No. 534 Squadron RAF
Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No. 534 Squadron RAF was one of the ten Turbinlite nightfighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
United Kingdom
Royal Air Force| No. 534 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2 Sep 1942 – 25 Jan 1943[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Turbinlite nightfighter squadron |
| Part of | No. 11 Group RAF, Fighter Command[2] |
History
No. 534 Squadron was formed at RAF Tangmere, Sussex on 2[1] September 1942, from No. 1455 (Turbinlite) Flight,[3][4] as part of No. 11 Group RAF in Fighter Command. Instead of operating only Turbinlite and -rudimentary- Airborne Intercept (AI) radar equipped aircraft (Havocs and Bostons) and working together with a normal nightfighter unit the unit now also flew with their own Hawker Hurricanes. It was disbanded at Tangmere on 25 January 1943,[1] when Turbinlite squadrons were, due to lack of success on their part and the rapid development of AI radar, thought to be superfluous.[5]
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | Douglas Havoc | Mk.I (Turbinlite) |
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | Douglas Havoc | Mk.II (Turbinlite) |
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | Douglas Boston | Mk.I (Nightfighter) |
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | Douglas Boston | Mk.III (Turbinlite) |
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.IIc |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1942 | 25 January 1943 | RAF Tangmere, Sussex |