756 Naval Air Squadron (756 NAS) was a

Naval Air Squadron A naval air squadron (NAS) is the title of naval aviation squadrons in some countries. Poland The Polish ''Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy'' #Naval Air Squadron# was formed in 1920 with two ''Escadrille''s# United Kingdom The squadrons of the Fleet Ai ...

of the Royal Navy's

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

. It was initially formed as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron, operating from May to August 1939, out of RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel)'', in Hampshire, England. It was later reformed again as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron, operating from March 1941, out of RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel''). TAG training was provided until the No. 2 School was ready in Canada, opening on 1 January 1943, and 756 Naval Air Squadron disbanded in December 1942. The squadron reformed at RNAS Katukurunda (HMS ''Ukussa''), in Sri Lanka, in October 1943, as a Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance pool. During 1944 and 1945, the squadron undertook a number of detachmemts on different types of Royal Navy aircraft carriers, then disbanding in December 1945.

History of 756 NAS

756 Naval Air Squadron initially formed at RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel''), north of

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire, England, on 24 May 1939, as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron. It was equipped with a number of

Blackburn Shark The Blackburn Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo bomber designed and built by the British aviation manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was originally known as the Blackburn T.S.R., standing for ''torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance'', in reference to ...

Mk III, a

carrier-borne Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstand ...

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

, used in the torpedo-spotter-

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

role. However the squadron disbanded on 15 August 1939, and it was absorbed into

755 Naval Air Squadron 755 Naval Air Squadron (755 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land a ...

Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron (1941 - 1942)

756 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel''), on 6 March 1941, as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron. It operated with Percival Proctor I and II, a British radio trainer and communications aircraft. The squadron continued Telegraphist Air Gunner training throughout 1942, however, as part of the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

, the No. 2 Telegraphist Air Gunner School, at R.N. Air Section Yarmouth, located in

Yarmouth County Yarmouth County is a rural county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It has both traditional Anglo- Scottish and Acadian French culture as well as significant inland wilderness areas, including over 365 lakes and several major rivers. It c ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada, opened on 1 January 1943, and therefore 756 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Worthy Down on 1 December 1942.

Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance (1943 - 1945)

756 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 1 October 1943 as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance pool at RNAS Katukurunda (HMS ''Ukussa''), located near the town of

Kalutara Kalutara ( si, කළුතර, ta, களுத்துறை) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south o ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The squadron initially used

Fairey Albacore The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was heavily used during the Second ...

, a single-engine

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

torpedo bomber, and

Fairey Fulmar The Fairey Fulmar is a British carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft/fighter aircraft which was developed and manufactured by aircraft company Fairey Aviation. It was named after the northern fulmar, a seabird native to the British Isles. The F ...

, a British carrier-borne

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

, from reformation. These were followed by

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda ...

, a British carrier-borne torpedo and

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

, in the December. In February 1944, Fairey Albacore and Fairey Fulmar aircraft were both withdrawn from the squadron's inventory, but

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also used ...

, a biplane torpedo bomber aircraft arrived in March and these were closely followed by

Grumman Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...

, an American torpedo bomber aircraft, in May. The squadron participated in four separate

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

deployments, two during 1944 and another two in 1945. From the 29 April to the 4 May 1944, a detachment from 756 Naval Air Squadron, was deployed on the aircraft repair ship and

light aircraft carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-h ...

, . Next the squadron sent a detachment to the , for approximately two weeks, from 29 October to 12 November. In 1945, a detachment then spent three days, 1, 2 and 3 May, operating from the , and this was later followed by a two week detachment to the , , between 15 and 21 August. On 24 November 1945, 756 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Katukurunda.

Aircraft operated

756 Naval Air Squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including: Fairey Barracuda

Percival Proctor The Percival Proctor is a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor is a single-engined, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model. Design and development The Proctor ...

IA deck landing and radio trainer aircraft (March 1941 - December 1942) * Percival Proctor IIA radio trainer aircraft (March 1941 - December 1942) *

de Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

(December 1941 - June 1942) *

Mk I

(October 1943 - February 1944) *

Mk.II

(October 1943 - February 1944) *

Mk II torpedo and

(December 1943 - November 1945) * Fairey Barracuda Mk III torpedo and dive bomber (December 1943 - November 1945) *

I torpedo bomber (March 1944 - February 1945) * Grumman Tarpon GR.I torpedo bomber (May 1944 - November 1945) *

Mk.II torpedo bomber (May 1944 - November 1945)

Naval Air Stations and Aircraft Carriers

756 Naval Air Squadron operated from a few naval air stations of the Royal Navy, one in England and two overseas in Sri Lanka, and some deployments in Royal Navy

Fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles *Fishing fleet *Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles *Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada * Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...

and Escort

s for Deck Landing Training (DLT): 1939 * Royal Naval Air Station WORTHY DOWN (HMS ''Kestrel'') (24 May 1939 - 15 August 1939) * ''disbanded'' - (15 August 1939) 1941 - 1942 * Royal Naval Air Station WORTHY DOWN (HMS ''Kestrel'') (6 March 1941 - 1 December 1942) * ''disbanded'' - (1 December 1942) 1943 - 1945 * Royal Naval Air Station KATUKURUNDA (HMS ''Ukussa'') (1 October 1943 - 24 November 1945) ** Royal Naval Air Station COLOMBO RACECOURSE (HMS ''Bherunda'') ''Detachment'' (March 1944 - June 1945) ** ''Deck Landing Training'' (21 April - 4 May 1944) ** ''Deck Landing Training'' (29 October - 12 November 1944) ** ''Deck Landing Training'' (1 - 3 May 1945) ** ''Deck Landing Training'' (15 - 21 August 1945) * ''disbanded'' - (24 November 1945)

Commanding Officers

List of

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

s of 756 Naval Air Squadron with date, month and year of appointment and end: 1939 * ''not identified'' - (May - August 1939) 1941 - 1942 * Lieutenant Commander( A) R.H. Ovey,

RNVR The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

, from 6 March 1941 * Lieutenant Commander(A) W.H.C. Blake, RNVR, from 18 June 1942 * ''disbanded'' - 1 December 1942 1943 - 1945 * Lieutenant Commander A.D. Bourke, RNZNVR, from 1 October 1943 * Lieutenant(A) W.D. Widdows, RNVR, from 1 February 1944) (''temp'') * Lieutenant Commander(A) S.M. deL. Longsden, RN, from 27 February 1944 * Lieutenant Commander(A) T.T. Miller, RN, from 28 October 1944 * Lieutenant Commander(A) R.E.F. Kerrison, RNVR, from 7 July 1945 * Lieutenant Commander(A) F.W. Barring, RNVR, from 12 August 1945 * ''disbanded'' - 24 November 1945

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Royal Naval Air Squadrons 700 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II