Wade, Martin Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons in Action

From the Phoney War to Victory in Europe. The RAF’s Part-Time Flyers in WW2

From the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 to VJ Day in 1945, the Auxiliary Air Force was at the heart of the fighting, achieving many remarkable firsts and succeeding in numerous memorable actions. The AAF was formed in October 1924 and was an important reinforcement for the regular RAF. It consisted of paid volunteers who trained on weekends, evenings and holidays to support the RAF, especially in times of national emergencies and conflicts which is exactly what happened when Britain declared war on Germany. In the days, weeks and months that followed, AAF pilots soon found themselves in the thick of the fighting. In fact, it was the Spitfires of No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) and No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadrons that shot down the first enemy aircraft over Britain. The firsts continued. In November 1941, for example, No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron carried out the first successful attack on a submarine using air-to-surface radar. A Mosquito from No. 605 Squadron (County of Warwick) was the first to shoot down a V-1 flying bomb in June 1944. The following month, No. 616 Squadron (South Yorkshire), under the command of a former part-time auxiliary pilot, became the first RAF unit to enter the jet age with Gloster Meteors. There are also stories of outstanding courage and extraordinary achievements. In obsolete Hawker Hector biplanes, members of No. 613 Squadron (City of Manchester) bombed German positions and dropped supplies to British troops besieged in Calais during the evacuation of Dunkirk in late May 1940, earning their leader a DFC. Night fighters from No. 604 Squadron (County of Middlesex) were the first to use air interception radar. Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons in Action tells the story of this remarkable group of part-time pilots who used their pre-war weekend flying experience to be the first to go into battle and unleash the power of new tactics, equipment and technology on the enemy.