1 Squadron SAAF
Encyclopedia
1 Squadron SAAF was an air force squadron of the South African Air Force and was formed at Air Force Station Swartkop in February 1920, equipped with De Havilland DH.9's donated to South Africa by Britain. On 31 August 1939 the squadron was re-designated as 1 Bomber/Fighter Squadron and this was then changed to 11 (Bomber) Squadron in December 1939. The squadron was resurrected in February 1940 by the renumbering of 6 Squadron, equipped with four Hurricane Mk 1's and six Furies.
1 Squadron saw active service in East Africa in 1940, the Western Desert, Malta, Sicily and ended their war service in Italy in 1945. In 1950 the squadron's Spitfires were replaced with Vampires and these in turn were replaced by Sabre Mk6's in 1956. In 1976 the squadron received Mirage F1AZ attack aircraft and it was disbanded when the F1AZ's were retired on 25 November 1997.
was to be the cadre of a fighting/ground strafing squadron; Avro 504Ks
of a training and artillery spotter squadron, and DH9s
were to form the cadre of a long-distance communication, photographic, bombing, and reconnaissance squadron.
ebeest. It took until May 1940 for the squadron to be trained and brought up to strength, by when it had been equipped with four Hurricanes
and six Furies
and was officially titled "1 (Fighter) Squadron," commanded by Maj. N.G. Niblock-Stuart. The Squadron was the first SAAF squadron to deploy in support of the Allied war effort, when a group of pilots and support staff were ferried to Egypt on 13 May 1940 by 50 Squadron
. Once they had arrived in Egypt, they were equipped with 18 Gloster Gladiators. At the same time, the squadrons Hurricanes were ferried north from Pretoria on 22 and 24 May, accompanied by a Ju86
These Ju86's had been purchased from Germany as passenger aircraft for South African Airways. At the outbreak of war, they were transferred to the SAAF and modified to permit them to be used as bombers by the addition of external bomb racks. (Brown (1990) p.54) carrying the maintenance crews and arrived in Nairobi at the end of May. The Squadron's Fury aircraft were flown from Pretoria to Durban for crating and were then shipped to Mombasa on SS Takliwa, embarking on 26 May and arriving in East Africa on 1 June 1940 where the Fury's were un-crated and re-assembled. By early June the pilots from Egypt had married up with their aircraft in East Africa and were declared operational.
in Abyssinia on 19 June 1940. The task of the four Hurricanes was to escort three Ju86 bombers from 12 Sqn
in the attack on the airfield. The attack destroyed airport infrastructure as well as six Caproni Ca 133's on the ground but during the bombing run, a formation of Fiat CR32's
surprised the attackers, severely damaging one of the Ju86's and shooting down one of the Hurricanes2nd Lt B.L. Griffiths, who was to be the first operational casualty of the Squadron. The CR32's were subsequently driven off by the three remaining Hurricanes, with one CR32 being shot down.
The Squadrons Hurricanes, Gladiators and Hartbees aircraft continued to provide fighter cover but by late 1940 the Hartbees aircraft were proving to no longer be a match for the Italian CR42's
and one flight consisting of Hartbees and Gladiators was split off from the squadron to form the nucleus of 2 Fighter Bomber Squadron
. The Squadron then continued operating with the remaining Gladiators and Hurricanes from airfields in Abyssinia and Sudan until the fall of Addis Ababa on 5 April 1941. Although the East African campaign
continued until November 1941, the absence of Italian fighters permitted the squadron to be moved to the Middle East on 8 April 1941.
and later in support of Operation Battleaxe
when Lt. Talbot - the squadrons highest scoring ace with 10 kills at that stage, was shot down and killed. By this stage, the squadron was only flying Hurricanes. During Operation Crusader
the squadron forced down a German Bf109F, capturing it intact - for which they were congratulated by Air Chief Marshall Tedder for capturing the first of this type of aircraft.
On 3 July 1942, the squadron was intercepting a German raid on the Alamein area while 274 Sqn (RAF)
was providing them with top cover. The formation came across 15 Ju87's escorted by 7 Bf109's; 274 Sqn attacked the Bf109's whilst 1 Sqn went after the Ju87's. In what was later to become known as the "1 Squadron Stuka Party" the squadron destroyed 14 Ju87's, damaged two and shot down one of the Bf109's for no loss of own aircraft in a forty-five minute engagement.
