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No.626 Sqn RAF
Founded : 7th November 1943
Country : UK
Fate : Disbanded 14th October 1945
Known Aircraft Codes : UM
To strive and not to yield
No.626 Sqn RAF
Aircraft for : No.626 Sqn RAF | |||
A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.626 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1942 Retired : 1963 Number Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
Signatures for : No.626 Sqn RAF | |||
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||
Name | Info | ||
Sqn Ldr Douglas Joss MBE Click the name above to see prints signed by Sqn Ldr Douglas Joss MBE | Sqn Ldr Douglas Joss MBE A Rear Gunner posted to 626 Squadron at Wickenby on Lancasters where he completed a full tour during 1944. After the War in an attempt to keep Bomber Command veterans in touch with each other he was the founder member of the Wickenby Register. | ||
Flt Lt Dennis Thorpe Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Dennis Thorpe | Flt Lt Dennis Thorpe Was on his 31st Operation flying Lancasters with 626 Sqn from Wickenby when he was shot down by a night fighter. All of crew escaped but did not all survive to be taken PoWs. Dennis was captured and interned at Stalag Luft I. | ||
Warrant Officer Tony Winser Click the name above to see prints signed by Warrant Officer Tony Winser
| Warrant Officer Tony Winser Called up one day after his 18th birthday to join the Royal Air Force on 16th July 1943. After basic training as an Air Gunner he served on operations in September 1944. Tony Winser served as a Rear Turret Air Gunner in Lancasters with 12 and 626 Squadrons, completing 31 Ops and was the second highest scoring Bomber Command Ace of the war shooting down 7 enemy aircraft. Sadly, we have learned that Tony Winser passed away on 13th November 2011. |
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