Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 (East India) Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919. Reformed on 10 October 1939,at Tangmere Airfield, the unit was supposed to be equipped with medium bombers but in the spring of 1940 it became one of the first RAF units to receive the

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 ...

, going on to fight in the Battle of Britain. Reformed after the war in January 1947, No. 92 (Fighter) Squadron was assigned to RAF Fighter Command flying the Gloster Meteor F.3. Between 1961 and 1962, No. 92 (F) Squadron was the RAF's official aerobatic team, flying 16

Hawker Hunter F.6 The following is a list of variants of the Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft: Prototypes ;Hawker P.1067 :Prototype, first flight 20 July 1951, three built with the first later modified as a Hunter Mk 3 for the successful World Speed Record attem ...

s known as ''the Blue Diamonds''. In December 1965, the squadron was reassigned to RAF Germany alongside No. 19 (F) Squadron, flying the English Electric Lightning F.2/F.2A and from January 1977, the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2. Disbanded in July 1991, the Squadron was reformed as No. 92 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Chivenor flying the British Aerospace Hawk until October 1994. No. 92 Squadron then lay dormant for the next 14 years before being reformed at Royal Air Force College Cranwell on 30 June 2009.

Operational history

First World War

No. 92 Squadron was established as part of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

at London Colney on 1 September 1917, working up as a scout squadron with Sopwith Pups, SPAD S.VIIs, and Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5as. The Squadron became part of the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918. Standardising on SE.5as, the squadron went to France in July 1918, at first operating in the

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Somme Offensive of 1918 the squadron was heavily involved, and continued to operate over the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

until the Armistice. It was disbanded on 7 August 1919, while stationed at Eil with the Army of Occupation. It had claimed a total of 38 victories during its World War I service. Eight aces had served in the squadron, including

Oren Rose Captain Oren John Rose, usually referred to as O. J. Rose (23 March 1892 – 21 June 1971) was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. World War I Rose joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He went to France, and was assign ...

, Thomas Stanley Horry, William Reed,

Earl Frederick Crabb Lieutenant (later Major) Earl Frederick Crabb (March 27, 1899 – October 18, 1986) was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. After World War I, he was an aviation pioneer and bush pilot. He returned to military aviation dur ...

, future

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

James Robb, Evander Shapard, Herbert Good, and future Air Marshal Arthur Coningham.

Second World War

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 92 Squadron was reformed on 10 October 1939 at RAF Tangmere, West Sussex. Initially it flew Bristol Blenheim Mk.IFs but in March 1940 they were replaced by the

Mk.I, which became operational on 9 May. No. 92 Squadron first saw action over the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

beaches flying from RAF Croydon. During the latter stages of the Battle of Britain No. 92 Squadron flew from RAF Biggin Hill. 91SquadronBigginHillSep41

In February 1942, the Squadron was posted to Egypt to join

Air Headquarters Western Desert The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

to support the Allies on the ground. Personnel arrived in Egypt in April but no aircraft were available. Some pilots flew operations with Hawker Hurricanes of No. 80 Squadron. Spitfires finally arrived in August and the squadron commenced operations from RAF Heliopolis over the El Alamein sector, and then with their Spitfire Vs at Landing Ground 173 in the Western Desert. No. 92 Squadron provided air cover at the Battle of El Alamein and on 18 April 1943, 11 Spitfires from the squadron flew top cover at the Palm Sunday Massacre during which approximately 75 axis aircraft were disabled or destroyed. Following the Allied victory in North Africa, the Squadron moved to Malta in June. It went on to provide air cover for the 8th Army during the campaigns in Sicily and Italy, arriving on Italian soil on 14 September 1943. No. 92 Squadron then followed the armies up the Italian coast as part of No. 244 Wing and No. 211 (Offensive Fighter) Group. During World War II the Squadron claimed the highest number of victories scored, 317, in the RAF.

Cold War

Following the cessation of hostilities, No. 92 Squadron was disbanded at Zeltweg in Austria on 30 December 1946. No. 91 Squadron was disbanded on 31 January 1947 at RAF Acklington and re-numbered as No. 92 (Fighter) Squadron as part of RAF Fighter Command with the Gloster Meteor F.3. The Squadron relocated to RAF Duxford on 15 February 1947 before moving onto RAF Linton-on-Ouse in October 1949. It went on a goodwill tour of Scandinavia in 1949. Subsequently, equipped with the Meteor F.8, it received the Canadair Sabre F.4 in February 1954, becoming part of the only Sabre wing in Fighter Command alongside No. 66 Squadron, before getting the

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...

