| No. 20 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active |
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| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Operational conversion unit |
| Role | Control and Reporting Centre training |
| Part of |
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| Station | RAF Boulmer |
| Mottos | Facta non verba (Latin for 'Deeds not Words') |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
No. 20 Squadron is a squadron of theRoyal Air Force. Since June 2021, it has been theoperational conversion unit for the RAF's Air Command and Control Force based atRAF Boulmer in Northumberland.
The squadron was previously a flying squadron, being theBAE Harrieroperational conversion unit forJoint Force Harrier from September 1992 until March 2010 based atRAF Wittering.
No. 20 Squadron was formed on 1 September 1915 atNetheravon,Wiltshire, as part of theRoyal Flying Corps (RFC).[1][2] In 1915, the German, and French and British air services had increasingly fought each other in the air for control of the skies to conduct reconnaissance. Combined with an expansion of theBritish Army, this prompted an expansion of theRoyal Flying Corps in the second half of 1915, during which No. 20 Squadron was formed from a nucleus of No. 7 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron under the command ofCaptain C W Wilson.[3]
The squadron flew to France on 16 January 1916, landing first atSaint-Omer and moving the following week toClairmarais. It was equipped with theRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b two-seat fighter-reconnaissance aircraft, which were replaced in June 1916 by the F.E.2d model, with an improved engine and armament. The squadron was part of the RFCs’ 2nd Brigade, working with theBritish 2nd Army, whose area of operations was aroundYpres in Belgium. The squadron's tasks included offensive patrols, photography, reconnaissance, and bombing by day and night.[4]
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Of the squadron's 628 claimed combat victories, over 460 were confirmed by appearance in RFC official communiques.[5] One of the most notable combat victories was that accredited toSecond Lieutenant Woodbridge on 6 July 1917, who was the first British airman to wound German fighter-aceManfred von Richthofen, when a No. 20 Squadron patrol was attacked by Richttofen'sJagdgeschwader 1.[6]
The skill and courage exhibited by members of No. 20 Squadron throughout the war was reflected in 71gallantry awards.[7] In addition to 34 Military Crosses, nineteenDistinguished Flying Crosses, five Military Medals and other decorations, aVictoria Cross was posthumously awarded to ActingFlight SergeantThomas Mottershead, who died as a result of injuries sustained in combat on 7 January 1917.[8]
The squadron continued to operate from the Saint-Omer area in support of the British Army aroundYpres for most of the war, at airfields such asBoisdinghem andSaint Marie Cappel. On 21 September 1917, it completed its re-equipment with the replacement for the F.E.2d, theBristol Fighter, which was to equip the squadron for the next fifteen years. The squadron conducted daily detached operations fromBruay, nearBethune during themajor German offensive in March 1918, and moved further south to several airfields east ofAmiens as allied armies moved forward during the100 Days Offensive.[1]
The squadron transferred from the Royal Flying Corps to the newly formedRoyal Air Force in April 1918.[2] After theArmistice on 11 November 1918, the squadron moved to Ossogne, east ofNamur in Belgium, where it stayed until May 1919.[1]
After theAfghan Army invaded theNorthwest Frontier province of India in early May 1919, No. 20 Squadron was ordered to sail for India as reinforcement for the two squadrons already in place. The squadron conducted similar air operations to those that they had undertaken on theWestern Front in support of the army.[9]
The squadron arrived atRAF Risalpur on 19 June 1919 and was the first squadron to fly the Bristol Fighter in India. Although the Afghan invasion had been defeated, the squadron was retained on the Northwest Frontier in the new role of air control. For most of the next 20 years, the squadron was mainly based atRAF Peshawar, with regular moves forward to locations such asMiranshah andShabkadar.[10]
The squadron developed new techniques of air control.[11] Their Bristol fighters conducted reconnaissance, both independently and for the army in the field.[12]
The squadron also undertook more peaceful and humanitarian roles. TwoWestland Wapiti, on trial in India and flown by No. 20 Squadron crews, escortedVickers Victoria andAirco DH.9 aircraft operated by the RAF which were conducted theKabul airlift of 1929. They were the only aircraft on the North-West Frontier equipped withwireless telephony sets, which were used to maintain contact with Peshawar during the operation.[13] The squadron responded to thelarge earthquake which hit Quetta on 31 May 1935. It also deployed nine aircraft to ferry medical personnel and supplies to and around the area and flewvaccines to Kabul on 19 August 1936.[14][15]
In August 1928, the famousarchaeologist,diplomat, army officer and writerT. E. Lawrence was posted to No. 20 Squadron, having joined the RAF as anon-commissioned airman. He served as aclerk at the squadron forward airfield atMiranshah until press stories emerged in London that he was conductingdiplomacy andespionage in Afghanistan. As such news was likely to disturb the local political situation, he was posted from No. 20 Squadron on 8 January 1929, returning to the UK.[16]
In 1932, No. 20 Squadron exchanged its Bristol Fighters forWestland Wapitis and these, in turn, were exchanged forHawker Audaxes in December 1935.[14]
