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No.21 Sqn RAF

Name : No.21 Sqn RAF Founded : 23rd July 1915 Disbanded : 31st January 1976 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 31st January 1976 More Details : Viribus vincimus - By strength we conquer Known Code Letters : , YH, JP, UP,

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
P A Adams	Sergeant	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3884	Killed in Action
A H Allen	Squadron Leader	unknown	18th March 1941		Blenheim	R3636	Killed in Action
T. R. Alston	Sergeant	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3884	Killed in Action
P. B. Ashley		unknown	unknown
Bailes	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	28th May 1940	Blenheim	L8744
Benn	Flight Lieutenant	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	MM398
Birch	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	10th February 1941	Blenheim	Z5877
D. E. Bristow	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	10th February 1941	Blenheim	T2282
John Alan Broadley	Flight Lieutenant	1st December 1943	unknown
A. Chatteway	Sergeant	unknown	11th February 1941		Blenheim	Z5877	Killed in Action
E. J. Chinn	Sergeant	unknown	24th March 1941		Blenheim	R3673	Killed in Action
W. R. Clinton	Sergeant	unknown	24th March 1941		Blenheim	R3673
T. S. Courtman	Sergeant	unknown	3rd March 1941		Blenheim	Z5901	Killed in Action
Crowfoot	Flying Officer	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR348
D. A. Cruickshank	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	10th February 1941	Hampden	X3001	Killed in Action
Dale	Wing Commander	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR403
Arthur Paget Eyton-Jones		unknown	unknown	February 1944	Mosquito
A. B. Ferguson	Sergeant	unknown	3rd March 1941		Blenheim	Z5901	Killed in Action
Gabites	Flying Officer	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR403
W. L. Gourlay	Pilot Officer	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3900	Killed in Action
W. L. Gourlay	Pilot Officer	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3900	Killed in Action
E. W. Green	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	10th February 1941	Blenheim	T2282
Hogan	Flight Lieutenant	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR348
G. H. Howard	Sergeant	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3900	Killed in Action
Jennings		unknown	unknown
Jennings		unknown	unknown
J R M Kemp	Pilot Officer	unknown	unknown			L6974
H. F. Linley	Sergeant	unknown	18th March 1941		Blenheim	R3636	Killed in Action
R. J. McConnell	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	10th February 1941	Blenheim	T2282
A. G. Murray		unknown	unknown
R. E. Nichols	Sergeant	unknown	31st March 1941		Blenheim	R3884	Killed in Action
A. Parsons	Sergeant	unknown	18th March 1941		Blenheim	R3636	Killed in Action
Redington	Flying Officer	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	HX950
Reynolds	Pilot Officer	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR388
Roe	Flying Officer	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	MM398
G. E. Sharvell	Pilot Officer	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Blenheim	Z5877
S. E. Sproson	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	23rd March 1941	Blenheim	R3673
Steadman	Flight Sergeant	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR388
Taylor	Flight Lieutenant	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	LR385
S C Thompson	Aircraftsman 1	unknown	unknown	28th May 1940	Blenheim	L8744
Arnold Edward Desmond Twamley	Sergeant	unknown	28th May 1940		Blenheim	L8744	Killed in Action
A. Warcup	Sergeant	unknown	3rd March 1941		Blenheim	Z5901	Killed in Action
A. D. Watson		unknown	unknown
Wheeler	Flight Lieutenant	unknown	unknown	18th February 1944	Mosquito	HX950
A. G. Wilson		unknown	unknown

Pilots and Aircrew for : No.21 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Adams, P A Click the name above to see a profile of Adams, P A    Died : 31 / 3 / 1941	Adams, P A
Allen, A H Click the name above to see a profile of Allen, A H    Died : 18 / 3 / 1941	Allen, A H
Alston, T. R. Click the name above to see a profile of Alston, T. R.    Died : 31 / 3 / 1941	Alston, T. R.
Ashley, P. B. Click the name above to see a profile of Ashley, P. B.    Died : 18 / 7 / 1941	Ashley, P. B.
Attew, K V Click the name above to see a profile of Attew, K V    Died : 12 / 8 / 1941	Attew, K V
Bailes, Click the name above to see a profile of Bailes,	Bailes, Survived on 28th May 1940 when his Blenheim L8744 YH-? of No.21 Sqn was lost near St Omer.
Ball, J B Click the name above to see a profile of Ball, J B    Died : 6 / 4 / 1940	Ball, J B
Barker, W D Click the name above to see a profile of Barker, W D	Barker, W D
Bartley, J E Click the name above to see a profile of Bartley, J E	Bartley, J E
Beckingham, W Click the name above to see a profile of Beckingham, W	Beckingham, W
Benn, Click the name above to see a profile of Benn,	Benn, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito MM398 YH-J of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Bingham, D E Click the name above to see a profile of Bingham, D E	Bingham, D E
Birch, Click the name above to see a profile of Birch,	Birch,
Birch, F Click the name above to see a profile of Birch, F    Died : 16 / 2 / 1940	Birch, F
Bristow, D. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Bristow, D. E.	Bristow, D. E. Sergeant D.E.Bristow of No.21 Squadron was taken prisoner on 10th of February 1941 when his Blenheim (T2282) was shot down.
Broadland, E Click the name above to see a profile of Broadland, E	Broadland, E
Broadley, John Alan Click the name above to see a profile of Broadley, John Alan    Died : 18 / 2 / 1944	Broadley, John Alan Flight Lieutenant J. A. Bill Broadley, DSO, DFC, DFM: John Alan Broadley was born in Richmond, Yorkshire in 1921. Joining the RAF on leaving school, he trained as a Sergeant Observer, and flew many operations over Germany during the first two years of war. He joined No.9 Squadron May 1941, and became Pick Pickards regular navigator. During June-August he flew with Pickard against major German targets such as Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne and was awarded the DFM for outstanding ability and courage. In August 1941 he was posted to No.138 Squadron, a special duties unit, supplying the resistance and dropping / recovering agents. November 18th 1941 he was commissioned as Pilot Officer and moved to No.51 squadron. During the night of February 27th/28th 1942, he flew with Pickard on Operation Biting, which involved dropping paratroops to recover parts of the German Wurzburg radar from Bruneral, near Le Havre. July 1942 he was posted to No.296 Squadron a glider towing unit. During November, Broadley moved to No.161 Squadron, another special duties unit and whilst here was awarded the DFC, DSO and also gained promotion to Flight Lieutenant. On 1st December 1943 he made his final move to No.21 Squadron part of 140 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force. Appointed Wing Navigational Officer during January 1944. Flew many low level raids with Pickard, culminating with Operation Jericho. He was killed in action on 18th February 1944 when his Mosquito Mk.FB.VI EG-F of No.464 Sqn RAAF was shot down by Fw190s during the Amiens raid. He is buried in St Pierre cemetery, Amiens. Son of Thomas Pearson Broadley and Irene Broadley.
Buckley, A Click the name above to see a profile of Buckley, A    Died : 16 / 11 / 1940	Buckley, A
Burgess, A C B Click the name above to see a profile of Burgess, A C B    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Burgess, A C B
Campbell-Rogers, F L Click the name above to see a profile of Campbell-Rogers, F L	Campbell-Rogers, F L
Chatteway, A. Click the name above to see a profile of Chatteway, A.    Died : 11 / 2 / 1941	Chatteway, A. Sergeant A.Chatteway of No.21 Squadron was killed on February 11th 1941. His Blenheim {Z5877) was shot down in the airfield circuit by a Ju88.
Chinn, E. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Chinn, E. J.    Died : 24 / 3 / 1941	Chinn, E. J.
Cleaver, D V Click the name above to see a profile of Cleaver, D V    Died : 25 / 5 / 1940	Cleaver, D V
Clinton, W. R. Click the name above to see a profile of Clinton, W. R.    Died : 24 / 3 / 1941	Clinton, W. R.
Courtman, T. S. Click the name above to see a profile of Courtman, T. S.	Courtman, T. S.
Crowfoot, Click the name above to see a profile of Crowfoot,	Crowfoot, On 18th February 1944, he was navigator of Mosquito LR348 YH-P of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft turned back.
Dale, Click the name above to see a profile of Dale,	Dale, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito LR403 YH-U of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Dunford-Wood, H D S Click the name above to see a profile of Dunford-Wood, H D S    Died : 8 / 6 / 1940	Dunford-Wood, H D S
Eden, W H Click the name above to see a profile of Eden, W H	Eden, W H
Elliott, Cecil S Click the name above to see a profile of Elliott, Cecil S	Elliott, Cecil S Cecil S. Elliott, Navigator. volunteered for aircrew duties in 1940 and received his call up papers in early 1942. He was first posted to Newquay for ITW and billeted in two hotels, the Coniston and the Kilbourne, just north of Newquay town. He drilled in the large car park area adjacent to the Coniston. The ITW course lasted three months, but with a fortnight to go, two senior officers arrived to advise the trainees that there would be a new category of aircrew – Navigator / W/T and six of the intake were interested. They were posted to Trafford Park where they stayed in a Nissen hut with no heating. In June 1943 they were sent to Cranwell on a 12-week course, where they learnt the fundamentals of radio, and MORSE transmitting and receiving. Unfortunately, Cecil failed the morse receiving test so had to stay on for another week, before being sent back to Trafford Park. They then went by rail to Glasgow where they boarded the Queen Mary and crossed the Atlantic in three to four days. On arriving in New York they were each given a small hand of bananas. What joy! They traveled by train on a roundabout route to Quebec airport and started on No 8 AOS Ancienne Lorette course. During the three-month course, from December 1943 to February 1944, a Navigator/W/T was never mentioned again. Elliott was very pleased with the exam marks and won the Navigator Pennant for the course work. The passing out parade was on 5 May 1944 and he was only a sergeant for a few hours as he and five others were offered commissions. The official RAF tailor was in Montreal so they all went together to be fitted and were then posted to Debert, Nova Scotia where they met the pilots with whom they would crew-up at the RCAF No1 OTU. They were confined to the Officers’ Mess for 48 hours during which time they had to agree the crews. He was fortunate as he crewed up with Dusty Rhoades, who was a professional pilot in civvy street with Bowater Paper. They flew daytime cross-countries and regular circuits and bumps. All those on this OTU returned to the UK in a liner and landed in Glasgow, immediately traveling to Thorney Island to join 21 Squadron. His service with 21 covered three stations – Thorney Island; Rosieres near Amiens and Brussels Maelsbrook where they celebrated VE Day. His duties in 21 were classified as ‘Intruders Night operations’. They were given an area to patrol in which they shot up and bombed road and rail transport. If they had not released the bombs, they were given a target to bomb on the way out of the area. By June 1945 they had completed over 25 operations. ‘Dusty’ was repatriated within 10 days of the end of hostilities (one of the terms available to RCAF personnel who volunteered for operations). Most of the crews were Canadian pilots and British Navigators, so the number of guys in the Mess almost halved by the end of June 1945. A serious thought to mention here was the ‘esprit de corps’ and loyalty of the ground crews. The air crews would not have been able to produce the good record without their superb backing. Cecil does not remember a Mosquito ever being classed as u/s during his service with ‘21’. They normally operated from 10p.m. to midnight and returned 3a.m. to 4a.m. The ground crew were always there enquiring whether everything was OK.
Eyton-Jones, Arthur Paget Click the name above to see a profile of Eyton-Jones, Arthur Paget    Died : 16 / 3 / 2013	Eyton-Jones, Arthur Paget Arthur Eyton-Jones joined the RAF in 1940 and flew over 1,000 hours operationally as a navigator on Bostons, Mitchells and Mosquitoes. He flew on the notoriously dangerous day time bombing offensive conducted by the RAF during the Second World War, during which he survived a ditching in the North Sea. On July 30 1943, Eyton-Jones was the navigator of a Mitchell bomber of No 226 Squadron searching for the crew of an American bomber off the northern Dutch coast. After locating the Americans' dinghy, with three men aboard, they were attacked by German fighters. The Mitchell was set on fire, a gunner was killed and Eyton-Jones was wounded in the leg. The pilot, Flying Officer Dick Christie, ditched the aircraft. The Mitchell immediately started to sink, and Eyton-Jones had difficulty getting out. When he surfaced there was no sign of the aircraft or his pilot — but he spotted an inflated dinghy with his other two crew members nearby. Just as it was getting dark a Beaufighter located them, but it was not until the following afternoon that they saw another aircraft. An RAF Hudson aircraft appeared with a fighter escort and dropped a lifeboat by parachute — one of the first successful such drops in the war. The lifeboat landed close to the dinghy, and the three survivors boarded the small craft, started the engine and headed west. As the seas increased, the engine was swamped and they spent all night bailing out the water. The craft was fitted with a drogue, which prevented it speeding down the big waves generated by the storm and smashing into the next swell. But the drogue failed, leaving the small boat almost certain to founder in the heavy seas, and the crew was forced to fashion a replacement from the mast and sail. The following morning, with the wind abating, they were able to don survival suits and use the survival aids, including tins of water and Horlicks tablets. Finally, on the afternoon of August 2nd, aircraft spotted their emergency flares, and for the next 24 hours a patrol was established over their position 200 miles east of Newcastle. The following night a Royal Navy Fairmile rescue launch headed for them, and 15 hours later a circling Hudson aircraft directed it to the dinghy. Late in the afternoon, a German Junkers 88 spotted the rescue launch, but — seeing the yellow decks (the international colour of the rescue services) — the pilot did not attack; instead he flew low and waved before departing. The three exhausted men finally arrived at Grimsby late on the evening of the sixth day of their ordeal. The son of a surgeon, Arthur Paget Eyton-Jones was born in Liverpool on July 6th 1920 and educated at Birkenhead Institute School. He enlisted in the RAF in January 1940 and, having trained as a navigator, was posted to No 226, then equipped with the American-built Boston medium bomber. He flew on daylight raids over northern France and Holland before the squadron converted to the Mitchell. After recovering from his ditching, Eyton-Jones transferred to the Mosquitos of No 21 Squadron, part of the Second Tactical Air Force. During a low-level attack in February 1944 against V-1 construction sites, his Mosquito was badly damaged by flak. A few weeks later he was rested after 18 months of continuous operations, almost all at low level during daylight, when losses were heavy. In May 1944 he was awarded a DFC. During his rest tour, Eyton-Jones trained Mosquito navigators and was responsible for survival training, including ditching and sea survival drills on the Norfolk Broads. After a series of asthma attacks, he was grounded in March 1945 and invalided out of the RAF as a flight lieutenant. In 1946 he moved to the Wirral and worked for Littlewoods Pools, rising to a senior position in the Welsh division. He established the Heswall squadron of the Air Training Corps, which he commanded for 15 years. He wrote a book about his wartime experiences, Day Bomber (1998).
Ferguson, A. B. Click the name above to see a profile of Ferguson, A. B.    Died : 3 / 3 / 1941	Ferguson, A. B.
Gabites, Click the name above to see a profile of Gabites,	Gabites, On 18th February 1944, he was navigator of Mosquito LR403 YH-U of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Gilmore, R G M Click the name above to see a profile of Gilmore, R G M    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Gilmore, R G M
Goold, E A Click the name above to see a profile of Goold, E A	Goold, E A
Gourlay, W. L. Click the name above to see a profile of Gourlay, W. L.    Died : 31 / 3 / 1941	Gourlay, W. L.
Green, E. W. Click the name above to see a profile of Green, E. W.	Green, E. W. Sergeant E.W.Green of No.21 Squadron was taken prisoner on February 10th 1941 when his Blenheim (T2282) was shot down.
Hogan, Click the name above to see a profile of Hogan,	Hogan, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito LR348 YH-P of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft turned back.
Howard, G. H. Click the name above to see a profile of Howard, G. H.    Died : 31 / 3 / 1941	Howard, G. H.
Jennings, Click the name above to see a profile of Jennings,	Jennings,
Jennings, Click the name above to see a profile of Jennings,	Jennings,
Jones, E Click the name above to see a profile of Jones, E    Died : 8 / 6 / 1940	Jones, E
Keates, A K R Click the name above to see a profile of Keates, A K R    Died : 25 / 5 / 1940	Keates, A K R
Kemp, J R M Click the name above to see a profile of Kemp, J R M	Kemp, J R M
Langston, G J Click the name above to see a profile of Langston, G J	Langston, G J
Lewis, G Click the name above to see a profile of Lewis, G    Died : 11 / 6 / 1940	Lewis, G
Lightfoot, L H Click the name above to see a profile of Lightfoot, L H	Lightfoot, L H
Linley, H. F. Click the name above to see a profile of Linley, H. F.    Died : 18 / 3 / 1941	Linley, H. F.
Lowes, G F Click the name above to see a profile of Lowes, G F	Lowes, G F
MacDonald, D Click the name above to see a profile of MacDonald, D	MacDonald, D
MacDonald, W L Click the name above to see a profile of MacDonald, W L	MacDonald, W L
MacLagan, D R C Click the name above to see a profile of MacLagan, D R C    Died : 8 / 6 / 1940	MacLagan, D R C
McConnell, R. J. Click the name above to see a profile of McConnell, R. J.	McConnell, R. J. Flight Lieutenant R.J.McConnell of No.21 Squadron was taken prisoner on February 10th 1941 when his Blenheim (T2282) was shot down.
Moddatt, G G Click the name above to see a profile of Moddatt, G G    Died : 30 / 11 / 1940	Moddatt, G G
Murray, A. G. Click the name above to see a profile of Murray, A. G.    Died : 11 / 6 / 1940	Murray, A. G.
Nichols, R. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Nichols, R. E.    Died : 31 / 3 / 1941	Nichols, R. E.
O'Connor, Click the name above to see a profile of O'Connor,	O'Connor,
Outhwaite, J J Click the name above to see a profile of Outhwaite, J J	Outhwaite, J J
Parsons, A. Click the name above to see a profile of Parsons, A.    Died : 18 / 3 / 1941	Parsons, A.
Patterson, Click the name above to see a profile of Patterson,	Patterson,
Pearce, T R A D Click the name above to see a profile of Pearce, T R A D    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Pearce, T R A D
Penn, C G Click the name above to see a profile of Penn, C G	Penn, C G
Pryde, G A M Click the name above to see a profile of Pryde, G A M	Pryde, G A M
Redington, Click the name above to see a profile of Redington,	Redington, On 18th February 1944, he was navigator of Mosquito HX950 YH-C of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Reynolds, Click the name above to see a profile of Reynolds,	Reynolds, On 18th February 1944, he was navigator of Mosquito LR388 YH-F of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft turned back.
