Wikipedia
No. 173 Squadron RAF
No. 173 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a communications unit in World War II.
| No. 173 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 9 July 1942 – 29 February 1944 1 February 1953 – 2 Sept 1957 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Quocumque ("Whithersoever") |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A sword grasped by an eagles claw and a gauntlet |
| Squadron codes | TV (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) |
History
Formation in World War II
The squadron formed on 9 July 1942 at Heliopolis, Egypt and equipped with the Hawker Audax and it went on to operate many other types of aircraft. It was renamed the 'Middle East Communications Squadron' on 29 February 1944.
Postwar
The squadron reformed as a ferry unit on 1 February 1953 and was finally disbanded on 2 September 1957.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1942 | Feb 1943 | Hawker Audax | I |
| Jul 1942 | Jul 1943 | Westland Lysander | II |
| Jul 1942 | Aug 1943 | Hawker Hart | II |
| Jul 1942 | Sep 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | I |
| Jul 1942 | Sep 1943 | Bristol Blenheim | IV |
| Jul 1942 | Sep 1943 | Airspeed Oxford | III |
| Jul 1942 | Oct 1943 | de Havilland Moth Major | |
| Jul 1942 | Oct 1943 | Percival Gull | Six |
| Jul 1942 | Oct 1943 | Miles Magister | I |
| Jul 1942 | Jan 1944 | Douglas Boston | III |
| Jul 1942 | Jan 1944 | Lockheed Electra | |
| Jul 1942 | Feb 1944 | Percival Proctor | I |
| Jul 1942 | Feb 1944 | Lockheed Lodestar | |
| Jul 1942 | Feb 1944 | Fairchild Argus | I |
| Aug 1942 | Oct 1942 | de Havilland Dragon Rapide | |
| Dec 1942 | Apr 1943 | Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 | I |
| Feb 1943 | Feb 1943 | Stinson Reliant | |
| Feb 1943 | Feb 1943 | Junkers Ju 52 | 3m |
| Feb 1943 | Sep 1943 | Short Scion Senior | |
| Mar 1943 | Apr 1943 | Hawker Hardy | I |
| Apr 1943 | Sep 1943 | Bristol Beaufighter | IF |
| Sep 1943 | Feb 1944 | Avro Anson | I |
| Feb 1953 | Sep 1957 | Avro Anson | C.19 |
| Feb 1955 | Sep 1957 | Vickers Varsity | T.1 |
References
- ^ C.G.Jefford (1988). RAF Squadrons. UK Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Thomas, Andrew (3–16 October 1986). "Western Desert Air Taxis: No.173 Squadron, Royal Air Force". Aviation News. Vol. 15, no. 10. pp. 485–487.
External links
- History of No.'s 171–175 Squadrons at RAF Web
- 173 Squadron history on the official RAF website