| 23 Sqn History | |
MOTTO: BADGE: On 1 September 1915, Captain Louis Arbon Strange was posted to Fort Grange at Gosport in Hampshire with the task of forming No 23 Squadron. He arrived from Farnborough in an Avro 504 and the following day found himself in possession of "an office, a sergeant and three men, an old 80 hp Gnome Bleriot and the bits and pieces of two Henri Farmans", in addition to the Avro machine. Faced with bombing raids by German Zeppelin airships 23 Squadron was initially employed in pioneering the nascent Air Defence role over the United Kingdom, a role that would provide the impetus for the eventual formation of the RAF as a separate Service. The Squadron was deployed to the Western Front in March 1916, equipped with FE2b aircraft. Initially flying fighter reconnaissance patrols, the Squadron later added ground attack to its capabilities when, in early 1917, they re- equipped with 18 SPAD VIIs which were a good match for the enemy’s Albatross DIII machines. By 1 April 1918, when the RFC and RNAS merged to become the RAF, No 23 Squadron was enjoying considerable success flying Sopwith Dolphins against such formidable adversaries as the "Richthofen Flying Circus", then commanded by Hauptmann Hermann Göring (future wartime commander of the Luftwaffe and Reichsfűhrer). The Squadron returned to the United Kingdom in March 1919 and was disbanded at RAF Waddington on 1 December that year. However, in 1923, the British Government set about forming the Home Defence Air Force, of which No 23 Squadron became part at RAF Henlow, with Sopwith Snipe aircraft on 1 July 1925. Quickly building a reputation for display flying with Gloster Gamecocks, the Squadron continued to operate single-engined aircraft, including Bristol Bulldogs and Hawker Harts and Demons, throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. It was during this period that the Squadron official history records the posting of a 23 Squadron pilot to RAF Uxbridge as “Supernumerary Non-effective Sick” following a flying accident on 14 December 1931. The pilot concerned – Pilot Officer Douglas Bader – lost his legs in the accident, but later went on to become one of the RAF’s most formidable fighter leaders in the Second World War, before being shot down and captured by the Germans in 1941. His courage, tenacity and skill as a pilot and fighter leader were immortalized in the film “Reach for the Sky”. In the early years of the Second World War, the Squadron undertook shipping protection and intruder missions over France, flying the twin-engined Bristol Blenheim. In March 1941, US-manufactured Douglas Havocs arrived and were quickly supplemented by Bostons from the same stable. The Squadron converted to Mosquito IIs in July 1942 and moved to RAF Luqa, Malta, from where the Squadron flew long-range intruder missions to targets in Sicily, Italy, Tunisia and southern France. Later, conversion to the Mosquito VI coincided with a transfer to the newly formed 100 Group, Bomber Command, and a move to RAF Little Snoring in Norfolk followed in June 1944. Thereafter, the pattern of bomber escort and night interdiction missions continued until the end of the war and the Squadron disbanded in September 1945. No 23 Squadron re-formed just one year later with Mosquito NF30s at RAF Wittering and later upgraded to NF36s at RAF Coltishall. In September 1951, No 23 Squadron saw its last piston-engined aircraft give way to the jet-engined de Havilland Vampire and later Venom fighters. With the introduction of the Gloster Javelin FAW4, the Squadron became a high performance, all-weather unit pioneering in-flight refueling. A move to RAF Leuchars in 1963 coincided with No 23 Squadron becoming the second squadron to receive the English Electric Lightning F3. Playing a major role throughout the Cold War, the Squadron re-equipped with the Lightning F6 in 1967. In October 1975 the Squadron disbanded, but reformed 2 months later with its third American type, the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 and embarked on a period of relative stability at RAF Wattisham. A move to RAF Leuchars in 1963 coincided with No 23 Squadron becoming the second squadron to receive the English Electric Lightning F3. Playing a major role throughout the Cold War, the Squadron re-equipped with the Lightning F6 in 1967. In October 1975 the Squadron disbanded, but reformed 2 months later with its third American type, the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 and embarked on a period of relative stability at RAF Wattisham. Due to the expanding role of the Airborne Early Warning Force, No 23 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Waddington on 1 April 1996, flying the E-3D Sentry aircraft. No 23 Squadron shares the seven E-3D Sentry aircraft with No 8 Squadron. Since its re-formation at RAF Waddington, the Squadron has been deployed almost continuously on operations, including support of NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia and Operation ALLIED FORCE (the Kosovo War) in 1999. In October 2001, the Squadron flew its first operational mission over Afghanistan in support of Operations VERITAS and ORACLE against the Taliban and Al Qa’eda elements. The Squadron completed its final sortie in support of operations in Afghanistan in January 2003 before regrouping at home prior to deploying back to the Middle East in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH in February 2003. The Squadron flew operational missions from the outset of Operation TELIC (the 2003 Iraq War) and completed its final operational mission in that theatre at the end of May 2003. |
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| Battle Honours | |
Home Defence 1916 Somme 1916 Arras Channel and North Sea 1939 - 1940 Italy 1943 - 1944 Sicily 1943 Anzio and Nettuno Kosovo 1999 |
Western Front 1916 - 1918 Ypres 1917 Somme 1918 Fortress Europe 1940 - 1944 North Africa 1943 Rhur 1944 - 1945 France and Germany 1944 - 1945 Iraq 2003 |