No. 575 Squadron RAF was a transport squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

History

The squadron was formed at RAF Hendon on 1 February 1944 from elements of 512 Squadron. Just two weeks later it moved to RAF Broadwell to work-up as a tactical transport squadron with the Douglas Dakota, the military transport version of the

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

airliner. The squadron's first operations were leaflet raids on France, on the eve of

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

it dropped the 5th Para brigade into the invasion drop zone ( Operation Tonga). On 6 June it towed 21 gliders into France. In the next few weeks it started a casualty evacuation service from France back to England. In September 1944 it was heavily involved in operations at Arnhem, suffering casualties. After the end of the war the squadron began flying to and from India from RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire and later from

RAF Blakehill Farm Royal Air Force Blakehill Farm or more simply RAF Blakehill Farm is a former Royal Air Force station southwest of Cricklade in Wiltshire, England, operational between 1944 and 1952. History The station was originally allocated to the United S ...

. In January 1946 it moved to RAF Bari in Italy to operate an air service between Italy, Austria, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria. It was eventually disbanded at

RAF Kabrit 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 ...

, Egypt on 15 August 1946.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

No 541-598 Squadron Histories on rafweb

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 575 Squadron Raf Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II Transport units and formations of the Royal Air Force Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons, 575 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1944