F.4 in April 1956 while based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Throughout this period, No. 92 (F) Squadron was also based at

RAF Middleton St. George RAF Middleton St George was a Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Bomber Command station during World War II. It was located in County Durham, five miles east of Darlington, England. The station's motto was ''Shield an ...

RAF Thornaby Royal Air Force Thornaby or more simply RAF Thornaby was a former Royal Air Force Station located near the town of Thornaby-on-Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command all operated fro ...

and RAF Leconfield. In 1961, No. 92 (F) Squadron, under the command of Sqn. Ldr. Brian Mercer, was chosen as Fighter Command's official aerobatic squadron – the RAF Aerobatic Display Team, taking over from "Treble One"'s ''Black Arrows''. Originally forming in 1960, the team was initially called ''the Falcons'' before later adopting the name ''the Blue Diamonds'' under which they operated 16 bright blue painted

s. No. 92 (F) Squadron thrilled the crowds with its precision display including looping a formation of 18 aircraft, only four fewer than the world record 22 Hawker Hunters looped by the ''Black Arrows'' of No. 111 (F) Squadron at the Farnborough Airshow in September 1958. When they re-equipped with the English Electric Lightning F.2 from April 1963 onward they continued to perform with these. In December 1965, along with No. 19 (F) Squadron they were reallocated to RAF Germany initially at RAF Geilenkirchen, moving to join No. 19 (F) Squadron at RAF Gütersloh. They remained at RAF Gütersloh from January 1968 until the Squadron disbanded on 31 March 1977. In January 1977, No. 92 (Designate) Squadron had begun training as a McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 air defence unit at RAF Wildenrath and on 1 April this unit formally adopted the No. 92 (F) numberplate. On 25 May 1982, RAF Phantom ''XV422'' of 92 Sqn shot down RAF

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

''XX963'' of 14 Sqn from RAF Bruggen with a Sidewinder, over Germany, by mistake when the Phantom pilot did not realise that he was fully armed. On 17 August 1990, Phantoms from No. 92 (F) Squadron and No. 19 (F) Squadron were sent to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, to provide air defence due to the deployment of No. V (AC) Squadron and No. 29 (F) Squadron from Akrotiri to Dhahran Airfield after the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait. Due to the rundown of RAF Germany following the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

the Squadron disbanded on 1 July 1991.

Hawks to the Air Warfare Centre

On 23 September 1992, No. 151 (Reserve) Squadron was renumbered No. 92 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Chivenor as part of No. 7 Flying Training School (FTS) for weapons training, flying the British Aerospace Hawk T.1. With the transfer of No. 7 FTS weapons training role to No. 4 FTS at RAF Valley, No. 92 (R) Squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1994. In November 2008, it was announced that the Tactics and Training Wing of the Air Warfare Centre was to become No. 92 (Reserve) Tactics and Training Squadron. The Squadron officially stood up after 14 years on 30 June 2009 at the College Hall at

RAFC Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

. On 1 February 2018, the Royal Air Force rescinded all (Reserve) nameplates changing No. 92 (Reserve) Tactics and Training Squadron to No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron. As part of their work at the Air Warfare Centre, No. 92 Squadron helped design and carry out Exercise Cobra Warrior 2019 for units of the RAF, Luftwaffe, Italian and Israeli Air Forces.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated include: * Sopwith Pup (Sep 1917–Apr 1918) * Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a (Mar 1918–Nov 1918) * Bristol Blenheim Mk.IF (Oct 1939–Mar 1940) *

Mk.I/Ib (Mar 1940–Feb 1941) *

Mk.Vb (Feb 1941–Feb 1942; Aug 1942–Sep 1943) *

Mk.Vc (Aug 1942–Sep 1943) *

Mk.IX (Apr 1943–Aug 1943; Jun 1946–Dec 1946) *

Mk.VIII (Jul 1943–Dec 1946) * Gloster Meteor F.3 (Jan 1947–May 1948) * Gloster Meteor F.4 (May 1948–Oct 1950) * Gloster Meteor F.8 (Oct 1950–Feb 1954) * Canadair Sabre F.4 (Feb 1954–Apr 1956) *

