No. 76 Squadron RAF
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Number 76 Squadron was a
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, ...
of the
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 ...
. It was formed during
World War I 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 ...
as a home defence fighter squadron and in its second incarnation 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 ...
flew as a bomber squadron, first as an operational training unit and later as an active bomber squadron. With the end of the war the squadron converted to the role of transport squadron, to be reactivated shortly in the bomber role during the 1950s. From 2007 to 2011, it was a training unit, equipped with the
Short Tucano The Short Tucano is a two-seat turboprop basic trainer built by Short Brothers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a licence-built version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB 312 Tucano. On 14 February 1986, the prototype conducted its maiden flig ...
at
RAF Linton-on-Ouse RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army). The station opened in 1937. With t ...
.


History


First World War

No. 76 Squadron, RFC was formed at RFC Ripon,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
for home defence duties on 15 September 1916 in the Yorkshire area, having detachments at
Copmanthorpe Copmanthorpe () is a village and civil parish in the City of York in the English county of North Yorkshire, south-west of York, west of Bishopthorpe and close to Acaster Malbis, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard. According to the 2001 census th ...
,
Helperby Helperby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brafferton and Helperby, in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about five miles west of Easingwold. Over the years it has joined onto Brafferton, North Yorksh ...
and Catterick. It was equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and B.E.12s, these being replaced by Bristol F.2Bs in 1918. The squadron disbanded at Bramham Moor on 13 June 1919, having seen no action during this part of its service life.


Second World War


Wellesleys, Hampdens and Ansons

The squadron was next reformed at
RAF Finningley Royal Air Force Finningley or RAF Finningley was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The station straddled the historic county boundaries of both ...
on 12 April 1937 from 'B' Flight of No. 7 Squadron, equipped with
Vickers Wellesley The Vickers Wellesley was a medium bomber that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey. It was one of two aircraft to be named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of ...
bombers. These were replaced by
Handley Page Hampden The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers ...
s and
Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCA ...
s in April 1939, the unit moving to
RAF Upper Heyford RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. In the Second World War the airfield was used by Bomber Command. During the Cold War, Upper Heyford was one ...
at the outbreak of war. It performed an operational training role until 8 April 1940, when it merged with No. 7 Squadron to form No. 16 Operational Training Unit (OTU).


Halifaxes

The squadron reformed shortly on 30 April 1940 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 ...
as a Hampden unit before being disbanded on 2 May 1940.Jefford 2001, p. 51. On 1 May 1941, the squadron reformed properly at
RAF Linton-on-Ouse RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army). The station opened in 1937. With t ...
as the second
Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its orig ...
bomber squadron, part of the newly created No. 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command. The Squadron moved to RAF Middleton St. George in June 1941, returning to Linton-on-Ouse in July 1942. The squadron moving again, this time to
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, or more simply RAF Holme is a former Royal Air Force station located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site was built during the Second World War, it was used during the war by the Royal Air Force (RAF) a ...
in June 1943 as part of a policy to allow the newly formed Canadian 6 Group to use the better equipped RAF stations that had been built pre-war. The Squadron had a substantial number of Norwegian pilots and aircrew. From August 1942 to April 1943, No. 76 Squadron was commanded by Wing Commander
Leonard Cheshire Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, (7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992) was a highly decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and group captain during the Second World War, and a philanthropist. Among the honours Cheshire received as ...
.


Dakotas

With the rest of No. 4 Group, No. 76 Squadron was transferred to RAF Transport Command in May 1945, re-equipping with
Douglas Dakota The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...
s, shortly thereafter moving to
RAF Broadwell Royal Air Force Broadwell or more simply RAF Broadwell is a former Royal Air Force station located 2 miles north of Broadwell and 3 miles southeast of Burford, Oxfordshire, and within 2 miles of RAF Brize Norton. It opened on 15 November 19 ...
. It moved to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in September the same year, where it was disbanded on 1 September 1946 at
Palam Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, D ...
by being re-numbered to No. 62 Squadron.


