No. 73 Squadron RAF
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No. 73 Squadron,
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) an ...
was formed on 2 July 1917 during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It was disbanded in 1969.


World War I

It was initially a unit of the Royal Flying Corps and was formed out of the
Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...
, based at
Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...
,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
. Eight days after, the new unit moved to
RFC Lilbourne RAF Lilbourne is a former Royal Air Force station which was located south of Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England. The airfield opened 1915 before closing around 1920. History A number of training squadrons were based at the airfield includ ...
, near Rugby. The squadron, only for a matter of days led by Lieutenant C A Mercer, came under the command of Major H F A Gordon and started a phase of training at Lilbourne. From September 1917, this became more specifically targeted towards operating in combat when a Programme of Development was received, instructing the unit to prepare for an overseas deployment on 22 December. This training phase saw a number of accidents and incidents, not uncommon in military aviation at that time. On one day, 29 October 1917, the squadron had four aircraft damaged in accidents: two in a
mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...
, when one aircraft had its propeller damaged, the other lost part of its lower left wing and aileron; one aircraft was damaged when it had to be crash-landed after its pilot became lost; a fourth aircraft was damaged when the pilot crashed at the aerodrome. All incidents are shown in the squadron records as applying to 'A' Flight. The squadron's first fatality occurred when
2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...
Rawbone crashed at the aerodrome on 7 December 1917 and died from his injuries on 18 December.


Combat operations

By stages, the unit deployed to France through January 1918; by the 20th, the full squadron complement was based at Liettres and available for operations. Due to bad weather, the first patrols were not sent up until 30 January. Two flights each comprising six machines undertook practice patrols, one along the balloon lines from Boesinghe to Flerbaix and then Bethune to Arras. The first offensive patrols over enemy lines took place on 18 February 1918. On the 20th, all 18 Camels, divided into three 'Flights' patrolled a line between
Roeselare Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. Th ...
and Menin and the first combat report was completed by Captain Gus Orlebar, submitting that an Albatros D.V may have been damaged. It was the start of a combat record that would show ten aces serving in the squadron, including Owen Baldwin, Gavin L. Graham,
William Stephenson Sir William Samuel Stephenson (23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989), born William Samuel Clouston Stanger, was a Canadian soldier, fighter pilot, businessman and spymaster who served as the senior representative of the British Security Coord ...
,
William Henry Hubbard Captain William Henry Hubbard DFC (19 May 1886—19 June 1960) was a Canadian World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories against enemy fighter planes despite spending a year and a half out of action. He was noted for his zeal ...
, Emile John Lussier, Robert Chandler, Norman Cooper, Maurice Le Blanc-Smith, Thomas Sharpe, and future
Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...
Geoffrey Pidcock. In March 1918 the squadron was moved to the south of the British Front where it became engaged in the German offensive between Cambrai and St. Quentin where low level strafing was carried out. In August the squadron was attached to the Tank Corps for special duties in connection with anti-tank gun strafing and took part in a succession of battles on the Third and Fourth Army Fronts. During this phase the squadron expended 25,000 rounds of ammunition and 160 25 lb.
Cooper bombs The Cooper bomb was a British 20 pound bomb used extensively in World War I, it was the first high explosive bomb to be adapted by the Royal Flying Corps. Design The bomb was in weight, of which was the bomb casing and was an explosive char ...
in one day's flying. At the cessation of hostilities the Camels of No. 73 were disposed of and the personnel posted to Yatesbury, where the squadron was disbanded. During wartime operations the pilots of the squadron had destroyed or sent down out of control 132 enemy aircraft.


Aircraft used

As at 1 October 1917, the squadron had the following aircraft: 'A' Flight: * 2
Sopwith Camels The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the be ...
* 1
Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying character ...
* 2 Nieuports 'B' Flight: * 2 Avros * 1 Nieuport 'C' Flight: * 1 Avro From November 1917, the squadron began to re-equip entirely with Sopwith Camels powered by 130 hp
Clerget Clerget-Blin (full name being ''Société Clerget-Blin et Cie'') was a French precision engineering company formed in 1913 by the engineer and inventor Pierre Clerget and industrialist Eugène Blin. In 1939, the company was absorbed into the '' ...
engines. By the time it deployed to France in January 1918, the squadron had 18 Camels, which it retained throughout the rest of the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.


World War II

The squadron reformed on 15 March 1937 equipped with
Hawker Fury The Hawker Fury is a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was a fast, agile aircraft, and the first interceptor in RAF service capable of speed higher than 200 mph (321 kmh). It was the fighter co ...
s, they then relocated to
RAF Digby Royal Air Force Digby otherwise known as RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station located near Scopwick and south east of Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, England. The station is home to the tri-service Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the J ...
where they were re-equipped with
Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...
s, and then
Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...
s. In September 1939, 73 Squadron, along with No. 1 Squadron were then posted to North-East France on the outbreak of war as part of the
RAF Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the United Kingdom a ...
. Early in the campaign the squadron controlled the Cherbourg Peninsula, before a move to Rouvres in October. One of the outstanding pilots on the squadron at this time was F/O. E. J. 'Cobber' Kain, who destroyed a Do 17 at 27,000 feet. 'Cobber' was killed in a flying accident on 7 June 1940. Another 'ace' in the squadron at this time was F/O Newell 'Fanny' Orton. After the German attack on 10 May 1940, No. 73 provided cover over Allied airfields and bases, falling back as its airfields were overrun by enemy columns. On 17 June 1940 the squadron had withdrawn from France. The squadron suffered tragedy during the withdrawal when was sunk off the coast of St. Nazaire with the loss of around 40 ground crew. During the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
No.73 Squadron, operating from Debden on 5 September until late October, when the unit withdrew in preparation for a move to the Middle East. The squadron Hurricanes were shipped to
Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...
on the Gold Coast on board , and were then flown in stages across Africa to Egypt. The squadron took part in the series of campaigns in the Western Desert and Tunisia, helping cover the supply routes to Tobruk and taking part in ground-attack operations. In December 1942 the squadron recorded their 300th victory when F/S Beard shot down a
Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
over the sea of Benghazi. In June 1943 the squadron converted to the Spitfire, and were posted to Italy in October. In April 1944 the squadron began to operate over the Balkans, in the fighter-bomber role. In December 1944 part of the squadron was moved to Greece to take part in the fighting against the Communist resistance attempting to seize power. In January 1945 the squadron returned to Italy, and in April moved to Yugoslavia, where it remained until the end of the war moving to Malta in July 1945. Initially at Hal Far, the squadron soon moved to
Takali Takali is a village in the Karmala taluka of Solapur district in Maharashtra state, India. Demographics Covering and comprising 500 households at the time of the 2011 census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Censu ...
.


1950s

The squadron, now flying
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...
FB.9、Venom FB.1s, was moved to Habbaniya in Iraq in May 1953. In 1955 it was in Cyprus, and deployed to Aden from 1956–57 for the Suez Crisis. The squadron arrived in Akrotiri in March 1957 to form part of the Middle East Air Force Strike Wing, equipped with Canberra B2s. The squadron was disbanded on 10 January 1969.


References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 73 Squadron Raf 073 073 Military units and formations established in 1917 1917 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations disestablished in 1969