During the early part of theSecond World War, No. 20 Squadron continued its air control work on the Northwest Frontier.[17] After Italy's entry to the war, defence of India's ports was assigned a higher priority; on 14 February 1941, A and B Flights moved toBombay andMadras respectively to provide reconnaissance and attack for coastal defence.[18] These flights re-joined the rest of the squadron at its new headquarters atRAF Secunderabad on 10 June 1941.[10] The squadron re-equipped with theWestland Lysander in December 1941, remaining in the army co-operation role. AfterJapan's entry to the war on 7 December 1941, Japanattacked Burma in early 1942, forcing British forces to retreat towards India. No. 20 Squadron was moved closer to the Burmese front atRAF Jamshedpur on 1 May 1942 via a short stay at its previous home at RAF Peshawar.[10]
For the remainder of 1942, the squadron was headquartered at Jamshedpur, moving 70 miles (110 kilometres) north toRAF Chharra in during December 1942 and remaining there until May 1943. During this time, the squadron continued to fly the Lysander in support of the army on the Burmese front. Although the Lysanders were old, somewhat unreliable and short of spare parts, the squadron maintained detachments atImphal andChittagong. Often unescorted, No. 20 Squadron Lysanders conducted armed reconnaissance and attack missions inArakan, and in support ofChindit raiding activities in theChindwin River Valley;[19] they would fly at or below treetop height to avoid detection when Japanese fighters were nearby. The flight at Chittagong also conductedair-sea rescue missions. In May 1943, the squadron exchanged their Lysanders for theHawker Hurricane IID; this variant of the Hurricane was armed with two 40 mm underwing cannons designed specifically for destroying tanks and armoured vehicles. The squadron moved toRAF Kalyan, near Bombay, for training on the new aircraft. Themonsoon delayed completion of this training and it was December 1943 before the squadron was ready to move back into the line at Nidania.[10]
For the next seven months, No. 20 Squadron operated in turn from Nidania (codenamed ‘George’), Madhaibunia (codenamed ‘Hove’) and Chiringa, all in the North-West of Burma. As the only squadron equipped with the Hurricane IID in country, its primary targets were enemyarmour, although most attacks were carried out against lines of communication, such as river boats and trucks. In April 1944, the squadron detached a flight to Lankipatti to fly anti-tank sorties during theBattle of Imphal.[20]
The squadron moved toRAF Trichinopoly in July 1944, and RAF St Thomas Mount (nowChennai International Airport) outside Madras in September 1944 for rest, recuperation and further training. During the latter months of 1944, it also provided a detachment to Imphal to undertakeaerial spraying with Hurricanes to minimise the spread ofmalaria.[21]
In December 1944, A Flight converted to the rocket-projectile-armedHurricane IV, before the squadron moved to a series of airfields in the central lowlands asAllied armies advanced rapidly through Mandalay, Meiktila and on to Rangoon, again attacking lines of communication and enemy strong-points, such asbunkers. AfterRangoon was captured on 2 May, the squadron was stood down from operations on 8 May 1945 and moved back to RAF St Thomas Mount. The squadron was preparing for a move to the Far East when the Second World War came to an end.[22]
In August and September 1945, No. 20 Squadron moved from RAF St Thomas Mount toRAF Amarda Road, where they re-equipped with theSupermarine Spitfire VIII, before moving toDon Muang, outside Bangkok, as the first RAF squadron based in Siam, now Thailand. In December 1945, the squadron exchanged theSpitfire VIII for theSpitfire XIV. By April 1946, the squadron had moved toRAF Agra and re-equipped with theHawker Tempest FB.II, which it retained until its disbandment on 1 August 1947, two weeks beforeIndian independence.[23]
From 1949 to 1951, the squadron was reformed fromNo. 631 Squadron atRAF Llanbedr inGwynedd, flying a variety of aircraft in the anti-aircraft co-operation role, providing targets foranti-aircraft guns and simulating attacks on ground troops for their training.[24] It moved toRAF Valley in Anglesey in July 1949, disbanding in September 1951.[25]
The expansion of the RAF in Germany, as part of the increased tension betweenNATO and the Soviet Union and its satellites, led to the re-formation of No. 20 Squadron in June 1952 atRAF Jever inLower Saxony, operating thede Havilland Vampire FB.9 in the air defence and ground attack roles. In late July 1952, the squadron moved to the re-constructed airfield atRAF Oldenburg.[26] To counter the threat from the new SovietMig-15 fighter, the squadron re-equipped with theCanadair Sabre F.4 in 1953.[27] In November 1955, it again re-equipped with theHawker Hunter F.4, which was superseded by the Hunter F.6 in May 1957. The squadron disbanded on 20 December 1960, but its ‘numberplate’ was allocated to the RAF'sFar East Air Force for future use.[28]
