No. 92 Squadron RAF

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No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF
Latin for 'Either fight or die')[1]
Battle honours * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA
King George VI in January 1942.[3]
Squadron codesGR (Apr 1939 – May 1940)
QJ (May 1940 – Dec 1946)
DL (Jan 1947 – Sep 1950)
(formerly No. 91 Sqn)
8L (Sep 1950 – Apr 1951)
Post-1950 squadron roundel

Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 (East India) Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.

It was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919.

Following the outbreak of the

Mediterranean Theatre of Operations
, in Egypt, Malta, and subsequently in Sicily and mainland Italy.

Reformed after the war in January 1947, No. 92 (Fighter) Squadron was assigned to

British Aerospace Hawk until October 1994. No. 92 Squadron then lay dormant for the next 14 years before being reformed at Royal Air Force College Cranwell
on 30 June 2009.

Operational history

Serny, France, November 1918. A score board recording the claims for enemy aircraft destroyed by No. 80 Wing from July–November 1918. The squadrons listed are: No. 92 Squadron, No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), No. 88 Squadron, No. 2 Squadron AFC, No. 103 Squadron, No. 46 Squadron, and No. 54 Squadron
. The other columns are headed "In Flames", "Crashed", "O.O.C." (Out of Control), "Driven Down" and "Balloons Destroyed"."

First World War

No. 92 Squadron was established as part of the

Oren Rose
, Thomas Stanley Horry,
William Reed
, Earl Frederick Crabb, future
Air Chief Marshal James Robb
, Evander Shapard, Herbert Good, and future
better source needed
]

Second World War

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb R6923 of No. 92 Squadron in 1941.

Following the outbreak of the

RAF Biggin Hill.[8]

Officers and guests celebrating the first anniversary of the arrival of No. 92 Squadron RAF at RAF Biggin Hill, September 1941. The group includes, in the front row, (left to right): Wing Commander John A. Kent (Kentowski), Flight Lieutenant Anthony Bartley, Mrs Wade, Flight Lieutenant Robert Holland, Pilot Officer Trevor Wade and two unidentified ladies. And in the back - Pilot Officer Sebastian Maitland-Thompson, Flying Officer Tom Weiss (Intelligence Officer) and Flying Officer Geoffrey Wellum.

In February 1942, the Squadron was posted to Egypt to join Air Headquarters Western Desert to support the Allies on the ground. Personnel arrived in Egypt in April but no aircraft were available. Some pilots flew operations with Hawker Hurricanes of No. 80 Squadron. Spitfires finally arrived in August and the squadron commenced operations from RAF Heliopolis over the El Alamein sector, and then with their Spitfire Vs at Landing Ground 173 in the Western Desert. No. 92 Squadron provided air cover at the Battle of El Alamein and on 18 April 1943, 11 Spitfires from the squadron flew top cover at the Palm Sunday Massacre during which approximately 75 axis aircraft were disabled or destroyed.[9] Following the Allied victory in North Africa, the Squadron moved to Malta in June. It went on to provide air cover for the 8th Army during the campaigns in Sicily and Italy, arriving on Italian soil on 14 September 1943. No. 92 Squadron then followed the armies up the Italian coast as part of No. 244 Wing and No. 211 (Offensive Fighter) Group. During World War II the Squadron claimed the highest number of victories scored, 317, in the RAF.[10]

Cold War

No. 92 (F) Squadron Canadair Sabre F.4 XD769 in 1955 wearing the squadron's red and yellow check markings on its fuselage
Hawker Hunter F.6 XG189 of No. 92 (F) Squadron's "Blue Diamonds" aerobatic team in 1962.

Following the cessation of hostilities, No. 92 Squadron was disbanded at

RAF Middleton St. George, RAF Thornaby and RAF Leconfield.[11]

In 1961, No. 92 (F) Squadron, under the command of Sqn. Ldr. Brian Mercer, was chosen as Fighter Command's official aerobatic squadron – the

English Electric Lightning F.2 from April 1963 onward they continued to perform with these.[14]

In December 1965, along with

RAF Germany initially at RAF Geilenkirchen, moving to join No. 19 (F) Squadron at RAF Gütersloh. They remained at RAF Gütersloh from January 1968 until the Squadron disbanded on 31 March 1977.[15]