During the second Battle of El Alamein, the Squadron was tasked with protecting the allied armour in their advance across the start line during the break-out phase, where Squadron Hurricanes destroyed a number of Ju87 Stukas
during this phase of the battle. After the Battle of Alamein, the squadron received Spitfires as replacements for their Hawker Hurricanes.
During April 1943, German transport aircraft were freighting supplies to the beleaguered Africa Korps in Tunisia after Allied air and sea interdiction had stopped most of their ship borne supplies coming from Italy. On the 22nd, the Squadron Spitfires joined by Kittyhawks from SAAF 2
, 4
and 5
Squadrons intercepted 21 huge Me323's
attempting to bring in fuel (each aircraft carried 10 tons of fuel) to Tunisia. They destroyed 16 Me323's and two of their fighter escorts (one MC.202 and one Re.2001
). After this successful intercept, Goering
forbade all transport flights to Africa. The decision was overturned two days later after protests from Kesselring
, on condition that all future flights were made by night.
By 1954 all of the Squadron's Spitfires were retired and replaced by Sabre Mk6's in 1956. Additional new aircraft types were procured and by 1957 the Squadron had 16 Sabres, 12 Vampires and 12 Harvards on strength.
1 Squadron saw active service in East Africa in 1940, the Western Desert, Malta, Sicily and ended their war service in Italy in 1945. In 1950 the squadron's Spitfires were replaced with Vampires and these in turn were replaced by Sabre Mk6's in 1956. In 1976 the squadron received Mirage F1AZ attack aircraft and it was disbanded when the F1AZ's were retired on 25 November 1997.
Establishment
There had been no official squadron designations in the South African Air Force (SAAF) from its inception in 1920 until the early 1938 when 1 and 2 Transvaal Air Squadrons were formed as training units based at Waterkloof Air Station which had been opened earlier that year. Each squadron comprised 18 aircraft, divided into 3 flights each, plus a headquarters or administrative flight per squadron. Each flight was structured to form the working nucleus of a squadron. A flight of SE5'sRoyal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S...
was to be the cadre of a fighting/ground strafing squadron; Avro 504Ks
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
of a training and artillery spotter squadron, and DH9s
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
were to form the cadre of a long-distance communication, photographic, bombing, and reconnaissance squadron.
World War II
On 31 August 1939, 1 Transvaal Air Squadron was re-designated as 1 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, and the original aircraft were replaced with Hawker HartHawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft...
ebeest. It took until May 1940 for the squadron to be trained and brought up to strength, by when it had been equipped with four Hurricanes
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and six Furies
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury was a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was originally named the Hornet and was the counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.-Design and development:...
and was officially titled "1 (Fighter) Squadron," commanded by Maj. N.G. Niblock-Stuart. The Squadron was the first SAAF squadron to deploy in support of the Allied war effort, when a group of pilots and support staff were ferried to Egypt on 13 May 1940 by 50 Squadron
50 Squadron SAAF
-History:50 Squadron was formed on 1 December 1939 by amalgamating the SAAF's 17, 18 and 19 Squadrons. During the East African Campaign 50 Squadron operated a 'shuttle service' between the warzone in East Africa and South Africa as part of 1 Bomber Transport Brigade...
. Once they had arrived in Egypt, they were equipped with 18 Gloster Gladiators. At the same time, the squadrons Hurricanes were ferried north from Pretoria on 22 and 24 May, accompanied by a Ju86
Junkers Ju 86
The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry 10 passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Luft Hansa...
These Ju86's had been purchased from Germany as passenger aircraft for South African Airways. At the outbreak of war, they were transferred to the SAAF and modified to permit them to be used as bombers by the addition of external bomb racks. (Brown (1990) p.54) carrying the maintenance crews and arrived in Nairobi at the end of May. The Squadron's Fury aircraft were flown from Pretoria to Durban for crating and were then shipped to Mombasa on SS Takliwa, embarking on 26 May and arriving in East Africa on 1 June 1940 where the Fury's were un-crated and re-assembled. By early June the pilots from Egypt had married up with their aircraft in East Africa and were declared operational.
