No. 623 Squadron RAF was a heavy 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 ...

for several months in 1943 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 ...

History

The squadron was formed on 10 August 1943 at

RAF Downham Market RAF Downham Market was a Royal Air Force station in the west of the county of Norfolk, England which operated during the second half of the Second World War. History RAF Downham Market opened as a satellite station for RAF Marham in the Summe ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

from 'C' Flight of 218 Squadron, as well as receiving crews from No.3 L.F.S. and No.1653 Conversion Unit. It was equipped with Stirling Mk.III bombers, as part of

No. 3 Group RAF No. 3 Group (3 Gp) of the Royal Air Force was an RAF group first active in 1918, again in 1923–26, part of RAF Bomber Command from 1936 to 1967, and part of RAF Strike Command from 2000 until it disbanded on 1 April 2006. No. 3 Group was first ...

Bomber Command Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...

. The squadron carried out night raids against Germany, but was short-lived and was disbanded on 6 December 1943 at Downham Market. The aircraft went mostly to conversion units of

No. 5 Group RAF No. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part (February 1943 – 1945) by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane. History Overview The Group was formed on 1 September 1937, with its headquarters at RAF Mild ...

Commanding officers

Notable personnel

Flt Lt John Henry Smythe, a black navigator from Sierra Leone, who was shot down and captured, and later became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

barrister and the attorney general of Sierra Leone.

Aircraft operated

Some examples: * BF568: IC-B Taken over from

No. 218 Squadron RAF No. 218 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron after the Governor of the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) and people of the Gold Coast officially adopted the squadron. History World War I ...

, later to

No. 214 Squadron RAF No. 214 Squadron is a former unit of the Royal Air Force. History World War I No 214 Squadron was formed from No. 14 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), itself formerly ''No. 7A Squadron RNAS'' only taking on the new number on 9 December ...

and 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU). Struck of charge 24.4.45 * BK727: IC-A Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to No. 214 Squadron and 1651 HCU. Struck of charge 24.4.45 * BK803: IC-S and IC-D Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to 1654 HCU. Crashed 30.6.44 * EE876: IC-T Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to 1654 HCU. Struck of charge 25.4.46 * EE966: IC-E Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later transferred to No. 299 Squadron RAF. Crashed 11.5.45 at Gardermoen, Norway * EF199: IC-I Went to

and later to 1651 HCU. Struck of charge 24.4.45 * EF204: IC-E Went to 1654 Conversion Unit after its service life with No. 623 Squadron, crashed 14.1.45 * EH878: IC-I Failed to return from a bombing mission to Mannheim, 6.9.43 * EH925: IC-C Failed to return from bombing mission to Berlin, 23/24.08.43. Aircraft crashed 10 km south of Zossen, crew killed. Crash site has now been discovered in local area. * EJ121: IC-Q Went to 1654 Conversion Unit after its service life with No. 623 Squadron. Struck of charge 28.2.45 * LJ454: IC-E Failed to return from a bombing mission to Mannheim, 19.11.43 * LK387: IC-P Failed to return on 5.12.43 on a mine laying operation at the Friesian Islands

Operations

* Despatched – number of aircraft taking off * DCO – Duty Carried Out * Alt – Alternative target attacked * DNCO – Duty Not Carried Out (sortie aborted) * Gardening – laying anti-shipping mines in coastal waters * Comments – code names for area where mines dropped and identity of losses.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * No. 623 Squadron Operational Record Book (Forms 540/541), National Archives, Kew (AIR 27/2141).

External links

Squadron history on RAF website

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 623 Squadron Raf Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943