7 Jan 1916 – 25 Sept 1919 3 Dec 1935 – Feb 1942 1 Apr 1942 – 15 Oct 1945 1 Aug 1946 – 31 July 1947 11 Feb 1949 – 24 June 1952 1 Aug 1954 – 10 Jan 1958 1 Oct 1960 – 31 Dec 1967
Western Front, 1916–17, Ypres, 1917, Italian Front & Adriatic, 1917–18, Somme, 1916, Hindenburg Line, Eastern Waters 1941, Malaya, 1941–42, Arakan, 1942–44, Manipur, 1944, Burma, 1944–45
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry
In front of an increscent, a wolf passant.
Squadron codes
LB Apr–Aug 1939[2] EG Mar–Oct 1945[3] 8Q Feb 1949 – Jul 1951[4] 6J March 1949 – Nov 1952[5]
Post-1950 squadron roundel
Military unit
No. 34 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. During the First World War it operated as a reconnaissance and bomber squadron and in the 1930s operated light bombers. It was re-equipped with fighter-bombers in the later half of the Second World War and in the post-war period was reformed four times; first as a photo-reconnaissance unit, then anti-aircraft co-operation, then as a jet fighter squadron through the 1950s. It was last active in the 1960s, as a Blackburn Beverley transport squadron.
On 29 October 1917, as a result of the heavy defeat suffered by the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto, the squadron was pulled out of the front line in France and ordered to Italy as part of British efforts to reinforce the Italians.[a] It arrived at Milan on 14 November and carried out its first operation over the front, an attempted photo reconnaissance mission on 29 November.[9][12] Duties included normal corps reconnaissance duties as well as bomber missions.[9][13] The squadron was deployed in the Monte Grappa region in support of the Italian Fourth Army from July to September 1918, to compensate for a shortage of Italian aircraft.[14] The squadron took part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto from 27 October to 3 November, flying contact patrol missions to keep track of the location of advancing allied troops, and on one occasion dropping ammunition to British troops.[15] The squadron remained in Italy after the end of the war, returning to Britain in April 1919 and disbanding at Old Sarum Airfield on 25 September 1919.[9][13]
1935–45
34 Squadron was re-formed at Bircham Newton on 3 December 1935, out of personnel from No. 18 Squadron RAF,[6] and equipped with Hawker Hind light bombers.[16][17] The squadron moved to RAF Abbotsinch (now Glasgow airport) on 30 July 1936, and joined the recently established 2 Group on 1 August.[18] The squadron soon transferred to 1 Group,[19] moving to RAF Lympne in Kent on 3 November 1936.[16] It moved to RAF Upper Heyford on 11 July, reequipping with Bristol Blenheims that month.[16] The squadron temporarily transferred to 2 Group in September 1938 as part of the RAF's mobilisation in response to the Munich crisis before returning to 1 Group in October.[20] It rejoined 2 Group on 1 January 1939 and moved to RAF Watton on 22 February 1939.[21] In August 1939, the squadron set out from Watton to reinforce British forces in the Far East, arriving at Singapore on 10 September, soon after the Second World War broke out in Europe.[16][22]
In 1941, the squadron replaced its Blenheim Mark Is with more modern Mark IV Blenheims.[23] On 8 December 1941, Japan invaded Malaya. The squadron flew its first combat operation of the Second World War that day, attacking Japanese landings at Kota Bharu.[17][24] After two months, it had been withdrawn to Sumatra and Java and losses had been so severe that it was officially disbanded. The remaining personnel, aircraft and equipment were withdrawn to India.
It was officially re-formed at RAF Chakrata on 1 April 1942 and re-equipped with Blenheims.[25][26] In July and August, some of its aircraft were used to attack rebels in North West Frontier Province. From September until April 1943, the squadron carried out bombing raids against Japanese targets in Burma.
No. 34 was reformed at Tangmere with Gloster Meteor jets as a fighter squadron in August 1954. In October 1955 Hawker Hunters replaced the Meteors until disbandment on 10 January 1958. No. 34 was then reformed yet again on 1 October 1960 at RAF Seletar, Singapore, in the transport role with Blackburn Beverleys. In December 1962, four Blackburn Beverleys were used to insert Gurkhas into Brunei to combat a revolt by the North Kalimantan National Army (TNKU) against the Sultan of Brunei.[27] The Squadron lasted until the end of 1967 when it was disbanded again.[16]
^In total, three corps reconnaissance squadrons, 28, 34 and 42 Squadrons, all operating the RE.8, together with two Sopwith Camel-equipped fighter squadrons (45 and 66 Squadrons), were transferred to the Italian front.[11]
Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1974). 2 Group R.A.F.: A Complete History, 1936–1945. London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN0-571-09491-0.
Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN0-85059-364-6.
Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-083-9.
Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF squadrons : a comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN1-84037-141-2. OCLC46513054.
Pitchfork, Graham (2008). The Royal Air Force Day by Day. Stroud, UK: History Press. ISBN978-0-7509-4309-3.{
Rawlings, John D. R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Squadrons. London: Jane's Publishing Company. ISBN0-7106-0187-5.
Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian; Izawa, Yasuho (1992). Bloody Shambles: Volume One: The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore. London: Grub Street. ISBN0-948817-50-X.