6 Squadron was a South African Air Force squadron as from World War II. It was disbanded and re-created a number of times, until finally disbanded in October 1990.

The Squadron was formed in Cape Town in April 1939 and was equipped with Westland Wapiti IIIs

Westland Wapiti

The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service....

. The first duties at the outbreak of war was that of anti-submarine coastal patrols from Youngsfield as part of Coastal Command.Coastal Command consisted of 27 Sqn

27 Squadron SAAF

27 Squadron was established as a World War II maritime patrol squadron of the South African Air Force. It was disbanded after the war and resurrected in the same role from 1951 to 1958...

 at Walvis Bay and Rooikop and a detachment at Aus; 6 Sqn

6 Squadron SAAF

6 Squadron was a South African Air Force squadron as from World War II. It was disbanded and re-created a number of times, until finally disbanded in October 1990.The Squadron was formed in Cape Town in April 1939 and was equipped with Westland Wapiti IIIs...

 at Eerste River; 23 Sqn at Darling; 25 Sqn

25 Squadron SAAF

25 Squadron was a maritime patrol and later medium bomber squadron of the South African Air Force during World War II. It was re-constituted twice between 1951 and 1990 as a medium transport squadron and was finally disbanded in October 1990....

 at Port Elizabeth and East London; 22 Sqn

22 Squadron SAAF

22 Squadron is a squadron of the South African Air Force. It is currently a maritime helicopter squadron operating Lynx and Oryx helicopters for the South African Navy.-History:...

 at Lombazi and Matubatuba; 29 Sqn

29 Squadron SAAF

29 Squadron was one of the Coastal Command squadronsCoastal Command consisted of 27 Sqn at Walvis Bay and Rooikop and a detachment at Aus; 6 Sqn at Eerste River; 23 Sqn at Darling; 25 Sqn at Port Elizabeth and East London; 22 Sqn at Lombazi and Matubatuba; 29 Sqn also at Lombazi and 10 Sqn at...

 also at Lombazi and 10 Sqn

10 Squadron SAAF

10 Squadron was formed as a South African Air Force fighter bomber squadron on 1 April 1939 and was deployed in a coastal defence role as part of Coastal Command until 1943 and was disbanded after the threat of Japanese naval actions off the South African coast had waned...

 at Durban and Isipingo. Martin and Orpen, (1979) p.275 In February 1940 the unit was moved to Waterkloof and renumbered as 1 Squadron

1 Squadron SAAF

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...

. On 26 February 1942 it was again re-formed at Swartkop with the Curtiss Mohawk IV and was then moved to Stanger on the east coast and then to Eerste River in the Cape, flying Wapitis, Fairey Battles

Fairey Battle

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...

 and Hawker Hartbees

Hawker 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...

. The squadron was again disbanded on 31 July 1943 when the threat of a Japanese invasion of Madagascar had been circumvented by the Allied invasion

Battle of Madagascar

The Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy-French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Geo-political:...

 of the island.

On 5 July 1952 the squadron was reformed as a citizen force unit, flying Harvards

North American T-6 Texan

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...

 from Port Elizabeth but was again disbanded in 1959. It was resurrected in May 1961, again flying Harvards and from 1973 to 1976 the squadron flew a single Cessna 185

Cessna 185

-Specification for differing configurations:-References:* Jan Churchill, Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, ISBN 0-89745-215-1...

. In March 1975 it began receiving Impala Mk I's which remained as the operational aircraft fit until its final disbandment in October 1990.