In January 1977, No. 92 (Designate) Squadron had begun training as a McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 air defence unit at RAF Wildenrath and on 1 April this unit formally adopted the No. 92 (F) numberplate.[16]

On 25 May 1982, RAF Phantom XV422 of 92 Sqn shot down RAF Jaguar XX963 of 14 Sqn from RAF Bruggen with a Sidewinder, over Germany, by mistake when the Phantom pilot did not realise that he was fully armed.[17]

On 17 August 1990, Phantoms from No. 92 (F) Squadron and No. 19 (F) Squadron were sent to

Invasion of Kuwait.[18] Due to the rundown of RAF Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall the Squadron disbanded on 1 July 1991.[16]

Hawks to the Air Warfare Centre

On 23 September 1992,

British Aerospace Hawk T.1. With the transfer of No. 7 FTS weapons training role to No. 4 FTS at RAF Valley, No. 92 (R) Squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1994.[11][19]

In November 2008, it was announced that the Tactics and Training Wing of the

RAFC Cranwell.[16] On 1 February 2018, the Royal Air Force rescinded all (Reserve) nameplates changing No. 92 (Reserve) Tactics and Training Squadron to No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron.[20] As part of their work at the Air Warfare Centre, No. 92 Squadron helped design and carry out Exercise Cobra Warrior 2019 for units of the RAF, Luftwaffe, Italian and Israeli Air Forces.[21]

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated include:[22]

Aces

  • Robert Stanford Tuck 27 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged
  • Donald Ernest Kingaby
    21 kills plus two shared kills, six probable kills and 11 damaged - 14½ of his kills came against the Messerschmitt Bf 109
  • Allan Wright 11 kills three shared kills, five probable kills and seven damaged
  • Ronnie Fokes nine kills, four shared kills, two unconfirmed kills, three probables, one damaged and one shared damaged
  • Brian Kingcome eight kills and 3 shared destroyed, one 1 shared unconfirmed, five probables, 13 damaged
  • John Fraser Drummond eight kills, one shared kill, three probables and four damaged
  • Tony Bartley eight kills with 92 squadron, 12 confirmed kills during WW2, plus one unconfirmed destroyed, five 'probables' and eight damaged
  • Adolf Pietrasiak Polish Air Force (P.A.F.) 8 1/10 enemy aircraft destroyed, 2/5 damaged.[23][24]

Honours

In 1950 the

Battle of Britain class steam locomotive No. 34081 was named "92 Squadron". This locomotive was saved from the scrapyard in 1976 and is owned by The Battle of Britain Locomotive Society[25] and based at the East Lancashire Railway. [26]

See also

  • List of RAF squadrons

References

  1. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X
    .
  2. ^ a b Rawlings 1978, p. 219.
  3. ^ "92 Sqn". RAF Heraldry Trust. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  4. ^ "92 Squadron". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  5. ^ "No. 92 Squadron (RAF): Second World War". History of War. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  6. ^ "History of RAF 92 Squadron". 92 (Chorley) Squadron Air Cadets. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  7. ^ "MK1 Supermarine Spitfire to be sold to benefit RAF Veterans and Wildlife Charity". 13 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Squadron Leader John Pattison". The Telegraph. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  9. ^ "The Palm Sunday Massacre". Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  10. ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 220.
  11. ^ a b c "No 92 (East India) Squadron". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Blue Diamonds". Aerobatic Teams. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  13. ^ "display team - 1958 - 1- - 0383 - Flight Archive".
  14. ^ Derry & Robinson, p. 62
  15. ^ Derry & Robinson, p. 16
  16. ^ a b c "92 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  17. ISBN 978-1-78155-204-9
    .
  18. ^ "THE HISTORY OF RAF AKROTIRI 1955 - 2005". RAF Akrotiri. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  19. ^ "No.92 Squadron". Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  20. ^ "RAF Drops 'Reserve' Suffix from its Squadrons". Warnsey's World of Military Aviation. 17 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Inzpire delivers on COBRA WARRIOR". ADS Advance. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  22. ^ "No 92 Squadron". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  23. ^ Laurent, PARRA. "PIETRASIAK Adolf".
  24. ^ "SIGNATURES".
  25. ^ "Battle of Britain Locomotive Society".
  26. ^ "92 Squadron moves from Nene Valley to East Lancs". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 171, no. 1486. January 2025. p. 54.

Bibliography

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