Post-war

On 9 December 1953, the squadron reformed at
RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire i ...
, equipped with English Electric Canberra B.2 bombers. The squadron moved in November 1955 to
RAF Weston Zoyland RAF Westonzoyland is one of the country's oldest airfields being established in the early 1920s. Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Bridgwater; about west-southwest of London. It was opened in 1925 ...
, for
Operation Grapple Operation Grapple was a set of four series of British nuclear weapons tests of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at Malden Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the P ...
. Some of these aircraft were tasked with collecting air samples during the Operation Grapple nuclear trials in 1956/58. The work of the 76 Squadron on Christmas Island (also referred to as
Kiritimati Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonolog ...
) in 1957 and 1958 is of particular note as they were tasked with flying through the atomic cloud, making several cuts at different altitudes, in order to collect information on the radioactivity in the mushroom cloud which formed after the bomb was detonated. These megaton explosions were greatly stronger than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The measurements made each mission by the sampler aircraft – named as Sniff Boss, Sniff 1, Sniff 2, and Sniff 3 - focused on Gamma radiation. The instruments carried by each sampling aircraft were Sample Strength Indicator (Salmon), Dose Rate Meter (Romeo), Integrating Dose Meter (Charlie), a personal Quartz Fibre Dosimeter and a Personal Film Badge Dosimeter. Crew members were limited to being exposed to 10r (
Roentgen_(unit) The roentgen or röntgen (; symbol R) is a legacy unit of measurement for the exposure of X-rays and gamma rays, and is defined as the electric charge freed by such radiation in a specified volume of air divided by the mass of that air (statcoul ...
) of radiation, however there are records which indicate that some crew members were exposed to much greater amounts of radiation – up to three times the amount. There is much discussion about the impact that these missions had on the health of these servicemen in addition to the health of their offspring – in particular from genetic damage. The nuclear cloud sampling missions were achieved through the use of specially adapted B6 Canberras. When asked what a radioactive cloud feels like the pilots replied ‘Like smog over Manchester.” The squadron disbanded on 30 December 1960 at
RAF Upwood Royal Air Force Upwood or more simply RAF Upwood is a former Royal Air Force station adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire, England, in the United Kingdom. It was a non-flying station which was under the control of the United St ...
.


Training

The squadron remained dormant until 1 May 2007, when the Short Tucano T.1 Air Navigation Squadron at
RAF Linton-on-Ouse RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army). The station opened in 1937. With t ...
was redesignated as No. 76 (Reserve) Squadron. In 2008, Prince William spent three months at Linton learning to fly. No. 76 Squadron continued to train WSOs (Weapons Systems Officers) until December 2010, and was disbanded in May 2011.


Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated include: * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c (September 1916 – 1917) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e (December 1916 – August 1918) *
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2. Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bom ...
(September 1916 – August 1918) *
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2. Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bom ...
a (December 1916 – August 1918) *
Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Clutching hand" and "Skyhook", many survived to be used as a civil light aircraft in the p ...
(September 1916 – 1917) * Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 (May 1917 – July 1918) *
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2. Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bom ...
b (March 1918 – August 1918) *
Bristol F.2 The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Biff"'' ...
b (July 1918 – August 1918) *
Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...
K (August 1918 – May 1919) *
Vickers Wellesley The Vickers Wellesley was a medium bomber that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs at Brooklands near Weybridge, Surrey. It was one of two aircraft to be named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of ...
(April 1937 – April 1939) * Handley Page Hampden Mk.I (March 1939 – April 1940) * Avro Anson Mk.I (May 1939 – April 1940) * Handley Page Halifax B.I (May 1941 – March 1942) * Handley Page Halifax B.II (October 1941 – April 1943) * Handley Page Halifax B.V (February 1943 – February 1944) * Handley Page Halifax B.III (January 1944 – April 1945) * Handley Page Halifax B.VI (March 1945 – May 1945) * Douglas Dakota Mk.IV (May 1945 – September 1946) * English Electric Canberra B.2 (December 1953 – December 1955) * English Electric Canberra B.6 (December 1955 – December 1960) * Short Tucano T.1 (May 2007 – May 2011)


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. ''Squadron Codes, 1937–56''. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. . * Delve, Ken. ''The Source Book of the RAF''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. . * Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. ''Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. . * 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). . * Lake, Alan. ''Flying Units of the RAF: The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1999. . * Moyes, Philip J.R. ''Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 2nd edition 1976. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald & Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (2nd edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . * Sturtivant, Ray,
ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...
and John Hamlin. ''RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. .


External links


Royal Air Force History: History of No. 76 Squadron






The story of a 76 Squadron Flight Engineer in World War II
Brief History of 76 Squadron from Christmas Island News

76 Squadron Exposed

Curse of the Nuclear Cloud Flyers


* ttps://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/28/nuclear.world1 The Guardian: Pilot told to fly through atom bomb cloud {{DEFAULTSORT:No. 76 Squadron Raf 076 Squadron 076 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1916 1916 establishments in the United Kingdom