No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing

No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing
Previous units:
34th (Training) Wing RFC
No. 34 (Army Co-operation) Wing RAF
No. 34 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing RAF
No. 34 Reconnaissance Wing RAF
No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing (ISTAR) RAF
Active1 April 2006 -
1917-18
1941-43
1943-45
1953-60
Country United Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Royal Flying Corps
TypeExpeditionary Air Wing
RoleISTAR
SizeWing
Garrison/HQRAF Waddington

No. 34 Expeditionary Air Wing is a deployable Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, UK.

The current wing was established on 1 April 2006 the unit has history dating back to September 1917.

History

First World War

34th (Training) Wing RFC was formed on 8 September 1917 at Stockbridge within the Southern Training Brigade. It controlled Chattis Hill Aerodrome and Lopcombe Corner Aerodrome until 12 October 1918 when it was disbanded.[1]

Second World War

No. 34 (Army Co-operation) Wing RAF was formed on 22 August 1941 for Army Eastern Command attached to Eastern Command HQ at Luton Hoo under RAF Army Cooperation Command controlling Army co-operations units based at RAF Bottisham, RAF Sawbridgeworth, RAF Snailwell, RAF Stapleford Tawney, RAF Twinwood Farm and RAF Westley. It was renamed to No. 34 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing RAF on 1 June 1943 with No. 12 Group RAF, RAF Fighter Command attached to the RAF Second Tactical Air Force. On 30 June 1943 the wing moved to RAF Blackbushe, then to RAF Northolt on 8 April 1944, on 1 September 1944 the wing moved to mainland Europe and used A.12 Balleroy, B.47 Amiens and Eindhoven before being disbanded on 30 September 1945.[1]

It controlled various squadrons including: 2, 4, 16, 69, 140, 168, 170, 182, 231, 239, 241, 268, 309, 613, 652, 654, 656, 657.[2]

D-Day

For Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, No. 34 was a reconnaissance wing in RAF Second Tactical Air Force at RAF Northolt with Nos 16 (Spitfire PRXI), 69 (Wellington XIII) and 140 (Mosquito PRIX/XVI) Squadrons;[3][4]

Operation Bodenplatte

No. 34 Wing was based at B.56 Brussels-Melsbroek during Operation Bodenplatte, the German aerial attack of 1 January 1945. The Germans hit Melsbroek hard. According to Emil Clade (leading III./JG 27), the anti-aircraft gun positions were not manned, and aircraft were bunched together or in lines, which made perfect targets. The attack caused considerable damage among the units based there and was a great success. The reconnaissance wings lost two entire squadrons worth of machines. No. 69 Squadron RAF lost 11 Vickers Wellingtons and two damaged. Possibly all No. 140 Squadron RAF′s de Havilland Mosquitoes were lost. At least five Supermarine Spitfires from No. 16 Squadron RAF were destroyed. No. 271 Squadron RAF lost at least seven Handley Page Harrow transports "out of action". A further 15 other aircraft were destroyed. 139 Wing reported five North American B-25 Mitchells destroyed and five damaged. [5][6] Another source states that 13 Wellingtons were destroyed, as were five Mosquitoes, four Austers and five Avro Ansons from the Tactical Air Forces 2nd Communications Squadron. Three Spitfires were also lost and two damaged.[7]

Cold War

After the Second World War 34 Wing was reformed as No. 34 Reconnaissance Wing RAF at RAF Gutersloh as part of No. 2 Group RAF as part of RAF Second Tactical Air Force in West Germany. The unit moved to RAF Laarbruch on 1 November 1954, it was disbanded on 1 January 1960.[2]

It controlled various squadrons such as: 79, 541, 69, 31, 314, 68, 16 and 5.[2]

Current use

The unit was reformed on 1 April 2006 as a Expeditionary Air Wing and is based at RAF Waddington.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
  2. ^ a b c Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 315.
  3. ^ 'Orders of Battle, June 1944', Ken Delve, D-Day: The Air Battle, London: Arms & Armour Press, 1994, ISBN 1-85409-227-8.
  4. ^ Appendix VI: 'Allied Air Forces', Major L.F. Ellis, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West, Vol I: The Battle of Normandy, London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-58-0.
  5. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2004, p. 217.
  6. ^ Weal 2003, p. 117.
  7. ^ Franks 2000, p. 134.

Bibliography

  • Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.