Roberts, D J Click the name above to see a profile of Roberts, D J	Roberts, D J
Roe, Click the name above to see a profile of Roe,	Roe, On 18th February 1944, he was navigator of Mosquito MM398 YH-J of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Rowson, H Click the name above to see a profile of Rowson, H	Rowson, H
Sarll, J C G Click the name above to see a profile of Sarll, J C G	Sarll, J C G
Saunders, W A Click the name above to see a profile of Saunders, W A    Died : 14 / 6 / 1994	Saunders, W A
Seeley, G H Click the name above to see a profile of Seeley, G H    Died : 18 / 7 / 1941	Seeley, G H
Sharvell, G. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Sharvell, G. E.	Sharvell, G. E. Sergeant G.E.Sharvell of No.21 Squadron was killed on February 11th 1941. His Blenheim {Z5877) was shot down in the airfield circuit by a Ju88.
Soal, F J Click the name above to see a profile of Soal, F J	Soal, F J
Somerfield, R J Click the name above to see a profile of Somerfield, R J    Died : 28 / 8 / 1941	Somerfield, R J
Sproson, S. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Sproson, S. E.	Sproson, S. E.
Stapledon, I Click the name above to see a profile of Stapledon, I    Died : 6 / 4 / 1940	Stapledon, I
Starns, W R Click the name above to see a profile of Starns, W R    Died : 30 / 11 / 1940	Starns, W R
Steadman, Click the name above to see a profile of Steadman,	Steadman, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito LR388 YH-F of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft turned back.
Stilwell, R B Click the name above to see a profile of Stilwell, R B    Died : 30 / 11 / 1940	Stilwell, R B
Sullivan, J P Click the name above to see a profile of Sullivan, J P    Died : 23 / 7 / 1941	Sullivan, J P
Taylor, Click the name above to see a profile of Taylor,	Taylor, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito LR385 YH-D of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Thompson, S C Click the name above to see a profile of Thompson, S C	Thompson, S C Survived on 28th May 1940 when his Blenheim L8744 YH-? of No.21 Sqn was lost near St Omer.
Tice, G H Click the name above to see a profile of Tice, G H    Died : 16 / 2 / 1940	Tice, G H
Tudge, H J C Click the name above to see a profile of Tudge, H J C	Tudge, H J C
Twamley, Arnold Edward Desmond Click the name above to see a profile of Twamley, Arnold Edward Desmond    Died : 28 / 5 / 1940	Twamley, Arnold Edward Desmond Killed aged 19 on 28th May 1940 when his Blenheim L8744 YH-? of No.21 Sqn was lost near St Omer. Son of William and Minnie Twamley, of Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Irish Republic. He is buried in De Panne Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
Wadmore, J H Click the name above to see a profile of Wadmore, J H    Died : 16 / 2 / 1940	Wadmore, J H
Warcup, A. Click the name above to see a profile of Warcup, A.    Died : 3 / 3 / 1941	Warcup, A.
Watson, A. D. Click the name above to see a profile of Watson, A. D.    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Watson, A. D.
Webb, A L F Click the name above to see a profile of Webb, A L F    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Webb, A L F
Webb, C Click the name above to see a profile of Webb, C	Webb, C
Wetton, W J Click the name above to see a profile of Wetton, W J    Died : 6 / 4 / 1940	Wetton, W J
Wheeler, Click the name above to see a profile of Wheeler,	Wheeler, On 18th February 1944, he was pilot of Mosquito HX950 YH-C of No.21 Sqn for Operation Jericho, the Amiens prison raid. The aircraft was instructed not to attack.
Wilson, A. G. Click the name above to see a profile of Wilson, A. G.    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Wilson, A. G.
Wise, P C Click the name above to see a profile of Wise, P C    Died : 16 / 11 / 1940	Wise, P C

Aircraft for : No.21 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft associated with No.21 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Blenheim Click the name above to see prints featuring Blenheim aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1956 Number Built : 4422	Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.
Mosquito Click the name above to see prints featuring Mosquito aircraft. Manufacturer : De Havilland Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1955 Number Built : 7781	Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built.
Ventura Click the name above to see prints featuring Ventura aircraft.	Ventura Full profile not yet available.