A brief history of No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron.
1. Hainault Farm, Essex saw the formation of No 44 Squadron as a Home Defence Unit on 24 July 1917, under the command of Major TOB Hubbard AFC. Equipped with Sopwith Camels, its role was the protection of London's northern approaches from German air attacks. In December 1917, the Squadron claimed its first victory when a Gotha bomber was destroyed by Captain GW Murlis-Green, flying a Camel for the first time in the night fighter role.
2. For the final six months of the war, the Squadron was commanded by Major AT Harris who, by an ironic turn of fate, was to direct the greatest aerial assault in history as Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command in World War II.
3. The Squadron was disbanded on the 31st December 1919 and it was not until the Royal Air Force began its major expansion programme that the Squadron was re-formed on 8th March l937 at Wyton, equipped with Hawker Hinds.
4. A move to Andover in the same month was followed that year by a move to Waddington and re-equipment with Bristol Blenheims. A year later the Blenheims were replaced by Hampdens and, in June 1939, Wg Cdr JN Boothman, who in 1931 had won the Schneider Trophy outright for Great Britain, was appointed Commanding Officer.
5. A period of intense training was completed in time for the Squadron to take part in the first offensive air operations of World War II when an attempt to attack the German Fleet in the North Sea was made on the evening of 3rd September 1939.
6. In January 1940, the Squadron flew over Germany for the first time to drop leaflets on Hamburg and in March participated in the first real attack against the enemy when the seaplane base at Hornum was bombed.
7. In 1941, the Air Ministry give authority for the Squadron to be known as No 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron in recognition of that country's generous contribution to the Commonwealth war effort. This was particularly appropriate as about a quarter of the Squadron's personnel came from Southern Rhodesia. The association is preserved in the Squadron's crest which includes an elephant and the inscription "FULMINA REGIS IUSTA" (The King's Thunderbolts are Righteous). The elephant has a double significance. It symbolises the weight and heaviness of the Squadron's attacks against the enemy and it was incorporated in the seal presented by Queen Victoria to King Lobengula of Matabeleland in 1895. King Lobengula was a very loyal subject of HM the Queen and called himself “Her Majesty's Thunderbolt of Matabeleland" and claimed that he and his followers were "righteous" in their loyalty to the Grown.
8. By January 1942, the Squadron had re-equipped with Lancasters, the first in Bomber Command. These aircraft were used for mine-laying and night operations against German targets for the remainder of the war. After one of these attacks, Squadron Leader J D Nettleton received the Victoria Cross for his part in leading the successful raid against the MAN diesel works at Augsburg.
9. Elsewhere - Berlin, Duisberg, Cologne, Hamburg and Brest were but a few of the targets frequently attacked, and both before and after the Normandy landings in 1944, the Squadron greatly assisted the progress of the Allied invasion forces by its operations against enemy defences in North West Europe.
Following the end of hostilities, the Squadron settled down to its peacetime role, and in 1946 was re-equipped with Lincoln aircraft and moved to Wyton.
11. The period 1950-57 saw the Squadron re-equipped with Washingtons and Canberras and based in turn at Marham, Coningsby and Cottesmore. In 1956 it took part in attacks against Egyptian airfields from its temporary base in Cyprus. Less than a year later, in July 1957, disbandment followed after more than twenty years continuous existence.
12. On the 10th August 1960, the Squadron was once again re-formed at Waddington, equipped with Vulcan Mk 1 aircraft as part of the Medium Bomber Force. In June 1967, the Squadron received its Standard from HRH Princess Marina. Re-equipment with Vulcan Mk 2 aircraft was completed in November 1967. In 1971, the Squadron was chosen to fly HRH The Prince of Wales on a Vulcan familiarisation flight, and in July 1977 the Squadron proudly celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.
13. In early April 1982, two aircraft and one crew of 44 Sqn formed part of a training flight of eight aircraft and five crews from RAF Waddington to fly air operations in the South Atlantic. The flight was commanded by Wg Cdr SA Baldwin, OC 44Sqn. 44 Sqn’s Flight Commander, Sqn Ldr AC Montgomery and his crew were first to deploy to Ascension Island where Sqn Ldr Montgomery commanded the Vulcan detachment.
44 Sqn’s Vulcan XM607 flew three ‘Black Buck’ bombing missions against Stanley airfield. Sqn Ldr Montgomery’s crew flew the airborne reserve aircraft in five of the six ‘Black Buck’ missions.
When the conflict ended in June 1982, 44 Sqn reformed with eight aircraft and crews, capable of redeploying to the South Atlantic. This task lasted for a further six months and 44 Squadron was finally disbanded on 21 December 1982.
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