| No. 683 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 8 Feb 1943 – 21 Sep 1945 1 Aug 1950 – 30 Nov 1953 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | photo-reconnaissance squadron |
| Part of | AHQ Malta,Mediterranean Air Command[1] No. 214 Group RAF,Mediterranean Air Command[2] RAF Middle East Air Force[3] |
| Mottos | Latin:Nihil Nos Latet (Translation: "Nothing remains concealed")[4][5] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In front of a mullet of six points, a telescope in bend[4][5] |
| Squadron Codes | No code(s) are known to have been carried by this squadron[4][6][7] |
No. 683 Squadron RAF was aphoto-reconnaissance squadron of theRoyal Air Force during theSecond World War and from August 1950 to November 1953.
683 squadron was formed out of 'B' Flight ofNo. 69 Squadron on 8 February 1943[4][5][8] atRAF Luqa onMalta, as aphoto-reconnaissance squadron operating theSpitfire fighter in the photo-reconnaissance role. The squadron added theMosquito Mk.VI to its strength in May 1943, but they were only operated for a month. The squadron was involved in photo-reconnaissance mission overSicily andItaly and later overYugoslavia.The squadron moved toSan Severo inItaly and continued in support of theUS 5th Army. As the war continued it was involved in both tactical and strategic reconnaissance, and was involved survey flight across southern Europe. In September 1944, the squadron re-equipped withSpitfire PR.XIX photo-reconnaissance aircraft.Detachments from the squadron were based at a wide range of bases all across the Italian theatre of operations, with the squadron finally disbanding on 22 September 1945 atSan Severo, Italy.[4][5][8]
The squadron was re-formed on 1 November 1950 atRAF Fayid,Egypt with theAvro Lancaster PR.1 and theVickers Valetta C.1. It was tasked with the survey and mapping of Arabia and East Africa. In January 1952 the squadron moved toRAF Khormaksar,Aden to cover both Aden andSomaliland. Another move toRAF Habbaniya,Iraq allowed the squadron to survey and map the Persian Gulf. With the survey and mapping role completed the squadron was disbanded at Habbaniya on 30 November 1953.[4][5][8]
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1943 | July 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | PR.Mk.IV |
| February 1943 | March 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | PR.Mk.IX |
| April 1943 | September 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | PR.XI |
| May 1943 | June 1943 | de Havilland Mosquito | PR.Mks.IV & VI |
| September 1944 | September 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | PR.XIX |
| November 1950 | November 1953 | Avro Lancaster | PR.1 |
| November 1950 | November 1953 | Vickers Valetta | C.1 |
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 February 1943 | 22 November 1943 | RAF Luqa,Malta | |
| 22 November 1943 | 20 December 1943 | RAF El Aouina,Tunisia | |
| 20 December 1943 | 21 September 1945 | RAF San Severo,Italy | Dets. all over Italy |
| 1 August 1950 | 26 February 1951 | RAF Fayid,Egypt | |
| 26 February 1951 | 23 April 1951 | RAF Kabrit, Egypt | |
| 23 April 1951 | 24 September 1951 | RAF Eastleigh,Kenya | Dets. atLivingstone,Northern Rhodesia andDar-es-Salaam,Tanganyika |
| 24 September 1951 | 12 December 1951 | RAF Kabrit, Egypt | Det. atRAF Shaibah,Iraq |
| 12 December 1951 | 22 May 1952 | RAF Khormaksar,Aden | Det. atRAF Habbaniya, Iraq |
| 22 May 1952 | 30 November 1953 | RAF Habbaniya, Iraq | Det. atRAF Sharjah,Trucial States |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| February 1943 | October 1943 | W/Cdr.A. Warburton,DSO andBar,DFC and Bar |
| October 1943 | August 1944 | S/Ldr. H.S. Smith, DFC |
| August 1944 | April 1945 | S/Ldr. R.T. Turton, DFC |
| April 1945 | September 1945 | S/Ldr. E.R. Pearson, DFC |
| November 1950 | 1952 | S/Ldr. I.D.N. Lawson |
| 1952 | November 1953 | S/Ldr. N.N. Ezekiel |
| Formations and units |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branches and components | |||||||
| Reserve forces | |||||||
| Equipment | |||||||
| Personnel | |||||||
| Appointments | |||||||
| Symbols and uniform | |||||||
| Associated civil organisations | |||||||
