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No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
Badge of № 313 Squadron RAF
Active	10 May 1941 – 15 February 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Czechoslovakia
Branch	Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)	Czechoslovak
Motto(s)	(Czech): Jeden jestřáb mnoho vran rozhání ("One hawk chases away many crows")
Insignia
Squadron Badge	A hawk volant, wings elevated and addorsed
Squadron Codes	RY (May 1941 – February 1946)

No. 313 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.

History

The squadron was formed at RAF Catterick on 10 May 1941. It was the last RAF squadron to be formed mostly of escaped Czechoslovak pilots. Its first commander was the British Squadron Leader Gordon Sinclair. On 29 July, Czechoslovak fighter pilot Josef Jaške was appointed as joint commander of the squadron. The plan was for responsibility to be transferred gradually from Sinclair to Jaške.

The squadron was equipped initially with Supermarine Spitfire I fighters. On 30 June 1941 it moved to RAF Leconfield in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In August the squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire IIA, and on 25 August it moved to RAF Portreath in Cornwall. In October the squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire VB/C.

On 15 December 1941 Sqn Ldr Karel Mrázek succeeded Jaške as commanding officer and the squadron moved to RAF Hornchurch in Essex. On 8 June 1942 the squadron moved to RAF Church Stanton in Somerset and on 26 June Sqn Ldr Jaroslav Himr succeeded Mrázek as commanding officer.

In 1943 the squadron moved to Scotland, firstly on 28 June to RAF Sumburgh "A" in Shetland, and shortly thereafter to RAF Peterhead "B" in Aberdeenshire. The squadron briefly flew the Spitfire VI in June and July 1943. On 20 July it moved to RAF Hawkinge in Kent. On 18 September it moved to RAF Ibsley in Hampshire and on 24 September Sqn Ldr František Fajtl succeeded Himr as commanding officer.

On 1 February 1944 Sqn Ldr Václav Bergman succeeded Fajtl as commanding officer. Also in February the squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire IX. This model was fitted with 190-gallon "slipper" tanks to extend its range, enabling the squadron to escort bombers on raids deep into Germany. On 20 February the squadron moved to RAF Mendlesham in Suffolk. On 14 March it moved again, to RAF Rochford in Essex.

On 3 April 1944 the squadron moved to RAF Appledram in West Sussex. On 22 May Sqn Ldr Alois Hochmál succeeded Bergman as commanding officer. From 29 June the squadron spent a few days at RAF Tangmere, also in West Sussex. On 4 July it spent a week at RAF Lympne in Kent.

On 11 July 1944 the squadron moved to RAF Skeabrae on Orkney in Scotland. The squadron briefly flew the Spitfire VII in July and August 1944.

On 3 October 1944 the squadron moved to RAF North Weald in Essex. Also in October it reverted to the Spitfire IX, which it continued to operate until the end of its history as an RAF unit. On 1 September 1944 Sqn Ldr Karel Kasal succeeded Hochmál as commanding officer, and on 15 November Sqn Ldr Otmar Kučera succeeded Kasal. On 29 December the squadron moved to RAF Bradwell Bay, also in Essex.

From 27 February to 8 May 1945 the squadron was based at RAF Manston in Kent. On 3 August members of all of the RAF's Czechoslovak squadrons held a farewell parade at RAF Manston. Air Marshal John Slessor inspected the parade, accompanied by A/M Karel Janoušek. On 24 August 313 Squadron moved to Ruzyně Airport in Prague. It became a squadron of the new Czechoslovak Air Force, and on 15 February 1946 was officially disbanded as an RAF squadron.

Aircraft operated

References

Notes

1. ^ van Eyck 1993, p. 21.
2. ^ Lewis 1968, p. 96.
3. "Squadron Commanding Officers, Nos 300 - 361 Squadrons". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
4. ^ van Eyck 1993, p. 20.
5. ^ Jackson 2003, p. 89.
6. ^ van Eyck 1993, p. 22.
7. ^ van Eyck 1993, p. 24.
8. "Miroslav Liskutin – RAF's Czech fighter pilot". Chichester Observer. Johnston Press. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
9. ^ van Eyck 1993, p. 25.

Bibliography

• Halley, James J (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Hurt, Zdeněk (2004). In Focus: Czechs in the RAF. Walton-on-Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 0-9538061-9-7.
• Jackson, Robert (2003). Spitfire The History of Britain's Most Famous World War II Fighter. Bath: Parragon. p. 89. ISBN 0-75258-770-6.
• Jefford, Wg Cdr CG (2001) . RAF Squadrons, A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (second ed.). Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84037-141-3.
• Lewis, Peter (1968) . Squadron Histories, RFC, RNAS and RAF, Since 1912. London: Putnam. p. 96. SBN 370-00022-6.
• Liškutín, Miroslav A (1988). Challenge in the Air: a Spitfire pilot remembers. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0718306910.
• Rawlings, John DR (1976) . Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft (new ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
• van Eyck, Manuel F (1993). Zemřeli jsme pro Anglii (in Czech). Translated by František Fajtl. prologue by František Fajtl. Prague: Naše vojsko. ISBN 80-206-0321-2.

External links

• "313 Squadron". History RAF Formations. Ministry of Defence.
• "No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF". RAF Fighter Command 1939 – 1945. RAF Commands. 2013. – movement and equipment history
• "No 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
• Darlington, Roger. "Czechoslovaks in the RAF".

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Australian Flying Corps units attached to the RAF during the First World War	67 (1 Sqn AFC) 68 (2 Sqn AFC) 69 (3 Sqn AFC) 71 (4 Sqn AFC)
Article XV (Commonwealth) air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War	Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467 Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) 485 486 487 488 489 490
squadrons formed from non-Commonwealth personnel during the Second World War	Argentine 164 Belgian 349 350 Czechoslovak 310 311 312 313 Dutch 320 (Netherlands) 321 (Netherlands) 322 (Dutch) French 326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 Greek 13 335 336 Norwegian 330 331 332 333 334 Polish 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663 United States 71 121 133 Yugoslav 351 352
Royal Auxiliary Air Force	Special Reserve 500 501 502 503 504 Auxiliary Air Force 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 622
Fleet Air Arm of the RAF (1924–1939)	712 715 718 800 801 802 803 810 811 812 813 814 820 821 822 823 824 825
Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS)	current 611 615 621 622 626 631 632 637 644 645 661 former 612 613 614 616 617 618 623 624 625 633 634 635 636 642 643 662 663 664

• Expatriate Royal Air Force squadrons of Czechoslovakia in World War II
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
• Military units and formations established in 1941
• Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons