No. 578 Squadron RAF explained
| Unit Name: | No. 578 Squadron RAF |
| Dates: | 14 January 1944 – 15 April 1945 |
| Branch: | Royal Air Force |
| Role: | Bomber squadron |
| Command Structure: | No. 4 Group RAF, Bomber Command |
| Motto: | Accuracy |
| Battle Honours: | France and Germany, 1944–1945
Honours marked with an asterisk* are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Identification Symbol: | An arrow in pale, the point downwards, cleft by another |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Squadron Badge heraldry |
| Identification Symbol 2: | LK (Jan 1944 – Apr 1945) |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Squadron Codes |
| Aircraft Bomber: | Handley Page Halifax
Four-engined heavy bomber |
No. 578 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
History
578 Squadron was formed at RAF Snaith, East Riding of Yorkshire on 14 January 1944 from 'C' flight of No. 51 Squadron RAF, equipped with Halifax Mk.III bombers, as part of No. 4 Group RAF in Bomber Command. It transferred to RAF Burn, North Yorkshire in February, and was disbanded there on 15 April 1945. The squadron carried out 2,721 operational sorties with the Halifax for a loss 40 aircraft.
Notable squadron members
The first commanding officer was W/Cdr. D.S.S. Wilkerson, DSO, DFC and the aircrew included Pilot Officer Cyril Joe Barton, VC.
Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 578 Squadron RAF, data from! From !! To !! Aircraft !! Version| January 1944 | March 1945 | | Mk.III | |
Notable aircraft
Two of the Halifaxes of 578 squadron passed the century mark and flew more than 100 operational sorties:
No. 578 Squadron RAF aircraft with the most number of operations, data from! Serial no. !! Name !! Operations !! Call-sign !! Fate !! Remarks| MZ527 | | 105 | LK-W, LK-D | Struck off charge, April 1945 | |
| LW587 | | 104 | LK-V, LK-A | Scrapped, September 1946 | Did their 100th operation together, 3 March 1945 | |
Squadron bases
References
Bibliography
- Book: Bowyer, Michael J.F. . John D.R. . Rawlings . Squadron Codes, 1937–56 . Cambridge, UK . Patrick Stephens Ltd. . 1979 . 0-85059-364-6 .
- Book: Delve, Ken . The Source Book of the RAF . Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK . Airlife Publishing . 1994 . 1-85310-451-5.
- Book: Falconer, Jonathan . Bomber Command Handbook, 1939–1945 . Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK . Sutton Publishing . 2003 . 0-7509-3171-X.
- Book: Flintham . Vic . Andrew . Thomas . Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938 . Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK . Airlife Publishing Ltd. . 2003 . 1-84037-281-8.
- Book: Halley, James J. . The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988 . 1988 . Tonbridge, Kent, UK . Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.. 0-85130-164-9 .
- Book: Jefford, C.G. . RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 . 2001 . 2nd . Airlife Publishing Ltd. . Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK . 1-85310-053-6 .
- Book: Jones, Geoffrey . Raider: The Halifax and its Flyers . London . William Kimber & Co. Ltd. . 1978 . 0-7183-0066-1.
- Book: Moyes, Philip J.R. . Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft . London . Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. . 1976 . 0-354-01027-1 .
Further reading
- Adams, Chuck. 578 Squadron Operations, 1944–45. self-published, 1983.
- Cawdron, Hugh. Based at Burn – 578 Sqn airmen recall.... Middlesex: Hugh Cawdron/578 Burn Association,1995
- Cawdron, Hugh. Based at Burn Mk.II: After 50 Years the Biography of an Outstanding Airman and a Diary of the Bomber Squadron he Founded and Commanded. Bristol: Hugh Cawdron/578 Burn Association, 2001. .
- Marshall, Ken. The Pendulum and the Scythe: A History of No.4 Group Bomber Command. Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, UK: Air Research Publications, 1996. .
- Ward, Chris. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles: 578 Squadron – "Accuracy" (Bomber Command Profile no. 113). Lutterworth, Berkshire, UK: Ward Publishing, 1998.
External links
