916, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, Amiens, Battle of Britain 1940, Dieppe, Gulf 1991. |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |
A double-armed cross, it originated from the Squadron's association with St Omer, France during World War I. |
No. 41 Squadron (also written as "No. XLI Squadron") of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The squadron celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2006, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.
[edit] History
As No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps it was originally formed at Gosport in mid April 1916 with a nucleus of men from 28 Squadron RFC. However, on 22 May 1916, the squadron was effectively disbanded when it was re-numbered "27 Reserve Squadron". 41 Squadron was re-formed on 14 July 1916 with a nucleus of men from 27 Reserve Squadron, and equipped with the Vickers F.B.5 'Gun Bus' and De Havilland D.H.2 'Scout'. These were replaced in early September 1916 with the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8, and it is these aircraft which the squadron took on their deployment to France on 15 October 1916. The F.E.8 was already obsolete as a pure fighter, and No. 41 used theirs mainly for ground attack - until July 1917, by which time the unit had become the last "pusher" fighter squadron in the RFC. At this time the squadron was re-equipped with new DH 5 fighters. With the DH 5, the squadron remained a specialist ground attack unit - giving distinguished service in this role in the Battle of Cambrai. In early 1918 the unit finally received S.E.5a fighters and became a "pure" fighter squadron. After the end of the First World War the unit was reduced to Cadre in February 1919 and returned to the UK, where the squadron was disbanded on 31 December 1919.
The squadron reformed at RAF Northolt on 1 April 1923, equipped with the Sopwith Snipe. They were sent to the Aden Protectorate during the Abyssinian crisis of 1935-1936, and returned to the UK in August 1936. Based at Catterick, Yorkshire, from September 1936 until May 1940, they were the third RAF squadron to ever be equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire, at the end of December 1938. The squadron continued to fly various versions of the Spitfire throughout the war. They took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 and the Battle of Britain. The squadron claimed over 100 victories from July 1940 to the end of that year. On February 11, 1942, the squadron took part in the attack on the German Kriegsmarine's Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after they escaped from Brest and made a dash up the Channel to the safety of their home ports. In August 1942, the squadron also supported the ill-fated Canadian landings at Dieppe.
In February 1943, they became the first squadron of only two to ever receive the new Griffon-engined Spitfire Mark XII, and used these with some success against the V1 flying bomb from June-August 1944. In April 1945, the squadron moved forward with the advancing front and made its first base in Germany, just southwest of the town of Celle, and only a short distance south of the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. After the cessation of hostilities, the squadron was based a short time at Kastrup (Copenhagen) but then returned to Germany where it became a part of the Allied occupying forces, 'BAFO'. By the end of the War, 41 Squadron had claimed 200 aircraft destroyed, 61 probably destroyed, 109 damaged and 53 V-1's destroyed.
In 1947, the squadron was temporarily converted to an instrument training squadron, but received the De Havilland Hornet upon reverting back to fighter defence. The squadron received their first jet aircraft in 1951 when they took delivery of the Gloster Meteor F.4. Four years later, these aircraft were replaced with Hawker Hunters. They again changed aircraft in 1958 to Gloster Javelins. They remained flying this type until their disbandment in 1963. In September of 1965 the squadron reformed as a surface-to-air-missile (SAM) squadron until September 1970 where they again disbanded. In 1972 they reformed at RAF Coningsby with F-4 Phantoms. In 1977, squadron received the SEPECAT Jaguar, operating in a tactical reconnaissance role, and moved to RAF Coltishall. The squadron was involved the first Gulf War (Operation Granby) and Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993 to 1995.
[edit] Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit
The Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU) was formed before it assumed the 41 Squadron number plate. It was created on 1 April 2004 from the merger of the Strike Attack OEU (SAOEU), the F3 OEU and the Air Guided Weapons OEU (AGWOEU).
Due to the retirement of its Jaguars and the start of the drawdown of the Tornado F3, 41 Squadron currently operates the Harrier GR9/9A and Tornado GR4.
[edit] External links and Further reading
- The Pilots of 41 Squadron RAF, 1939-1945
- John Rawlings, Fighter Squadrons of the Royal Air Force, MacDonald, 1969, p.106-114
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