No. 598 Squadron RAF was a Anti-aircraft Co-operation squadron 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...

 during the Second World War.

History

The squadron was formed on 1 December 1943 at RAF Peterhead

Peterhead

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 from 1479 Flight and No. 1632 Flight RAF. It was tasked as an Anti-aircraft Co-operation Unit to cover the north east of Scotland and though officially based at Peterhead, it had detachments all over Scotland. The squadron continued in its role to March 1945, when it moved south to RAF Bircham Newton

RAF Bircham Newton

RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:...

 and re-equipped with the 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...

. It disbanded at Bircham Newton on 30 April 1945.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 598 Squadron RAF, data from

From	To	Aircraft	Version
December 1943	January 1944	Westland Lysander Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...	Mk.IIa
December 1943	April 1945	Airspeed Oxford Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...	Mks.I, II
December 1943	April 1945	Miles Martinet Miles Martinet |-See also:-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0....	Mk.I
February 1944	April 1945	Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...	Mk.IV
June 1944	April 1945	Hawker Hurricane	Mk.IIc
April 1945	April 1945	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...	Mk.I

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 598 Squadron RAF, data from

From	To	Base	Remarks
1 December 1943	12 March 1945	RAF Peterhead Peterhead Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006.... , Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...	Dets. at RAF Longman RAF Inverness - World War II :RAF Inverness was a Royal Air Force base by the Moray Firth in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It was also known as RAF Longman.Under the command of No. 13 Group, It served as Headquarters to No... , Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... ; RAF Skeabrae, Orkney Islands Orkney Islands Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness... ; RAF Sumburgh RAF Sumburgh RAF Sumburgh was located on the southern tip of the mainland island of the Shetland Islands, and was home to half of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, .... , Shetland Islands Shetland Islands Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total... ; RAF Montrose RAF Montrose RAF Montrose was a Royal Air Force station in Forfarshire in Scotland.In 1912, the British government planned twelve "Air Stations" operated by the Royal Flying Corps... , Angus Angus Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...  and RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
12 March 1945	30 April 1945	RAF Bircham Newton RAF Bircham Newton RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:... , Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...	Dets. at RAF Lympne RAF Lympne RAF Lympne was a Royal Air Force station used during the First and Second World Wars. It opened in 1916 by the Royal Flying Corps as an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returned from, France. It was later designated as a First Class Landing Ground... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... ; RAF Peterhead, Aberdeenshire and RAF Hutton Cranswick Hutton Cranswick Hutton Cranswick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately south of Driffield town centre on the A164 road.... , East Riding of Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...

External links

• Squadron histories for nos. 541-598 sqn on RafWeb's Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation