Country United Kingdom | Branch Royal Air Force | |
Active 7 Jan 1916 – 25 Sept 1919
3 Dec 1935 – Feb 1942
1 Apr 1942 – 15 Oct 1945
1 Aug 1946 – 31 July 1947
11 Feb 1949 – 24 June 1952
1 Aug 1954 – 10 Jan 1958
1 Oct 1960 – 31 Dec 1967 Motto(s) Latin: Lupus vult, lupus volat
("Wolf wishes, wolf flies") Battle honours Western Front, 1916–17, Ypres, 1917, Italian Front & Adriatic, 1917–18, Somme, 1916, Hindenburg Line, Eastern Waters 1941, Malaya, 1941–42, Arakan, 1942–44, Manipur, 1944, Burma, 1944–45 Squadron badge heraldry In front of an increscent, a wolf passant. | ||
No. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron and in the 1930s operated light bombers. It was re-equipped with fighter-bombers in the later half of the Second World War and in the post-war period was reformed four times; first as a photo-reconnaissance unit, then anti-aircraft co-operation, then as a jet fighter squadron through the 1950s. It was last active in the 1960s, as a Blackburn Beverley transport squadron.
Contents
First World War
No. 34 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Castle Bromwich on 7 January 1916 from elements of No. 19 Squadron RAF. It went to France in July 1916 as a reconnaissance unit equipped with BE.2s It got RE.8s in January 1917. It transferred to the Italian front flying reconnaissance and bomber missions until the end of the war, returning to the UK and disbanding on 25 September 1919.
Second World War
It reformed at Bircham Newton on 3 December 1935, from a detachment from No. 18 Squadron RAF. Initially it flew Hawker Hinds before receiving Bristol Blenheims in July 1938. No. 34 was sent to Singapore before the start of the war until Japan entered the war. After two months action it was beyond operations and what remained left for India. It reformed at the start of April 1942, with Blenheim IVs. These carried out bombing raids on Japanese bases in Burma until April 1943. The Squadron converted to Hawker Hurricanes and then began fighter-bomber operations from November. It switched to P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1945 for ground attack until the end of the war. The Squadron disbanded on 15 October 1945.
Post-war
On 1 August 1946 No. 681 Squadron RAF was renumbered as No. 34 Squadron, flying photo-reconnaissance Supermarine Spitfires until disbanding on 31 July 1947. No. 695 Squadron RAF was then renumbered to No. 34 Squadron on 11 February 1949 at Horsham St. Faith, near Norwich. They operated in anti-aircraft co-operation using Bristol Beaufighters and Spitfires until it too disbanded on 24 June 1952.
No. 34 was reformed at Tangmere with Gloster Meteor jets as a fighter squadron in August 1954. In October 1955 Hawker Hunters replaced the Meteors until disbandment on 10 January 1958. No. 34 was then reformed yet again on 1 October 1960 at RAF Seletar, Singapore, in the transport role with Blackburn Beverleys. In December 1962, four Blackburn Beverleys were used to insert Gurkhas into Brunei to combat a revolt by the North Kalimantan National Army (TNKU) against the Sultan of Brunei. The Squadron lasted until the end of 1967 when it was disbanded again.