F.4 (Apr 1956–Mar 1957) *

F.6 (Mar 1957–Apr 1963) * English Electric Lightning F.2 (Apr 1963–July 1971) * English Electric Lightning F.2A (Aug 1968–Mar 1977) * McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom FGR.2 (Jan 1977–Jul 1991) * British Aerospace Hawk T.1/T.1A (Sep 1992–Oct 1994)

Aces

* Robert Stanford Tuck 27 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged * Donald Ernest Kingaby 21 kills plus two shared kills, six probable kills and 11 damaged - 14½ of his kills came against the Messerschmitt Bf 109 * Allan Wright 11 kills three shared kills, five probable kills and seven damaged *

Ronnie Fokes Ronald Henry Fokes, (1913 – 12 June 1944) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War, credited with nine confirmed "kills". RAF career Fokes joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1937, and eventually ...

nine kills, four shared kills, two unconfirmed kills, three probables, one damaged and one shared damaged * Brian Kingcome eight kills and 3 shared destroyed, one 1 shared unconfirmed, five probables, 13 damaged *

John Fraser Drummond John Fraser Drummond, DFC (19 October 1918 – 10 October 1940) was a fighter pilot and flying ace who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was killed after his aircraft collided with another during the Battle of Britain ...

eight kills, one shared kill, three probables and four damaged *

Tony Bartley Anthony Charles Bartley, (28 March 1919 – 18 April 2001) was a British film and television executive, and fighter pilot. As a Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilot, Bartley was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during the ...

eight kills with 92 squadron, 12 confirmed kills during WW2, plus one unconfirmed destroyed, five 'probables' and eight damaged *

Adolf Pietrasiak Adolf Pietrasiak (17 November 1916 – 29 November 1943) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 8 confirmed kills and one shared. Biography Adolf Pietrasiak was born in Kośmin near Puławy. In 1932 he entered the ...

Polish Air Force (P.A.F.) 8 1/10 enemy aircraft destroyed, 2/5 damaged.

Honours

In 1950 the Battle of Britain class steam locomotive No. 34081 was named "92 Squadron". This locomotive was saved from the scrapyard in 1976 and is now owned and operated by The Battle of Britain Locomotive Society and having been based on the North Norfolk Railway in recent years, has returned to the Nene Valley Railway – where it was originally restored – pending a major overhaul and a return to traffic following the expiration of its boiler ticket in mid-2008. The locomotive returned to steam again in December 2016.

References

Bibliography

* Derry, Martin and Robinson, Neil. ''Flight Craft 11: English Electric Lightning''. Pen & Sword, 2016. * Forrester, Larry and Wootton, Frank. ''Fly For Your Life: The Glorious Story Of Englands Greatest Air Ace Robert Stanford Tuck And His Deadly Spitfire''. Bantam Books, 1956 (reprinted in 1978 by Bantam Books and by Cerebus in 2002 as ''Fly for your life: the story of Bob Stanford Tuck''). * Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. . * Kingcombe, Brian, DSO, DFC & Bar. ''A Willingness to Die: Memories from Fighter Command''. Tempus Publishing, 1992(reprinted 2007). * Morris, Simon. ''A Cobra in the Sky The history of 92 Squadron'' 1975 * Rawlings, J.D.R. "Squadron Histories: No. 92". ''Air Pictorial'', Vol. 23, No. 7. July 1961. pp. 207–208. * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . * Robinson, Anthony. ''RAF Fighter Squadrons in the Battle of Britain''. London: Arms and Armour Press Ltd., 1987 (Reprinted in 1999 by Brockhampton Press, .) * Robinson, M. ''Best of the Few: 92 Squadron 1939–40''. (Robinson 2001) * Wellum, Geoffrey. ''First Light: The True Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain''. London: Penguin Viking, 2002. .

External links

Official History on RAF websiteJohn Fraser Drummond: 92 Squadron and the Battle of BritainMK1 Spitfires flown by No. 92 Squadron at cambridgemilitaryhistory.com weblogA Cobra in the Sky – The History of 92 Squadron Royal Air ForceThe Battle Of Britain Locomotive Society, locomative named after No. 92 Squadron92 Squadron in Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 92 Squadron Raf 092 Squadron 092 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1917 1917 establishments in the United Kingdom RAF squadrons involved in the Battle of Britain Croydon Airport