No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service.[4] This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Seaplane Defence Flight which, since its creation in June 1917, had had the task of defending the seaplanes which flew out of Dunkirk.
No. 213 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF
Active
1 April 1918 - 31 December 1919 8 March 1937 - 30 September 1954 1 September 1955 – 31 December 1969
Western Front 1914-1948*; Channel and North Sea 1939-1940; France and the Low Countries 1939-1940*; Dunkirk*; Battle of Britain 1940*; Home defence 1940-1945; Egypt and Libya 1940-1943*; Syria 1941*; El Alamein*; Mediterranean 1942-1943; South East Europe 1942-1945* Honours marked with an asterisk are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard[2]
Formed originally from the Seaplane Defence Flight, which was itself founded in June 1917 at Dunkirk, it was reorganized as No. 13 Squadron RNAS on 15 January 1918. As the SDF, it operated Sopwith Pups. When the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force, it was renumbered as 213 Squadron.[5] In this incarnation, it flew Sopwith Baby floatplanes and transitioned to Sopwith Camels. It was during this time that the squadron derived its Hornet insignia and motto for the squadron badge, after overhearing a Belgian General refer to the squadron's defence of his trenches, "Like angry hornets attacking the enemy aircraft". The Hornet became affectionately known as "Crabro," Latin for hornet. The squadron's official motto became, "Irritatus Lacessit Crabro" (The Hornet Attacks When Roused).[6] In March 1919 the squadron went back to the UK where it disbanded on 31 December 1919.[4]
The squadron reformed once again on 1 September 1955 as an English Electric Canberra squadron, specialising in low level interdiction missions. It was the only squadron to fly the Canberra B(I).6 variant, still with the "Crabro" insignia adorning the tail fin, first from RAF Ahlhorn and later from RAF Bruggen, while a detachment was for a short time in 1956 stationed at Valkenburg Naval Air Base in the Netherlands.[7] The squadron finally disbanded on 31 December 1969.[4]
Bowyer, Michael J.F and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937-56. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN0-85059-364-6.
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: Airlif Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN1-84037-281-8.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN0-85130-164-9.
Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 1998 (second edition 2001). ISBN1-84037-141-2.
Leeson, Frank M. The Hornet Strikes: the Story of 213 Squadron Royal AIr Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: AIr-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1998. ISBN0-85130-272-6.
Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (new edition 1976). ISBN0-354-01027-1.
Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN0-354-01028-X.
Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above The Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London: Grub Street. ISBN0-948817-19-4.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 213 Squadron RAF.
213 sqn association
The history of 213 SQN RAF
RAF Website
No. 213 sqn bases while in Fighter Command
Squadron history and more on rafweb's 'Air of Authority'
No. 213 sqn during the Battle of Britain
January 07, 2023
squadron, squadron, squadron, royal, force, squadron, formed, april, 1918, from, naval, squadron, royal, naval, service, this, rnas, squadron, itself, formed, january, 1918, from, seaplane, defence, flight, which, since, creation, june, 1917, task, defending, . No 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No 13 Naval Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service 4 This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Seaplane Defence Flight which since its creation in June 1917 had had the task of defending the seaplanes which flew out of Dunkirk No 213 Ceylon Squadron RAFActive1 April 1918 31 December 1919 8 March 1937 30 September 1954 1 September 1955 31 December 1969CountryUnited KingdomBranchRoyal Air ForceNickname s The Hornets 1918 CeylonMotto s Irritatus Lacessit CrabroLatin The Hornet Attacks When Roused 1 Battle honoursWestern Front 1914 1948 Channel and North Sea 1939 1940 France and the Low Countries 1939 1940 Dunkirk Battle of Britain 1940 Home defence 1940 1945 Egypt and Libya 1940 1943 Syria 1941 El Alamein Mediterranean 1942 1943 South East Europe 1942 1945 Honours marked with an asterisk are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard 2 InsigniaSquadron BadgeA HornetSquadron CodesAK Apr 1939 Jan 1950 3 Contents 1 History 1 1 World War I 1 2 Second World War 1 3 Post Second World War 1 4 With Bomber Command to RAF Germany 2 Aircraft operated 3 Commanding officers 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditWorld War I Edit Formed originally from the Seaplane Defence Flight which was itself founded in June 1917 at Dunkirk it was reorganized as No 13 Squadron RNAS on 15 January 1918 As the SDF it operated Sopwith Pups When the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force it was renumbered as 213 Squadron 5 In this incarnation it flew Sopwith Baby floatplanes and transitioned to Sopwith Camels It was during this time that the squadron derived its Hornet insignia and motto for the squadron badge after overhearing a Belgian General refer to the squadron s defence of his trenches Like angry hornets attacking the enemy aircraft The Hornet became affectionately known as Crabro Latin for hornet The squadron s official motto