No. 570 Squadron RAF was a bomber unit active within No. 38 Group RAF as an airborne, bomber support and special operations squadron 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. 570 Squadron was formed at

RAF Hurn Royal Air Force Hurn or more simply RAF Hurn is a former Royal Air Force station located approximately north west of Christchurch, Dorset, England Opened in 1941, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. D ...

on 15 November 1943, equipped with Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles. It was part of No. 38 Group RAF and was engaged in supply dropping missions to

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

units when it was not training paratroops and glider-towing. In July 1944 the squadron re-equipped with Short Stirlings, and in September 1944 participated in Operation Market Garden, the ill-fated attempt by the allies to capture the

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

bridge, during which time the squadron was engaged in

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

towing and supply drops. The squadron also took part in

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest ai ...

in March 1945, a major allied airborne offensive across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. When the war finished, the squadron transported troops to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, and was then assigned to various overseas mail routes prior to disbanding at RAF Rivenhall on 8 January 1946.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

World War II 38 Group Squadrons Reunited

570 Squadron history at MOD site
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 570 Squadron Raf Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II

570 __NOTOC__ Year 570 ( DLXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 570 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

Military units and formations established in 1943