| No. 23 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active |
|
| Disbanded | 2 October 2009 (2009-10-02) |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Motto | Semper Aggressus (Latin for 'Always on the attack') |
| Insignia | |
| Post-1950 roundel |  |
| Tail codes | MS (Sep 1938–Sep 1939) YP (Sep 1939–May 1945 and Sep 1946–April 1951) EA–EZ (Nov 1988 – Feb 1994) |
No. 23 Squadron is a dormant squadron of theRoyal Air Force. Prior to its disbandment in October 2009, it operated theBoeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 aircraft fromRAF Waddington,Lincolnshire.
No. 23 Squadron of theRoyal Flying Corps was formed atFort Grange,Gosport on 1 September 1915, commanded byLouis Strange and equipped with a mixture of aircraft types. A detachment operating theRoyal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c was deployed toSutton's Farm airfield to act as night fighters to oppose raids by GermanZeppelin airships, but there were no successful interceptions.[1] The squadron moved to France on 16 March 1916 flying theRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b two-seatpusher fighter. The squadron used the F.E.2b on close-escort duties and to fly standing patrols to engage hostile aircraft wherever they could be found, helping to establishair superiority in the build-up to theBattle of the Somme.[2]
By the end of the year the F.E.2b was obsolete, and the squadron started to receiveSpad S.VII single-seat fighters in February 1917, with its last F.E.2 withdrawn in April 1917.[3] The squadron flew its SPADs both on offensive fighter patrols over thefrontline and low-levelstrafing attacks against German troops.[4] In December 1917, it replaced its SPAD S.VII with the more powerful and heavier armedSpad S.XIII.[4]
Charles Kingsford Smith, Australian Aviation pioneer was assigned to the squadron in July 1917. During his time at the squadron he shot down four German fighters before being shot down himself, he would go on to hold a training role within the squadron.[5]
The squadron converted toSopwith Dolphins in April 1918 until it disbanded just after the war on 31 December 1919.[6]
It numbered nineteenflying aces among its ranks during the war, including:William Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick;Douglas U. McGregor;James Pearson;Clive W. Warman;Frederick Gibbs;Conn Standish O'Grady;Herbert Drewitt;James Fitz-Morris;Harold Albert White;Alfred Edwin McKay;Harry Compton; andArthur Bradfield Fairclough.[7]
No. 23 Squadron was re-formed on 1 July 1925 atRAF Henlow in Bedfordshire, flying theSopwith Snipe,[8] under command of the First World War air aceRaymond Collishaw. The squadron re-equipped with the more modernGloster Gamecock fighter in May 1926,[4] and moved toRAF Kenley in Surrey in February 1927.[9]
In April 1931, the squadron partly re-equipped withBristol Bulldogs, another single seat fighter, while continuing to operate the Gamecock. Both the Gamecock and Bulldog were outperformed by theHawker Hart light bomber which had recently entered service with the RAF, and in June 1931, the squadron received a single Hart for evaluation as a two seat fighter. The evaluation was a success, and a flight of six fighter variants of the Hart, designated the Hart Fighter replaced the squadrons remaining Gamecocks from October that year.[10][11][12]
The squadron moved toRAF Biggin Hill in Greater London September 1932 and by April 1933, was fully equipped with Hart fighters, which by then were known asHawker Demons.[9][13]
TheAbyssinia Crisis in September 1935 led to the squadron being stripped of both aircraft and men in order to reinforce squadrons that were temporarily deployed overseas, with the squadron inventory dropping to a single aircraft in March 1936 before returning to full strength.[13] It moved toRAF Northolt in Greater London in December 1936, moving again in May 1938, this time toRAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.[9] The squadron replaced its obsolete Demonbiplanes in December 1938 with theBristol Blenheim twin-enginemonoplane, another bomber converted to a fighter.[13]
On the outbreak of theSecond World War the squadron, still equipped with Blenheims, became anight-fighter squadron.[13] The squadron scored its first victory of the war on 18 June 1940, when a GermanHeinkel He 111 was shot down overCley next the Sea, Norfolk, with another He 111 being shot down the same night, although two Blenheims were lost to return fire from German bombers. As the Blenheim was too slow and lightly armed to be an effective night fighter, the squadron began to operate in thenight intruder role in December 1940, attacking German bombers as they returned to their airfields in France.
