No. 217 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 217 Squadron RAF was originally formed on 1 April 1918, from the No. 17 Naval Squadron at Bergues, near Dunkerque. It conducted daylight raids using Airco DH.4s on enemy bases and airfields in Belgium. The squadron was disbanded on 18 October 1919, after the end of World War I
.
No. 217 Squadron was re-formed by Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force
on 15 March 1937 at Boscombe Down, equipped with Avro Anson
s, performing general reconnaissance duties until the start of World War II
, when it moved to the newly-built airfield RAF St Eval
, conducting coastal patrols until October 1939. From May 1940, it was equipped with the Bristol Beaufort
torpedo bomber, but because of problems with its Taurus engines, the Ansons remained in service until December 1940.
The squadron was ordered to Ceylon, via Gibraltar
and Malta
, in May 1940. En route, it conducted anti-shipping and mine-laying attacks for two months in the Mediterranean. In one incident, on 28 June 1942, the crew of a ditched Beaufort were rescued by an Italian CANT Z.506
seaplane. The Italian crew were overpowered and the Cant was flown to Malta where the Italians were made prisoners of war. Crew losses were quite severe, with the remainder of the force arriving in Ceylon in July, with the ground echelon arriving by sea in August.
The Beauforts were retained for action in the Middle East, leaving 217 Squadron with Lockheed Hudson
s for anti-submarine patrol. New Bristol Beaufort
planes started arriving in Ceylon from April 1943, and the squadron reverted to a strike unit from July. It was equipped with the more powerful Bristol Beaufighter
TFX "Torbeau" torpedo fighter-bomber from April 1944, in anticipation of an imminent assault on Ceylon by the same Japanese battle fleet that had attacked Pearl Harbor
. However, this did not transpire and the squadron prepared for a daring assault on the Japanese battle fleet in Singapore
harbour, known as Operation Jinx, which involved flying by dead-reckoning to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
, then embarking on a one-way trip over Sumatra
to the attack in Singapore
, abandoning the surviving planes on the island of Phuket, which was yet to be captured. This suicide mission was tabled for July 1945, but at the last moment was postponed until September, when unexpected advances were made by Wingate's Chindits
in Burma and the squadron was temporarily re-tasked to a ground support role. The dropping of the atomic bomb on 6 August and Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945 meant that Operation Jinx never eventually took place. The squadron was disbanded again on 30 September 1945.
No. 217 Squadron re-formed once again on 14 January 1952 as a Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron, trialling two Lockheed Neptune
MR Mark 1s at RAF St Eval
, then moving their base of operations to RAF Kinloss
in April, being fully equipped with Neptunes by July that year. The squadron disbanded again on 31 March 1957.
The last brief re-formation of No. 217 Squadron out of No. 1630 Flight was from 1 February 1958 until 13 November 1959, when it flew Westland Whirlwind HAR Mark 2 helicopters, as part of the air support for the British hydrogen bomb tests on Christmas Island
in the Pacific, codenamed Operation Grapple
.
Squadron motto: Woe to the unwary
Squadron badge: A demi-shark erased
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
No. 217 Squadron was re-formed by Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
on 15 March 1937 at Boscombe Down, equipped with Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s, performing general reconnaissance duties until the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when it moved to the newly-built airfield RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
, conducting coastal patrols until October 1939. From May 1940, it was equipped with the Bristol Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
torpedo bomber, but because of problems with its Taurus engines, the Ansons remained in service until December 1940.
The squadron was ordered to Ceylon, via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, in May 1940. En route, it conducted anti-shipping and mine-laying attacks for two months in the Mediterranean. In one incident, on 28 June 1942, the crew of a ditched Beaufort were rescued by an Italian CANT Z.506
CANT Z.506
The CANT Z.506 Airone was a triple-engine floatplane produced by CANT from 1935. It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline "Ala Littoria"...
seaplane. The Italian crew were overpowered and the Cant was flown to Malta where the Italians were made prisoners of war. Crew losses were quite severe, with the remainder of the force arriving in Ceylon in July, with the ground echelon arriving by sea in August.
The Beauforts were retained for action in the Middle East, leaving 217 Squadron with Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
s for anti-submarine patrol. New Bristol Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
planes started arriving in Ceylon from April 1943, and the squadron reverted to a strike unit from July. It was equipped with the more powerful Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
TFX "Torbeau" torpedo fighter-bomber from April 1944, in anticipation of an imminent assault on Ceylon by the same Japanese battle fleet that had attacked Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. However, this did not transpire and the squadron prepared for a daring assault on the Japanese battle fleet in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
harbour, known as Operation Jinx, which involved flying by dead-reckoning to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
, then embarking on a one-way trip over Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
to the attack in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, abandoning the surviving planes on the island of Phuket, which was yet to be captured. This suicide mission was tabled for July 1945, but at the last moment was postponed until September, when unexpected advances were made by Wingate's Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
in Burma and the squadron was temporarily re-tasked to a ground support role. The dropping of the atomic bomb on 6 August and Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945 meant that Operation Jinx never eventually took place. The squadron was disbanded again on 30 September 1945.
No. 217 Squadron re-formed once again on 14 January 1952 as a Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron, trialling two Lockheed Neptune
P-2 Neptune
The Lockheed P-2 Neptune was a Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. It was developed for the United States Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and being replaced in turn with the Lockheed P-3 Orion...
MR Mark 1s at RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
, then moving their base of operations to RAF Kinloss
RAF Kinloss
RAF Kinloss is a Royal Air Force station near Kinloss, on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. It opened on 1 April 1939 and served as an RAF training establishment during the Second World War. After the war it was handed over to Coastal Command to watch over Russian ships and submarines in...
in April, being fully equipped with Neptunes by July that year. The squadron disbanded again on 31 March 1957.
The last brief re-formation of No. 217 Squadron out of No. 1630 Flight was from 1 February 1958 until 13 November 1959, when it flew Westland Whirlwind HAR Mark 2 helicopters, as part of the air support for the British hydrogen bomb tests on Christmas Island
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
in the Pacific, codenamed Operation Grapple
Operation Grapple
Operation Grapple, and operations Grapple X, Grapple Y and Grapple Z, were the names of British nuclear tests of the hydrogen bomb. They were held 1956—1958 at Malden Island and Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean. Nine nuclear detonations took place during the trials, resulting in...
.
Squadron motto: Woe to the unwary
Squadron badge: A demi-shark erased
External links
- "No. 217 Squadron RAF". Coastal Command Index.
- "History of No. 217 Squadron". Royal Air Force History.
- "No. 217 Squadron: Planned One-Way Missions". Library Ref 019, Aircrew Association, Scottish Saltaire Branch.
- "Flying with 22 and 217 Squadrons, RAF". Library Ref 154, Aircrew Association, Scottish Saltaire Branch.
- "No. 216 - 220 Squadron Histories". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation.