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No.312 Sqn RAF Founded : 29th August 1940
Czech Non multi sed multa - Not many men but many deeds No 312 Squadron was formed at Duxford on 29 August 1940 with Czechoslovak personnel as a fighter unit. Equipped with Hurricanes, it was sent to Speke to defend Merseyside,. Its first victory was a Junkers Ju 88 above Liverpool by Alois Vašátko, Denys Gillam and Josef Stehlík on 8 October 1940.[1]On 3 March 1941 312 Sqn moved to RAF Valley and began flying convoy patrols over the Irish Sea. During April and early May, 1941, the squadron was briefly stationed at RAF Jurby, Isle of Man. No. 312 Squadron transitioned to Hurricane IIs in May 1941, and to Spitfires in October Defensive duties occupied the squadron until May 1942, when it began escort missions from south-west England. it flew in cover of the Operation Jubilee raid on Dieppe in 1942, losing one aircraft. From June to September 1943 it was based on the Orkneys before joining Second TAF's operations in preparation for the invasion of France. It converted to a fighter-bomber role in April 1944 and supported the landings in Normandy remaining in the UK after Second TAF moved to France. In July 1944 the squadron moved to East Anglia and undertook long-range escort duties for the rest of the war. Following the end of the war the squadron moved to Prague in August 1945 before being disbanded on transfer to the Czechoslovak air force in February 1946 |
No.312 Sqn RAF
Aircraft for : No.312 Sqn RAF | |||
A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.312 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Hawker Production Began : 1936 Number Built : 14533 | Hurricane Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built. | ||
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. |
Signatures for : No.312 Sqn RAF | |||||
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||||
Name | Info | ||||
Air Vice-Marshal Denys Gillam Click the name above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Air Vice-Marshal Denys Gillam
| Air Vice-Marshal Denys Gillam Battle of Britain Ace who served with 616 and 312 Squadrons. He scored a total of 7 victories, including one of the fastest ever, where he downed a Ju-88 which was making a bombing run, as he took off from the airfield. He took command of the Typhoon Wing at Duxford in March 1942, which flew their first combat operation in June 1942. He died in 1991. |
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