East Africa
1 Sqn deployed on their first operational mission in an attack on the Italian air base at YavelloYabelo
Yabelo is a town in southern Ethiopia. An alternative name for this town is Obda, which is also the name of a nearby mountain. Located northwest of Moyale in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region , this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1857 meters above sea level...
in Abyssinia on 19 June 1940. The task of the four Hurricanes was to escort three Ju86 bombers from 12 Sqn
12 Squadron SAAF
12 Squadron was a South African Air Force squadron that served in World War II in East Africa and the Western Desert as a medium bomber squadron...
in the attack on the airfield. The attack destroyed airport infrastructure as well as six Caproni Ca 133's on the ground but during the bombing run, a formation of Fiat CR32's
Fiat CR.32
The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. This nimble little Fiat was compact, robust and highly manoeuvrable and gave impressive displays all over Europe in the hands of the Pattuglie Acrobatiche. The CR.32 fought in North and East Africa, in...
surprised the attackers, severely damaging one of the Ju86's and shooting down one of the Hurricanes2nd Lt B.L. Griffiths, who was to be the first operational casualty of the Squadron. The CR32's were subsequently driven off by the three remaining Hurricanes, with one CR32 being shot down.
The Squadrons Hurricanes, Gladiators and Hartbees aircraft continued to provide fighter cover but by late 1940 the Hartbees aircraft were proving to no longer be a match for the Italian CR42's
Fiat CR.42
The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat sesquiplane fighter which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
and one flight consisting of Hartbees and Gladiators was split off from the squadron to form the nucleus of 2 Fighter Bomber Squadron
2 Squadron SAAF
-Background:2 Squadron is currently the premier squadron in the South African Air Force, and has a long history, having been involved in every single combat action in which the SAAF has taken part...
. The Squadron then continued operating with the remaining Gladiators and Hurricanes from airfields in Abyssinia and Sudan until the fall of Addis Ababa on 5 April 1941. Although the East African campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
continued until November 1941, the absence of Italian fighters permitted the squadron to be moved to the Middle East on 8 April 1941.
Western Desert
The Squadron arrived in April 1941 and scored its first kill on 16 May when Lt. Talbot shot down a Ju 87. The first large scale deployment was in support of Operation BrevityOperation Brevity
Operation Brevity was a limited offensive conducted in mid-May 1941, during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Conceived by the commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Command, General Archibald Wavell, Brevity was intended to be a rapid blow against weak Axis front-line...
and later in support of Operation Battleaxe
Operation Battleaxe
Operation Battleaxe was a British Army operation during the Second World War in June 1941 with the goal of clearing eastern Cyrenaica of German and Italian forces; one of the main benefits of this would have been the lifting of the Siege of Tobruk....
when Lt. Talbot - the squadrons highest scoring ace with 10 kills at that stage, was shot down and killed. By this stage, the squadron was only flying Hurricanes. During Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was a military operation by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941. The operation successfully relieved the 1941 Siege of Tobruk....
the squadron forced down a German Bf109F, capturing it intact - for which they were congratulated by Air Chief Marshall Tedder for capturing the first of this type of aircraft.
No. 272 Squadron RAF
No. 272 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti–submarine unit in World War I and a coastal fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
was providing them with top cover. The formation came across 15 Ju87's escorted by 7 Bf109's; 274 Sqn attacked the Bf109's whilst 1 Sqn went after the Ju87's. In what was later to become known as the "1 Squadron Stuka Party" the squadron destroyed 14 Ju87's, damaged two and shot down one of the Bf109's for no loss of own aircraft in a forty-five minute engagement.
During the second Battle of El Alamein, the Squadron was tasked with protecting the allied armour in their advance across the start line during the break-out phase, where Squadron Hurricanes destroyed a number of Ju87 Stukas
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
during this phase of the battle. After the Battle of Alamein, the squadron received Spitfires as replacements for their Hawker Hurricanes.
During April 1943, German transport aircraft were freighting supplies to the beleaguered Africa Korps in Tunisia after Allied air and sea interdiction had stopped most of their ship borne supplies coming from Italy. On the 22nd, the Squadron Spitfires joined by Kittyhawks from SAAF 2
2 Squadron SAAF
-Background:2 Squadron is currently the premier squadron in the South African Air Force, and has a long history, having been involved in every single combat action in which the SAAF has taken part...
, 4
4 Squadron SAAF
4 Squadron SAAF was a South African Air Force squadron which served during World War II. It was resurrected in 1951 and remained active until 1958. Its final period of active service was from 1961 to 1991...
and 5
5 Squadron SAAF
5 Squadron SAAF was a South African Air Force Fighter / Fighter-Bomber squadron during World War II. It was disbanded at the end of the war and was re-commissioned in 1950...
Squadrons intercepted 21 huge Me323's
Messerschmitt Me 323
The Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant was a German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Me 321 military glider and was the largest land-based transport aircraft of the war...
attempting to bring in fuel (each aircraft carried 10 tons of fuel) to Tunisia. They destroyed 16 Me323's and two of their fighter escorts (one MC.202 and one Re.2001
Reggiane Re.2001
The Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II was an Italian fighter aircraft, serving in the Regia Aeronautica during World War II. A contemporary of the renowned Macchi C.202, the production of this type was to be limited to only 252, but it was a flexible design that proved to be able to undertake a number of...
). After this successful intercept, Goering
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
forbade all transport flights to Africa. The decision was overturned two days later after protests from Kesselring
Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring was a German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. In a military career that spanned both World Wars, Kesselring became one of Nazi Germany's most skilful commanders, being one of 27 soldiers awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords...
, on condition that all future flights were made by night.
Italy
By July 1943, 1 Sqn had ceased operations in North Africa and were then tasked with patrolling the beaches where the landings for the invasion of Sicily were to take place. After the successful landings of Operation Husky and the subsequent exploitation, the Squadron moved to Sicily on 14 July. After 38 days in Sicily, the squadron again provided cover for the British landings in Italy on 3 September 1943 to be followed by them providing fighter cover at the Anzio landings on 22 January 1944. The Squadron then moved to Italy and supported the assault on Rome, claiming 16 enemy aircraft destroyed during this battle. 1 Squadron remained in Italy for the rest of the war operating as a fighter squadron but also flying ground attack sorties towards the end of the Italian campaign. In June 1945 the squadron began to convert to the North American Mustangs, but by July 1945, when the squadron's personnel started to return to South Africa, only a few Mustangs had been delivered.1950's and 1960's
After the end of the war, the number of SAAF aircraft were greatly reduced, many being scrapped or sold at nominal prices. By June 1946, the Squadron was assigned to 7 Wing (SAAF) based at Waterkloof air Station, flying Harvards but still retaining the Spitfires. In 1947 the concept of the Active citizen Force was introduced whereby permanent force pilots would fly the squadron aircraft in the week and citizen force pilot officers would pilot the same Harvards and Spitfires over the weekends. Because of the Citizen Force association with the squadron, its name was changed to 1 "City of Pretoria" Squadron.By 1954 all of the Squadron's Spitfires were retired and replaced by Sabre Mk6's in 1956. Additional new aircraft types were procured and by 1957 the Squadron had 16 Sabres, 12 Vampires and 12 Harvards on strength.
Border War
Disbandment
Bases and areas of operation
The Squadron was deployed from the following bases / operated in the following arenas:| February 1920 | 1936 | AFS Swartkop | South Africa |
| 1936 | May 1940 | AFS Waterkloof | South Africa |
| June 1940 | 8 April 1941 | Kenya, Abyssinia, Sudan (Azzoza and Port Sudan) and Eritrea (Tessebei) | East Africa |
| 8 April 1941 | May 1943 | Various bases and forward airfields in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia | Western Desert |
| June 1943 | 14 July 1943 | Luga and Takali (Malta) | Malta |
| 14 July 1943 | September 1943 | Pachino (Sicliy) | Sicily |
| September 1943 | August 1945 | Various bases and forward airfields in Italy (Isola, Cassano, Scanzano, Gioia del Colle, Palata, Trigno, Sinello, Marcigliano, Orvieto, Foiana, Rimini, Bellaria, Forli, Ravenna and finally Lavariano) | Italy |
| August 1945 | June 1947 | AFB Swartkop | South Africa |
| June 1947 | 1967 | AFB Waterkloof | South Africa |
| 1967 | 1975 | AFB Pietersburg | South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola |
| 1975 | 14 January 1981 | AFB Waterkloof | South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola |
| 14 January 1981 | 25 November 1997 | AFB Hoedspruit | South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola |
