No. 352 Squadron RAF was a
Yugoslav-manned fighter-bomber squadron of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The squadron was also known as First
NOVJ Squadron.
History
Formed at
Benina
Benina is a suburban borough ( formerly Basic People's Congress) administrative division of Benghazi, Libya.gpco.gov.ly
...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
on 22 April 1944, the squadron was the first Yugoslav-manned fighter unit to be formed in the Mediterranean. Equipped with
Hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
initially, it received
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
s in June and in August moved to Italy to join
No.281 Wing RAF. The squadron provided escort for fighter-bomber squadrons and engaged in ground attack missions for the rest of the war, using the
island of Vis as an advanced base until 1 January 1945, when the squadron's air echelon became permanently based there.
The squadron was organized by the war formation prescribed for RAF mobile fighter squadrons, having two flights with eight Supermarine Spitfires in each flight. The flying and technical staff were composed of personnel from the
Royal Yugoslav Air Force
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
moved to NOVJ, and staff from the
First Air Base NOVJ.
The squadron carried out its first operational mission on 18 August 1944.
The first squadron commander was
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Mileta Protić, and the
political commissar was
Franjo Kluz
Franjo Kluz (19 September 1913 – 14 September 1944) was a Yugoslav pilot from Bosnia and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. He is best known as one of the founders of the Partisan air force, and served as an officer in No. 352 Squadron RAF.
Earl ...
, commander of "A" flight was Captain
Ratko Jovanović, and commander of "B" flight was Captain
Arkadije Popov. All three of these men were killed by the end of the year: an indication of the intensity of the fighting in the ground-support operations at the time. Protić and Popov are commemorated on the
CWGC
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
memorial in Malta, and Jovanovic in the CWGC cemetery at Belgrade.
Hinko Šoić took over as Squadron Commander and the new Flight commanders were
Branko Kraus and
Đuro Ivanšević. Ivanšević survived the war and became the Regimental Commander of the short-lived 1st Fighter Regiment, the amalgamation of the two RAF-trained squadrons.
During the war, 27 pilots became casualties, of whom 10 were killed, including the Squadron Commander and both Flight Commanders, and
Franjo Kluz
Franjo Kluz (19 September 1913 – 14 September 1944) was a Yugoslav pilot from Bosnia and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. He is best known as one of the founders of the Partisan air force, and served as an officer in No. 352 Squadron RAF.
Earl ...
, first
partisan
Partisan may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
Films
* ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film
* ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
pilot and
national hero
The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...
of Yugoslavia.
Through the nine months of the war, No. 352 Squadron RAF carried out 367 combat operations with 1210 take offs. These tasks include supporting troops in Yugoslavia, fighter protection and reconnaissance. The squadron used
Canne,
Vis and
Zemunik
Zemunik Donji is a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. According to the 2011 census, there are 2,060 inhabitants, 91% of whom are Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ance ...
airbases.
Headquarters remained in Italy until it was moved to the Yugoslav mainland to join its air echelon in April 1945 and the squadron disbanded from the RAF on 16 May 1945. On 18 May 1945, together with
No. 351 Squadron it formed
1st Fighter Regiment of
SFR Yugoslav Air Force
The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ ...
.
Aircraft operated
See also
*
No. 351 Squadron RAF (also Yugoslav-manned)
*
Hawker Hurricane in Yugoslav service
References
;Notes and citations
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
352 SquadronRAF History
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 352 Squadron RAF
351 Squadron
Yugoslav Air Force squadrons
Military units and formations of the Yugoslav Partisans
Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945