The No. 342 Squadron also known in French as 'Groupe de Bombardement n° 1/20 "Lorraine"'', was a
Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
in the
RAF
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
World War II
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 opposing ...
.
History
No. 342 Squadron was formed on 7 April 1943 at
RAF West Raynham
Royal Air Force West Raynham or more simply RAF West Raynham is a former Royal Air Force station located west of West Raynham, Norfolk and southwest of Fakenham, Norfolk, England.
The airfield opened during May 1939 and was used by RAF Bomb ...
with personnel from the Free French Air Forces (''
Forces aériennes françaises libres'') transferred from the Middle East, in particular the personnel of the French
escadrilles "Metz" and "Nancy". The squadron was part of
No. 2 Group RAF
No. 2 Group is a group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Comm ...
of
RAF Bomber Command and equipped with
Douglas Mk IIIA Bostons (aka Douglas A-20C Havocs). They later moved with their sister squadron
No. 88 Squadron to
RAF Hartford Bridge.
While flying Bostons, the aircraft of the Squadron featured in the film ''
The Way to the Stars
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.
The squadron flew low-level bombing and strafing missions (nicknamed "hedgehopping"), over France and the
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, in particular against
V-1 bases in Northern France and selected sites connected with the preparation for the
Allied invasion.
In October 1944 the squadron relocated to France from where it continued to support the Allied advance. In March/April 1945 the Bostons were replaced by
North American B-25 Mitchells and the squadron relocated to the Netherlands. The squadron was transferred from RAF control to the French Air Force ( ''Armée de l'Air'' ) on 2 December 1945.
See also
*
Free French Flight
Free French Flight refers to three specific fledgling units in the Free French Air Force (FAFL) which were created in the Middle East on 8 July 1940.
* Free French Flight N° 1 its name later changed to N° 2 .CUNIBIL. R - Icare 1989, no128, pp. ...
*
List of RAF squadrons
Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, during the First World ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
* 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, 1988 (second edition 2001). .
* Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (2nd edition 1976). .
External links
Squadron histories for nos. 310–347 sqn on RAFwebSquadron histories for nos. 341 sqn at Royal Air Force websitePathé News film of a 342 squadron raid on a power station near Paris
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 342 Squadron Raf
341 Squadron
Companions of the Liberation
Military units and formations established in 1943
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945