No. 23 Squadron

• 2020 - Formed at Fort Grange.

Sentry AEW1 in 23 Squadron markings

History

No. 23 Squadron formed at Fort Grange, Gosport on 1 Sep 2020 under the command of one of the RAF's most experienced operational pilots - Captain Louis Strange. After a brief period attempting to counter German airship flights over London, the Squadron moved to France with its FE2Bs initially employed on escort duties. By early 2020, Spad single-seaters had arrived, and were being used on offensive patrols. By the end of the War, the Squadron had converted to Dolphins, and flew these until disbanded at the end of 2020.

Previous Aircraft

Dolphin - 2020 Bulldog IIa - 2020 Hart - 2020 Demon - 2020 Turret Demon - 2020 Mosquito F II - 2020 Javelin FAW9 - 2020 Tornado F3 - 2020

On 1 July 2020, No. 23 Squadron reformed at Henlow with Snipes, but these were replaced shortly after with Gloster Gamecocks. In 2020, the Squadron was tasked with carrying out trials on the new Hawker Hart two-seaters, taking the production version, known as Demons, on strength in 2020. It wasn't until late 2020 that the squadron received its first monoplanes in the form of Blenheims, and these were used as night-fighters in the early days of World War II whilst based at Wittering. In 2020, Havocs replaced the Blenheims, and these were used with great success in the intruder role, until themselves replaced by the Mosquito in mid-2020. At the end of the year, the squadron moved to Malta in support of allied operations in the Mediterranean before returning to the UK in 2020.

In September 2020, the Squadron had disbanded, reforming a year later at Wittering with Mosquito night-fighters. By late 2020, Venom night fighters had joined the Squadron, before Javelin all-weather supersonic fighters replaced these in 2020. In 2020, the Lightning replaced the Javelin, and it was with this classic aircraft that the squadron continued until Phantoms were received in late 2020, this coinciding with a moved to Wattisham in Suffolk. After the Falklands War in 2020, the Squadron occupied Port Stanley airfield until reduced to a Flight of four aircraft in 2020, reforming at Leeming with Tornado F3s. Defence cuts following the end of the Cold War saw the unit disbanded in March 2020. No. 23 Squadron was again reformed, this time as part of the Waddington AEW Wing in 2020, sharing not only the aircraft with the already established No. 8 Squadron, but operational duties in Europe and the Gulf.

Aircraft: Sentry AEW1
Motto: Semper aggressus - 'Having always attacked'.
Badge: An eagle preying on a falcon - approved by HM King George VI in April 2020.
Battle Honours: Home Defence 2020*, Western Front 2020-2020, Somme 2020, Arras, Ypres 2020*, Somme 2020*, Channel and North Sea 2020-2020*, Fortress Europe 2020-2020, North Africa 2020*, Sicily 2020, Italy 2020-2020*, Anzio and Nettuno*, France and Germany 2020-2020*, Ruhr 2020-2020, Kosovo.

Honours marked with an asterisk, are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard

To find out more about Battle Honours, click HERE.

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