No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (also known as No. 18 'Burma' Squadron[2][3]) operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron.
Formed in 1915 as a fighter squadron, it also operated early bomber types. After reforming in 1931 it again operated a variety of bi-plane bombers before seeing action during WWII on a number of fronts with the Bristol Blenheim. Reformed again in 1953 it went on to operate jet bombers such as the Canberra and Valiant. In 1964 it started flying helicopters, firstly with the Wessex, and from 1981 with the Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.
History
First World War
18 Squadron FE.2B, overturned after an accident
The squadron was formed on 11 May 1915 at Northolt as part of the Royal Flying Corps.[4] It arrived in France on 19 November 1915,[5] principally equipped with the Vickers FB5 'Gunbus', supplemented by a few Airco DH.2s and Bristol Scouts, and operating in the Army cooperation role. By April 1916 the squadron had re-equipped with FE2bs.[4]Victor Huston became a flying ace piloting one of these.[6][7] The squadron was heavily deployed during the Battle of the Somme, where it was attached to the Cavalry Corps and trained to assist it in the event on any breakthrough,[a][8] but towards the end of the year and into early 1917, was increasingly deployed on night operations as its F.E.2bs became more vulnerable during daylight operations.[4]
The squadron re-equipped with Airco DH.4s from June 1917,[4] although operations continued with F.E.2 until at least August 1917[9] as its DH.4s were equipped with the unreliable RAF 3 engine.[4][10] Once these reliability problems were solved, the squadron, began to specialise in long-range attacks, but this changed in March 1918 when the Germans launched Operation Michael, the opening move of their Spring Offensive. 18 Squadron was among many units deployed to stop the German attacks, resorting to low level attacks as well as more conventional medium level operations.[4][11] As the Germans switched the focus of their operations northwards in the Battle of the Lys, the squadron was again heavily involved, and on 12 April, the squadron carried out six separate attacks in the vicinity of Merville, with 13 pilots flying between them 44 flying hours that day.[4][12] In September 1918, the squadron began to re-equip with Airco DH.9As, this process continuing until November that year.[13] By the end of the war, the squadron had claimed 200 air-to-air victories.[4] Flight Lieutenant David Stewart, who had shot down two aircraft as an observer flying with 20 Squadron, was credited with 14 more as a pilot flying with 18 Squadron.[14] Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the fighting on the Western Front, 18 Squadron moved into Germany in support of the Occupation of the Rhineland in early 1919, carrying mail between the British Army of the Rhine and the United Kingdom. The squadron returned to Britain in September 1919 and disbanded at Weston-on-the-Green on 31 December 1919.[15][16][17]
Reformation
The squadron reformed at RAF Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire on 20 October 1931, equipped with the Hawker Hart light bomber.[16] As well as training for its main role, the squadron participated in the 1932 and 1935 Hendon Air Shows as well as the Royal Review of the Royal Air Force by King George V at RAF Mildenhall in July 1935.[18] In January 1936, the squadron moved to RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk, with the squadron's C Flight being detached to form No. 49 Squadron on 10 February. In April 1936, the squadron's Harts were replaced by the improved Hawker Hind derivative.[16] The squadron joined the newly established No. 1 Group RAF in July 1936, and moved back to Upper Heyford in September 1936.[19] 18 Squadron transferred to 2 Group on 1 January 1939,[20] re-equipping with Bristol Blenheim I monoplane twin-engined bombers in May 1939.[16]
Second World War
On the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 18 Squadron along with 57 Squadron comprised No. 70 Wing and was still based at Upper Heyford and equipped with Blenheim Is.[21] The wing was allocated for deployment to France as part of the BEF Air Component, with the role of strategic reconnaissance.[22][23] 18 Squadron reached France by the end of September 1939,[16] commencing operations in October and re-equipping with Blenheim IVs in February 1940.[22] When Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, 18 Squadron took part in bombing missions against German troops as well as their envisioned reconnaissance missions. After the squadron was forced to change airfields three times in three days, it was ordered to evacuate back to England on 19 May, moving to RAF Watton in Norfolk. Losses had been heavy, however, with only three Blenheims returning from France.[24]