From March 1941 the squadron replaced its Blenheims with the AmericanDouglas Havoc, which were supplemented by the Boston III variant of the Havoc in February 1942.[13]
In July 1942, the squadron re-equipped with the more capablede Havilland Mosquito. The squadron transferred to theMediterranean in December 1942, flying fromRAF Luqa inMalta. It attacked enemy airfields and railway targets in Tunisia,Sicily and other areas of Italy throughout 1943, moving toSardinia in December 1943, which allowed targets in Southern France to be attacked.[14] In June 1944, the squadron returned to England, operating fromRAF Little Snoring in Norfolk as part ofNo. 100 Group. The role of the group was bomber support; to disrupt theLuftwaffe's attempts to stop the British bomber offensive, with No. 23 Squadron being tasked with low level night intruder operations against German night fighters. In addition to its normal night time operations, the squadron also carried out daylight bomber escort missions.[15]
Douglas Bader was a member of No. 23 Squadron when he crashed carrying out low levelaerobatics, losing his legs in the process. He went on to become one of the highest scoring flying aces of the RAF in the Second World War.Air Officer CommandingSir Peter Wykeham was credited with shooting down at least fifteen hostile aircraft at various theatres of the war.[16] He was later promoted toAir Marshal.[17] Following the end of the war, the squadron disbanded on 25 September 1945.[8][18]
No. 23 Squadron was reformed on 1 September 1946 as a night fighter squadron operating thede Havilland Mosquito.[8] It received jet aircraft in the form of thede Havilland Vampire NF.10 in 1953, replacing them with thede Havilland Venom NF.2 in June 1954.[6] The squadron acquired the Venom NF.3 in 1957.[19]
The squadron converted to theGloster Javelin all-weather fighter in 1957, beginning a long period operating in the air defence role. The squadron has a strong heritage in the air defence role, operating theGloster Javelin,English Electric Lightning,McDonnell Douglas Phantom and thePanavia Tornado F3.
Wing CommanderAlan 'Red' Owen was the squadron's commanding officer between May 1962 and October 1964. He had been one of the RAF's most successful night fighter pilots during the Second World War, credited with destroying at least fifteen enemy aircraft.[20]
The squadron first acquired Phantoms on 1 November 1975 atRAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, before moving toRAF Wattisham in Suffolk for just under ten years.
In October 1983[21] the squadron deployed toPort Stanley Airport,Falkland Islands after they were liberated fromArgentina, arriving there on 1 November. They remained here until 31 October 1988 when its duty was assumed byNo. 1435 Flight.
The squadron reformed on 1 November 1988 atRAF Leeming in Yorkshire with the Panavia Tornado F3 which it operated until 26 February 1994, when the unit was disbanded.[8][22]The squadron assumed theairborne early warning role upon reformation in April 1996, sharing the RAF'sBoeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 fleet withNo. 8 Squadron atRAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.[8] Flying a majority of control and surveillance sorties over the Balkans, the unit received a battle honour for its direct support duringOperation Agricola, the British involvement in the Kosovo War in 1999.[23]
The squadron disbanded on 2 October 2009, when it amalgamated with No. 8 Squadron.[8]
At the Air & Space Power Conference on 17 July 2019, it was announced that No. 23 Squadron would reform as the RAF's first squadron dedicated to thespace domain.[24] Subsequently, the RAF decided against using dormant historic RAF squadrons for space operations and instead formed newspace squadrons, with No. 23 Squadron remaining dormant.[25]
Thesquadron's badge features aneagle preying on afalcon. It was approved byKing George VI in April 1937 and is based on a design used informally prior to approval.[26]
The squadron's motto isSemper Aggressus (Latin for 'Always on the attack').[27]
No. 23 Squadron has received the followingbattle honours. Those marked with an asterisk (*) may be emblazoned on thesquadron standard.[28]
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