6 Squadron was a South African Air Force unit first formed just before World War II. It was disbanded and re-created a number of times, until finally disbanded in October 1990.
The squadron was formed in Cape Town in April 1939 and was equipped with
Westland Wapiti IIIs. Initial duties at the outbreak of war was that of anti-submarine coastal patrols from Youngsfield as part of
Coastal Command SAAF.
[''Martin and Orpen, (1979) p.275''] In February 1940, the unit was moved to Waterkloof and renumbered
1 Squadron. On 26 February 1942 it was re-formed again at Swartkop with the Curtiss Mohawk IV and moved to Stanger on the east coast and then to Eerste River in the Cape, flying Wapitis,
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and ...
s and
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
bees. The squadron was again disbanded on 31 July 1943 when the threat of a Japanese invasion of Madagascar had been circumvented by the
Allied invasion of the island.
On 5 July 1952 the squadron was reformed as a citizen force unit, flying
Harvards from Port Elizabeth but was again disbanded in 1959. It was resurrected in May 1961, again flying Harvards; from 1973 to 1976 the squadron flew a single
Cessna 185
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winge ...
. In March 1975 it began receiving
Impala Mk Is which remained as the operational aircraft fit until the unit's final disbandment in October 1990.
Aircraft operated
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Westland Wapiti IIIs
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Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and ...
s
*
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
bees
*
Harvards
*
Cessna 185
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winge ...
*
Impala Mk Is
References
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;Citations
;References
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Squadrons of the South African Air Force
SAAF6
Military units and formations established in 1939
Military units and formations disestablished in 1990