No. 582 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 582 Squadron RAF was a bomber pathfinder
squadron of the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War.
s on 1 April 1944 at RAF Little Staughton
, Huntingdonshire
, England
, from 'C' Flight of 7 Squadron
and 'C' Flight 156 Squadron
. It was part of No. 8 Group RAF
, also referred to as the Pathfinder Force, and began operation nine days later with a night raid on Lille
on the 9/10 April 1944.
The squadron last finished operational raid against enemy forces was a raid on gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge
on the 25th April 1945. The squadron spent the remainder of the war dropping food to the Dutch, during Operation Manna, and the repatriation of Prisoners of War, Operation Exodus. It was disbanded at RAF Little Staughton on 10 September 1945.
, a South Africa
n, won a posthumous Victoria Cross
over Pforzheim
.
Pathfinder (RAF)
The Pathfinders were elite squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, which a main bomber force could aim at, increasing the accuracy of their bombing...
squadron of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War.
History
The squadron was formed with Avro LancasterAvro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
s on 1 April 1944 at RAF Little Staughton
Little Staughton
Little Staughton is a small village and civil parish located in the north of Bedfordshire. The parish is part of the Stodden Hundred...
, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, from 'C' Flight of 7 Squadron
No. 7 Squadron RAF
No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.-Formation and early years:No. 7 Squadron was formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 May 1914 as the last squadron of the RFC to be formed before the First World War, but has been disbanded and reformed...
and 'C' Flight 156 Squadron
No. 156 Squadron RAF
No. 156 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was active as a bomber unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No. 156 Squadron Royal Air Force was first formed on 12 October 1918 at RAF Wyton and equipped with DH 9 aircraft, but was disbanded on 9 December 1918 without becoming...
. It was part of No. 8 Group RAF
No. 8 Group RAF
No. 8 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force group which existed during the final year of World War I and during World War II.-Formation in World War II:...
, also referred to as the Pathfinder Force, and began operation nine days later with a night raid on Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
on the 9/10 April 1944.
The squadron last finished operational raid against enemy forces was a raid on gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge
Wangerooge
Wangerooge is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea located close to the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is also a municipality in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany.Wangerooge is one of the East Frisian Islands...
on the 25th April 1945. The squadron spent the remainder of the war dropping food to the Dutch, during Operation Manna, and the repatriation of Prisoners of War, Operation Exodus. It was disbanded at RAF Little Staughton on 10 September 1945.
Notable squadron members
During a raid on 23 February 1945, Captain Edwin SwalesEdwin Swales
Edwin Essery Swales VC DFC was a South African pilot and war hero of the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and posthumously the Victoria Cross.-Early life and career:...
, a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n, won a posthumous Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
over Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1944 | September 1945 | Avro Lancaster Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other... |
Mks.I & III |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 1944 | 10 September 1945 | RAF Little Staughton Little Staughton Little Staughton is a small village and civil parish located in the north of Bedfordshire. The parish is part of the Stodden Hundred... , Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right... |