In 1942, it was sent to the Far East, arriving in India in May, where the squadron flew primarily ground attack missions, initially with later mark cannon armed Hurricanes. In June 1944 the squadron re-equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt IIs under SEAC command. It disbanded at Meiktila in Burma on 30 December 1945.[4]
Korean War era onwards
Supermarine Swift FR.5 wearing the red arrow markings of No. 79 Squadron
The squadron was reformed again on 15 November 1951 as a fighter-reconnaissance squadron, flying Gloster Meteor FR.9s, based at RAF Wunstorf in West Germany. It was re-equipped with Swift FR.5s in June 1956, being transferred to RAF Gutersloh (approx Sept 1956) due to the proximity of the Russian Zone to RAF Wunstorf. It was renumbered as 4 Squadron on 1 January 1961.[4]
Operational training role from 1967 onwards
No. 79 Squadron was reformed as part of No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Chivenor in North Devon on 2 January 1967, tasked with training pilots to fly the Hawker Hunter until disbanded on 2 September 1974, when it was reformed as one of the component squadrons of No.1 Tactical Weapons Unit, flying first Hunters and then the Hawker Siddeley Hawk T.1 and BAC Jet Provost T4 until finally disbanded at RAF Brawdy on 31 August 1992.[5]
See also
Jimmy Davies, first American-born airman killed in combat in World War II.
Rawlings, J. D. R. (December 1960). "Squadron Histories:79 Squadron". Air Pictorial. Vol. 22, no. 12. pp. 425–426.
Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above The Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London: Grub Street. ISBN0-948817-19-4.