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In 1960, theSoutheast Asia Treaty Organization's concerns about the situation in South-East Asia led to the RAF bolstering its presence in the area. No. 20 Squadron was reformed, equipped with the Hunter FGA.9, a specialist ground-attack version of the aircraft. The pilots of the reformed squadron collected their aircraft from the UK and flew them toRAF Tengah, Singapore, with the squadron fully in place by November 1960. For the next ten years, No. 20 Squadron remained at Tengah. Routine training in Singapore and Malaysia maintained proficiency in its various roles, while detachments took place at various times to Hong Kong, Don Muang,Korat andButterworth. During theIndonesian Confrontation between 1963 and 1966, the squadron deployed aircraft toLabuan andKuching providing attack and air defence against incursions into Malaysia by land, sea and air. The squadron established a new flight in 1969, whenNo. 209 Squadron atRAF Seletar disbanded, absorbing three of itsScottish Aviation Pioneershort take-off and landing aircraft forforward air control duties in support of its Hunters.[29] In 1968, the British government announced it would withdraw from ‘East of Suez’ by 1971, which led to the disbandment of No. 20 Squadron in February 1970.[30]
No. 20 Squadron reformed in Germany on 1 December 1970 as the secondHawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1 squadron based atRAF Wildenrath.[31] It was declared toNATO in an offensive support role and re-equipped with the Harrier GR.3 in 1975.[32][33] The GR.3 variant introducedlaser ranging and target marking equipment in the nose of the aircraft and aradar warning receiver. Two years later, the RAF rationalised its Harrier squadrons in Germany by sharing all Harrier aircraft between two, rather than three, squadrons, and No. 20 Squadron was selected to pass its Harriers toNo. 4 Squadron atRAF Gütersloh at the end of February 1977.[34]
The squadron reformed the following day atRAF Brüggen, equipped with twelveSEPECATJaguar GR1, again providing offensive support to NATO forces in West Germany.[35] In addition to itsconventional weapons, the squadron had eightWE.177 tactical nuclear bombs for use if a future European conflict escalated to the use of nuclear weapons. The apparent mismatch between eight nuclear bombs and twelve aircraft was because RAF staff planners expected up to one third attrition in the initial conventional phase, with sufficient aircraft held back in reserve to deliver the full stock of nuclear weapons to targets beyond the forward edge of the battlefield, deep into the enemy's rear areas. The squadron was assigned to NATO for operational and targeting purposes, although political control over release of the British-owned WE.177 weapons was retained by the British government.[36][37]
On 30 June 1984,No. 20 Squadron re-equipped with thePanavia Tornado GR1 atRAF Laarbruch, retaining its offensive support role and increasing its stock of WE.177 nuclear weapons to eighteen, due to the Tornado's greater payload.[37]
In November 1990, the squadron deployed toTabuk Air Base, Saudi Arabia, as part of the1991 Gulf War, the British contribution being known asOperation Granby. The squadron was responsible for attacks on Iraqi airfields at low- and medium-levels, and also introduced the newALARM anti-radiation missile into operational service. The squadron returned to Laarbruch in March 1991.[38]
As part of the 1991 defence review,Options for Change, the RAF reduced the number of bases it operated from in Germany from four to two;[39] resulting in the disbandment of No. 20 Squadron as a Tornado squadron on 31 July 1992.[40]
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On 1 September 1992,No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) based at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire and flying the Hawker Siddley Harrier was renumbered No. 20 (Reserve) Squadron.[41] The ‘reserve’ title indicated that, although the squadron was not a front-line unit, its staff, aircraft and equipment could be used for operations should the need arise.[42]
The RAF's Harrier squadrons, including No. 20 Squadron, were brought together with theSea Harrier squadrons of theFleet Air Arm to come under the control ofJoint Force Harrier on 1 April 2000.[43] The squadron remained at Wittering for the next ten years. In 2010, Joint Force Harrier was reduced by one squadron. No. 4 Squadron was disbanded as a frontline squadron but, as it had greater seniority, its number was assigned to the OCU as No. 4 (Reserve) Squadron, which led to No. 20 Squadron's disbandment on 31 March 2010.[44][45] Joint Force Harrier's disbandment unexpectedly followed as part of theStrategic Defence and Security Review which was published on 19 October 2010.[46]
On 1 June 2021, the RAF awarded the No. 20 Squadron number plate to the Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) operational conversion unit based atRAF Boulmer in Northumberland.[47] The squadron's reformation was celebrated officially at a joint reformation parade withNo. 19 Squadron on 15 June 2022, which was held atAlnwick Castle.[48] No. 20 Squadron provides basic and advanced air battle management training toBritish Armed Forces personnel whose role it is to monitor, detect and identify all aircraft in and around UK airspace; and coordinateQuick Reaction Alert aircraft tasked by the UK orNATO.[47]
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Thesquadron's badge features in front of the rising sun, an eagle, wings elevated and perched on a sword. The rising sun represents the squadron's long association with Asia (the east where the sun rises). The eagle is used to represent the air force, theblack eagle depicted being a species native to the uplands of India and able to stay airborne for extended periods. The sword is atalwar, a type of Indian curvedsabre which relates to both the squadron’s links to India, and its cooperation with the army. The badge was approved byKing George VI in June 1937.[49]
The squadron's motto isFacta non verba (Latin for 'Deeds not Words').[50]
No. 20 Squadron has received the followingbattle honours. Those marked with an asterisk (*) may be emblazoned on thesquadron standard.[51]
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