18 Squadron RAF Blenheims attacking Rotterdam in July 1941
The squadron, which had rejoined 2 Group, moved to Gatwick on 26 May and to West Raynham on 12 June 1940.[20][25] Operations restarted on 4 July, when three Blenheims (one of which was lost) attacked oil targets in Germany.[25][26] Operations were initially daylight attacks against targets including barges collected for the planned German invasion of Britain, with heavy losses, with the Squadron switching to night operations from August that year.[25] It moved to Great Massingham on 8 September,[16] continuing to attack Channel ports, with increased attacks against German airfields from December.[25] On 3 April 1941, the squadron moved to Oulton in Norfolk, with its main duties as daylight anti-shipping duties, with the squadron also taking part in 'Circus' operations, heavily escorted raids against targets in France to draw German fighters into combat.[25] The squadron moved to Horsham St Faith on 13 July 1941 and to Manston in Kent on 16 August.[16] During one raid over France on 19 August 1941, one aircraft dropped a box over Saint-Omer airfield containing an artificial leg. It was a spare for Wing Commander Douglas Bader.[25][27]
In October 1941, the squadron's air component (i.e. its aircraft and aircrews) were detached to Malta, while the ground component remained in the UK and was used for maintenance and guard duties.[25] While based at Malta, the squadron's aircraft were used for attacks against targets in Sicily and North Africa, [28] as well as striking against Italian shipping convoys.[29] Losses were heavy (the two Malta-based Blenheim squadrons, 18 and 107, had lost over 57 aircraft during operations from Malta during 1941, including 15 in December alone[30]) and the squadron's strength was supplemented by co-opting Blenheims on transit through Malta to Egypt and their crews as reinforcements.[31] On 4 January 1942, the squadron took part in a large scale attack against Castelvetrano Airfield in Sicily, where reconnaissance had spotted large numbers of transports and bombers. Ten Blenheims from 18 and 107 Squadrons attacked first, claiming 30 aircraft destroyed and many more damaged, and this was followed up that night by multiple attacks by three Vickers Wellington bombers which claimed a further 14 aircraft destroyed, at the cost of one Wellington. Actual German and Italian losses consisted of six Savoia-Marchetti SM.82s, four CANT Z.1007 Alciones, one Junkers Ju52 and one Fiat CR.42 Falco, with a further 42 aircraft damaged, badly disrupting Axis air transport operations to North Africa.[32] Later that month the surviving aircraft and aircrews of 18 Squadron left Malta for the Middle East,[33] and had been absorbed into other units by March 1942.[25]
Back in England, the squadron was rebuilt at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, with a mixture of new crews from training units and some ex-107 Squadron crews returned from Malta, and still equipped with the Blenheim IV. It remained part of 2 Group.[34][20] Night intruder and Army cooperation operations were added to the squadron's duties.[35] On the night of 30/31 May 1942, 17 Blenheims from 18 Squadron carried out intruder attacks against Juvincourt Airfield, St. Trond Airfield and Venlo Airfield in support of Operation Minellium, the thousand-bomber raid against Cologne.[35][36] On the night of 1/2 June, 18 Squadron again carried out intruder operations in support of a thousand-bomber raid against Essen.[35][37]
In August 1942, the squadron was withdrawn from operations to prepare for deployment to North Africa in support of Operation Torch, and was re-equipped with Blenheim V bombers (also known as Bisleys).[35] The Blenheim V carried a heavier defensive armament, but was significantly heavier, and was therefore slower than the aircraft it replaced and had poor engine-out handling characteristics.[38] On 10 October 1942, the Squadron's Blenheims flew from Portreath in Cornwall to Blida in Algeria.[35][b] On 17 November 1942, twelve 18 Squadron Blenheims set off without fighter escort from Blida to attack Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed airfield, but were attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 51. Two Blenheims were shot down by the German fighters, with two more destroyed after colliding when trying to avoid the fighters, and a fifth was damaged by flak and crash landed at Djidjelli. One Bf 109 was shot down by the Blenheims, while several German aircraft were damaged or destroyed on the ground.[39] On 31 November 1942, the squadron moved forwards to Canrobert Airfield, which was closer to the front line, so that it could better support the allied ground forces.[40][16] On the morning of 4 December 1942, six 18 Squadron Blenheims attacked an airstrip north of Chouigui, and in the afternoon of the same day, eight 18 Squadron Blenheims and two more from 614 Squadron took off to repeat the attack, led by Wing Commander Hugh Malcolm, 18 Squadron's commanding officer. No fighter escort was available. One aircraft crash landed due to engine trouble, and as they approached the target area, the formation was attacked by large numbers of Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 51 and Jagdgeschwader 2 airfield in December 1942. Malcolm pressed on with the attack as one by one all of the Blenheims were shot down, with Malcolm the last. Four crews survived, but Malcolm did not and he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.[35][41]
