| No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron RAF 349th Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Spitfire Mark IXCs of No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron, 1943-4. | |
| Active | 10 November 1942 - May 1943 5 June 1943 - 24 October 1946 1946 – present |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Branch | Belgian Air Force Royal Air Force (1941–1946) |
| Part of | 10th Tactical Wing |
| Mottos | Strike Hard, Strike Home |
| Fighter | F-16 Fighting Falcon |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Raymond Lallemant Frank De Winne |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | Two morning stars insaltire[1] |
| Squadron Codes | GE (Jan 1943 - Oct 1946) |
349th Squadron (French:349e escadrille,Dutch:349ste Smaldeel) is afightersquadron in theBelgian Air Force of theBelgian Armed Forces. The squadron traces its origins toNo. 349 (Belgian) Squadron of theRoyal Air Force, founded in 1942 as part of theFree Belgian forces duringWorld War II. It was transferred to the re-established Belgian Air Force in 1946, together with350th Squadron. Considered an "honorary" squadron, it retained its original name and numbering and has been flying under the Belgian flag ever since. Today it is part of the10th Tactical Wing, operating theF-16 Fighting Falcon fromKleine Brogel airbase.
No 349 (Belgian) Squadron was formed as aRoyal Air Force squadron by Belgian personnel atRAF Ikeja (nearLagos),Nigeria on 10 November 1942.[1][2] The squadron was equipped with theCurtiss Tomahawk for local defence duties but the squadron did not become operational as such. The pilots were used for ferrying aircraft to theMiddle East instead. The squadron was disbanded in May 1943 and the personnel transferred to the UK. On 5 June 1943, the Squadron was reformed atRAF Station Wittering, operating theSupermarine Spitfire V. After a brief stay atRAF Kings Cliffe during July 1943, the squadron became operational atRAF Digby in August 1943. The squadron moved to southern England to operate over France as bomber escorts and low-level sweeps. In early 1944, it began training as a fighter-bomber unit and then operated as such in occupied Europe. During theinvasion of Normandy, it carried out beachhead patrols and were used as bomber escorts. In August 1944 the squadron moved to France, in the fighter-bomber role, and carried out armed reconnaissance behind enemy positions, attacking targets of opportunity (mainly vehicles). In February 1945, the squadron returned to England to convert to theHawker Tempest. This did not go well: conversion ended in April, and the squadron reacquired Spitfire IXs, operating from the Netherlands. It moved to Belgium and was disbanded as an RAF-squadron on 24 October 1946 on transfer to theBelgian Air Force, keeping the number.The last Belgian pilot to fly for the original 349th squadron during D-day,Joseph Moureau, died in 2020 at the age of 99.[3] During the second world war a total of 521 Belgian officers served in the RAF, suffering 128 loses.[2]
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1943 | Apr 1943 | Curtiss Tomahawk | Mk.I | |
| Jun 1943 | Feb 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.V | |
| Feb 1944 | Feb 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | LF.IXe | |
| Feb 1945 | Apr 1945 | Hawker Tempest | Mk.V | |
| Apr 1945 | May 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IXb | |
| May 1945 | Oct 1946 | Supermarine Spitfire | LF.XVIe |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1943 | Jul 1944 | Sqn Ldr Ivan du Monceau de Bergendael,DFC & Bar,CdG |
| Jul 1944 | Mar 1945 | Sqn Ldr Albert Van der Velde, DFC,Escapees' Cross 1940–1945,Croix de guerre (Belgium),Croix de Guerre (Luxembourg) |
| Mar 1945 | Dec 1945 | Sqn LdrRaymond "Cheval" Lallemant, DFC & Bar |
| Dec 1945 | Oct 1946 | Sqn Ldr Albert Van der Velde, |
In 1946, the unit was integrated in the Belgian Air Force. From 1998, the unit was commanded by future Belgian astronautFrank De Winne.
From 1957 to 1964, the squadron operated theAvro Canada CF-100 Canuck.
In 1999, the squadron participated in theNATO bombing of Yugoslavia. In 2004, it was the first squadron to be deployed toŠiauliai airbase, Lithuania in the context of theBaltic Air Policing operation. In 2005 and 2008 it was deployed toKabul as part of theISAF mission inAfghanistan. In 2011, it was part ofOperation Unified Protector during theLibyan civil war.
349th Sqn was the first operational F-16 squadron in NATO.
