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1771 Naval Air Squadron

1771 Naval Air Squadron (1771 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded at HMS Nabbington, RNAS Nowra, near Sydney, in October 1945. Notably, the squadron was the first British & Commonwealth unit to fly over Japan in the Second World War.[4] The squadron formed at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton at the start of February 1944, as a Fighter Squadron and also operated from HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough, and HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, with deck landing training on the escort carriers HMS Trumpeter and HMS Ravager before embarking in the fleet carrier HMS Implacable in September. It was involved in sorties over Norway including reconnaisance of the German battleship Tirpitz and other anti-shipping strikes. The squadron remained in HMS Implacable and joined the British Pacific Fleet participating in attacks on the Caroline islands and the Japanese home islands, and becoming part of the 8th Carrier Air Group.

1771 Naval Air Squadron
1771 NAS badge
Active1 February 1944 - 16 October 1945[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeTwo-seat fighter squadron
RoleFighter Squadron
Sizetwelve aircraft
Part ofFleet Air Arm
Home stationSee Naval air stations section for full list.
EngagementsWorld War II
Battle honours
  • Norway 1944
  • Japan 1945
Insignia
Squadron Badge DescriptionBlue, a base barry wavy of six white and blue an eagle gold in combat with a sea monster black issuant from base armed and langued red (1944)[2]
Identification Markingssingle letters
4A+ (September 1944)
270-281 (July 1945)[3]
Tail CodeN (July 1945)
Aircraft flown
FighterFairey Firefly

History

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Two-seater Fighter Squadron (1944 - 1945)

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1771 Squadron formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset, on 1 February 1944 as a two-seater fighter squadron. It was equipped with twelve Fairey Firefly I, a carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft.[3] At the beginning of March the squadron relocated to RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail), Lancashire,[2] which had day and night fighter facilities.[5] In late June early July, deck landing training was done on the Ruler-class escort carrier HMS Trumpeter. Early August saw the squadron move to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and mid-month HMS Ravager, an Attacker-class escort carrier. provided deck landing training.[2]

The squadron embarked in the name ship of her class of aircraft carrier, HMS Implacable on 22 September and the following month undertook reconnaissance missions over Norway, including Tromsø, where the German battleship Tirpitz was anchored. This was followed by anti-shipping strikes in November, with one troopship being destroyed and four other ships damaged.[3]

In March 1945 HMS Implacable sailed for the Far East joining the British Pacific Fleet. The squadron disembarked in May and spent two weeks at RNAS Jervis Bay (HMS Nabswick), New South Wales, Australia, the location of Mobile Naval Air Base (MONAB) No. 5, with it re-embarking on the carrier on 24 May.[6] It took part in Operation Inmate, with attacks on Truk in the Caroline Islands in June.[2] A detachment of seven aircraft from the squadron disembarked from HMS Implacable between 9 - 12 May to RNAS Ponam (HMS Nabaron), Ponam Island, a former United States Navy airstrip transferred to the Royal Navy on loan.[7]

It conducted attacks in operations against the Japanese mainland as part of the 8th Carrier Air Group, just before the end of the Second World War.[3] 1771 Naval Air Squadron disembarked to RNAS Nowra (HMS Nabbington), New South Wales, Australia, on 13 September, disbanding on 16 October.[8] Squadron personnel had moved to HMS Golden Hind, Camp Warwick, Sydney on 4 October and returned to the United Kingdom aboard MV Dominion Monarch the following month.[2]

Aircraft flown

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1771 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:[2]

Battle honours

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The battle honours awarded to 1771 Naval Air Squadron are:[3]

  • Norway 1944
  • Japan 1945
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1771 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, a number overseas, and a couple of Royal Navy escort carrier and a fleet carrier:[3][2]

 
Fairey Firefly of 1771 NAS on the flight deck of HMS Implacable warming up ready to make strike on enemy shipping at the entrance to Altafjord, Norway.

Commanding officers

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List of commanding officers of 1771 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:[3] [2]

  • Lieutenant Commander(A) H.M. Ellis, DSC, DFC, RN, from 1 February 1944 (KiFA 6 March 1945[9])
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) W.J.R. MacWhirter, DSC, RN, from 9 March 1945
  • disbanded - 16 October 1945

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 339.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 278.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Wragg 2019, p. 190.
  4. ^ "Crews of the First British Aircraft to Fly over Japan. July 1945, in the British Escort Carrier HMS Implacable. On 17 July 1945 Fairey Firefly Fighters of 1771 Squadron Operating from Implacable Became the First Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm to Fly over Japan".
  5. ^ "Burscough". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Jervis Bay". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Ponam". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Nowra". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  9. ^ "A History of HMS PRETORIA CASTLE". Royal Navy Research Archive - A History of HMS PRETORIA CASTLE. Retrieved 10 May 2024.

Bibliography

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