These losses were quickly replaced, and the squadron was back in action on 27 December 1942, although it was limited to night operations, attacking enemy road transports.[35][42] On 18 January 1943, the Squadron lost another commanding officer when Wing Commander Tucker failed to return from a night intruder mission.[43] The squadron was withdrawn from active service at the beginning of February 1842 to await re-equipment with more modern aircraft,[44] but a German offensive resulted in the Squadron being ordered back onto operations with borrowed Blenheims on 18 February.[45] On the night of 28/29 March 1943, the squadron flew its last operations with the Blenheim before standing down to re-equip with the Douglas Boston.[46]
During 1943–45, No. 18 Squadron supported the allied advance through Italy before moving to Greece in September 1945, disbanding there on 31 March 1946.[47]
Post war
18 Squadron was reformed in 1953 at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire and equipped with the Canberra B.2 medium bomber before disbanding again on 1 February 1957.[47]
On 15 December 1958, No. 199 Squadron RAF, operating Canberras and Vickers Valiants in the electronic countermeasures (ECM) role, disbanded, with the Valiant equipped C Flight being redesignated No. 18 Squadron.[48] The squadron's seven Valiants were fitted with an array of powerful jammers to interfere with communications and radar. They were initially employed for training purposes, simulating hostile jamming in Fighter Command exercises (and occasionally inadvertently jamming TV reception over much of the United Kingdom), but later added a bomber support role. The squadron was disbanded on 31 March 1963, as the RAF's Vulcan and Victor bombers were now fitted with effective ECM equipment, while the training role could be performed more economically by smaller aircraft such as the Canberra.[49][50]
An 18 Sqn Westland Wessex HC2 in 1967
The Squadron was next operational in 1964, equipped with the Westland Wessex HC.2 at RAF Odiham, formed when the Wessex Intensive Flying Trials Unit was disbanded and re-designated No. 18 Squadron.[47] It moved to RAF Gütersloh, Westphalia in support of the BAOR in Germany in August 1970 but disbanded again on 20 November 1980.[47]
The squadron was reformed on 4 August 1981, becoming the first RAF squadron to fly the Boeing Chinook HC.1.[51][47][52] 18 Squadron was the only Chinook squadron that took part in Operation Corporate during the Falklands War in 1982 with four detached and sent south. All were lost, except one, when the ship carrying them, the Atlantic Conveyor was sunk after being hit by an Exocet missile. The remaining aircraft (Bravo November, ZA718) flew almost continuously until the end of the conflict.[53] Squadron Leader Richard "Dick" Langworthy AFC RAF was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his part in the air operations.[54] In August 1983 the squadron returned to Gutersloh.[55]
A No. 18 Squadron Chinook helicopter during an exercise in 2014
18 Squadron took part in the UK's deployment to the Gulf following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.[56] After this the squadron was subject to the restructures from the Options for Change decisions which included the transfer of Gutersloh to the British Army, so December 1992 18 Squadron relocated to RAF Laarbruch. With the further drawing down of the British presence in Germany, 18 Squadron left the continent and returned to Odiham in August 1997.[55]
18 Sqn Chinook HC6A on exercise in 2020
The Chinook HC.2, equivalent to the US Army CH-47D standard, began to enter RAF service in 1993.[57] The squadron's Chinook HC.2s were deployed to Iraq for Operation Telic.[58]
In 2017, the Squadron participated in Operation Ruman: UK relief effort in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma.[59] In 2018, Chinook Mk5s drawn from the Squadron formed most of 1310 Flight which was deployed to Mali, to support Operation Barkhane-the French-led counter-terrorist operation in the country.[60]
In March 2020, the squadron was awarded the right to emblazon a battle honour on its squadron standard, recognising its role in the War in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.[61]
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