became Irritatus Lacessit Crabro The Hornet Attacks When Roused 6 In March 1919 the squadron went back to the UK where it disbanded on 31 December 1919 4 During its wartime existence the squadron had 14 flying aces serve with it including such notables as 5 John Edmund Greene Colin Brown George Chisholm MacKay Leonard Slatter Maurice Cooper Miles Day Ronald Graham John Paynter John Pinder and George Stacey Hodson A 213 Sqn Hurricane I over Cyprus circa 1941 Second World War Edit The squadron was reformed on 8 March 1937 flying Gloster Gauntlet IIs converting to Hawker Hurricanes in January 1939 and flew throughout the war It participated as part of the British Expeditionary Force then at Dunkirk the Battle of Britain and finally in the Middle East as part of the Desert Air Force It also flew Supermarine Spitfires and North American Mustangs Post Second World War Edit After the war the squadron remained in the Middle East first flying Hawker Tempests and then de Havilland Vampires It was stationed at Deversoir in the Suez Canal Zone from October 1948 till its disbandment there on 30 September 1954 With Bomber Command to RAF Germany Edit The squadron reformed once again on 1 September 1955 as an English Electric Canberra squadron specialising in low level interdiction missions It was the only squadron to fly the Canberra B I 6 variant still with the Crabro insignia adorning the tail fin first from RAF Ahlhorn and later from RAF Bruggen while a detachment was for a short time in 1956 stationed at Valkenburg Naval Air Base in the Netherlands 7 The squadron finally disbanded on 31 December 1969 4 Aircraft operated EditAircraft of 213 Squadron 4 8 9 From To Aircraft VersionApril 1918 December 1919 Camel F1March 1937 February 1939 Gauntlet Mk IIJanuary 1939 February 1942 Hurricane Mk IAugust 1941 March 1944 Hurricane Mks IIa IIcFebruary 1944 May 1944 Spitfire Mk VcFebruary 1944 June 1944 Spitfire Mk IXMay 1944 February 1947 Mustang Mk IIIFebruary 1945 February 1947 Mustang Mk IVJanuary 1947 January 1950 Tempest F 6November 1949 April 1952 Vampire FB 5April 1952 September 1954 Vampire FB 9March 1956 December 1969 Canberra B I 6Commanding officers EditCommanding Officers of 213 Squadron 10 11 From To Name3 July 1917 21 November 1918 S Cdr R Graham21 November 1918 31 December 1919 Maj A G Tayler3 May 1937 27 May 1940 S Ldr J H Edwardes Jones27 May 1940 25 August 1940 S Ldr H McGregor DSO25 August 1940 14 November 1941 S Ldr D S MacDonald14 November 1941 16 January 1942 S Ldr R Lockhart16 January 1942 18 May 1942 S Ldr G V W Kettlewell18 May 1942 12 October 1942 S Ldr M H Young DFC12 October 1942 1 January 1943 S Ldr P Olver1 January 1943 24 August 1943 S Ldr V C Woodward DFC24 August 1943 16 September 1944 S Ldr S R Whiting DFC16 September 1944 17 December 1944 S Ldr C S Vos DFC17 December 1944 17 January 1946 S Ldr P E Vaughan Fowler DFC amp Bar17 January 1946 4 November 1946 S Ldr R S Nash DFC4 November 1946 2 January 1947 S Ldr M C Wells2 January 1947 18 March 1948 S Ldr D C Colebrook18 March 1948 18 April 1949 S Ldr P J Kelley DFC18 April 1949 14 September 1951 S Ldr D J A Roe DSO DFC14 September 1951 31 March 1954 S Ldr D M Finn DFC31 March 1954 30 September 1954 S Ldr A J H Kitley1 September 1954 29 December 1957 W Cdr H J Dodson AFC29 December 1957 10 August 1959 W Cdr I R Campbell AFC10 August 1959 7 June 1961 W Cdr P T Bayley7 June 1961 24 April 1964 W Cdr S Slater DSO OBE DFC amp Bar24 April 1964 13 June 1966 W Cdr R H Arscott13 June 1966 23 May 1968 W Cdr T E Benson23 May 1968 31 December 1969 W Cdr M R T ChandlerReferences Edit Pine LG 1983 A Dictionary of mottoes London Routledge amp K Paul p 116 ISBN 0 7100 9339 X Leeson 1998 p 194 Bowyer amp Rawlings 1979 pp 14 16 a b c d Halley 1988 p 278 a b Shores Franks amp Guest 1990 p 42 Squadrons of the Battle of Britain Aircraft badges and history 213 to 236 Squadrons on the UK Ministry of Defense Website Moyes 1976 p 201 Rawlings 1978 pp 327 328 Jefford 2001 p 73 Rawlings 1978 p 328 Leeson 1998 p 195 BibliographyBowyer Michael J F and John D R Rawlings Squadron Codes 1937 56 Cambridge Cambridgeshire UK Patrick Stephens Ltd 1979 ISBN 0 85059 364 6 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 Airlif Publishing Ltd 2003 ISBN 1 84037 281 8 Halley James J The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force amp Commonwealth 1918 1988 Tonbridge Kent UK Air Britain Historians Ltd 1988 ISBN 0 85130 164 9 Jefford C G RAF Squadrons a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 Shrewsbury Airlife Publishing 1998 second edition 2001 ISBN 1 84037 141 2 Leeson Frank M The Hornet Strikes the Story of 213 Squadron Royal AIr Force Tonbridge Kent UK AIr Britain Historians Ltd 1998 ISBN 0 85130 272 6 Lewis Peter Squadron Histories R F C R N A S and R A F 1912 59 London Putnam 1959 Moyes Philip J R Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers Ltd 1964 new edition 1976 ISBN 0 354 01027 1 Rawlings John D R Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers Ltd 1969 new edition 1976 reprinted 1978 ISBN 0 354 01028 X Shores Christopher Franks Norman Guest Russell 1990 Above The Trenches A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915 1920 London Grub Street ISBN 0 948817 19 4 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to No 213 Squadron RAF 213 sqn association The history of 213 SQN RAF RAF Website No 213 sqn bases while in Fighter Command Squadron history and more on rafweb s Air of Authority No 213 sqn during the Battle of Britain Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title No 213 Squadron RAF amp oldid 1111218564, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
