No. 623 Squadron RAF

No. 623 Squadron RAF
Active	10 Aug 1943 – 6 Dec 1943
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	inactive
Role	Bomber Squadron
Part of	No. 3 Group RAF RAF Bomber Command
Base	RAF Downham Market
Insignia
Squadron Codes	IC (Aug 1943 – Dec 1943)^[1]^[2]
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Short Stirling Four-engined heavy bomber

No. 623 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

History

The squadron was formed on 10 August 1943 at RAF Downham Market in Norfolk from 'C' Flight of 218 Squadron, as well as receiving crews from No.3 L.F.S. and No.1653 Conversion Unit.^[3] It was equipped with Stirling Mk.III bombers, as part of No. 3 Group RAF in Bomber Command. The squadron carried out night raids against Germany, but was short-lived and was disbanded on 6 December 1943 at Downham Market. The aircraft went mostly to conversion units of No. 5 Group RAF.^[4]

Commanding officers

Officers commanding No. 623 Squadron RAF, data from^[5]
Date	Name	Comments
18 August 1943	W/Cdr. E.J. Little, DFC	Killed in action, 31-08-1943
6 September 1943	W/Cdr. G.T. Wynne-Powell	Moved to 90 Sqn, 29-11-1943
29 November 1943	W/Cdr. F.M. Milligan, AFC

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 623 Squadron RAF, data from^[6]^[7]
From	To	Aircraft	Variant
August 1943	December 1943	Short Stirling	Mk.III

Some examples:^[6]^[8]

BF568: IC-B Taken over from No. 218 Squadron RAF, later to No. 214 Squadron RAF and 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU). Struck of charge 24.4.45
BK727: IC-A Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to No. 214 Squadron and 1651 HCU. Struck of charge 24.4.45
BK803: IC-S and IC-D Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to 1654 HCU. Crashed 30.6.44
EE876: IC-T Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later to 1654 HCU. Struck of charge 25.4.46
EE966: IC-E Taken over from No. 218 Squadron, later transferred to No. 299 Squadron RAF. Crashed 11.5.45 at Gardermoen, Norway
EF199: IC-I Went to No. 214 Squadron RAF and later to 1651 HCU. Struck of charge 24.4.45
EF204: IC-E Went to 1654 Conversion Unit after its service life with No. 623 Squadron, crashed 14.1.45
EH878: IC-I Failed to return from a bombing mission to Mannheim, 6.9.43
EH925: IC-C Failed to return from bombing mission to Berlin, 23/24.08.43. Aircraft crashed 10 km south of Zossen, crew killed. Crash site has now been discovered in local area.
EJ121: IC-Q Went to 1654 Conversion Unit after its service life with No. 623 Squadron. Struck of charge 28.2.45
LJ454: IC-E Failed to return from a bombing mission to Mannheim, 19.11.43
LK387: IC-P Failed to return on 5.12.43 on a mine laying operation at the Friesian Islands

Operations

Date	Type	Target	Despatched	DCO	Alt	DNCO	Lost	Comments
10/11-Aug-43	Stirling	Nürnberg	4	4	0	0	0
12/13-Aug-43	Stirling	Turin	4	4	0	0	0
16/17-Aug-43	Stirling	Turin	5	5	0	0	0
23/24-Aug-43	Stirling	Berlin	6	5	0	0	1	EH925
24/25-Aug-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Nectarines
25/26-Aug-43	Stirling	Gardening	1	1	0	0	0	Deodars
26/27-Aug-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Deodars
27/28-Aug-43	Stirling	Nürnberg	5	3	0	1	1	EE909
30/31-Aug-43	Stirling	Mönchengladbach	5	4	0	1	0
31/01-Aug-43	Stirling	Berlin	4	2	0	1	1	EE949
02/03-Sep-43	Stirling	Gardening	1	0	0	1	0	Nectarines
05/06-Sep-43	Stirling	Mannheim	3	2	0	0	1	EH878
08/09-Sep-43	Stirling	Boulogne	3	3	0	0	0
15/16-Sep-43	Stirling	Montluçon	3	3	0	0	0
16/17-Sep-43	Stirling	Modane	4	4	0	0	0
22/23-Sep-43	Stirling	Hannover	4	4	0	0	0
23/24-Sep-43	Stirling	Mannheim	3	3	0	0	0
24/25-Sep-43	Stirling	Gardening	3	3	0	0	0	Nectarines
25/26-Sep-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	1	0	0	1	Nectarines EF499
27/28-Sep-43	Stirling	Hannover	2	2	0	0	0
27/28-Sep-43	Stirling	Gardening	1	1	0	0	0	Nectarines
02/03-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Silverthorne
03/04-Oct-43	Stirling	Kassel	5	2	0	1	2	EF158 and EH994
04/05-Oct-43	Stirling	Frankfurt am Main	3	2	0	1	0
04/05-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Deodars
07/08-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	3	3	0	0	0	Nectarines 1, Silverthorne 2
08/09-Oct-43	Stirling	Bremen	4	4	0	0	0
08/09-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	1	1	0	0	0	Deodars
17/18-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	5	5	0	0	0	Nectarines
20/21-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Nectarines
22/23-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	3	2	0	1	0	Nectarines
24/25-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	Nectarines
25/26-Oct-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0
03/04-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	4	4	0	0	0
04/05-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0
07/08-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	5	4	0	0	1	Deodars, Furze EF156
10/11-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	2	0	0	0	La Rochelle
18/19-Nov-43	Stirling	Mannheim	7	3	0	2	2	EF155 and LJ454
19/20-Nov-43	Stirling	Leverkusen	2	2	0	0	0
19/20-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	5	5	0	0	0	Nectarines/Cinnamon
22/23-Nov-43	Stirling	Berlin	3	2	1	0	0
25/26-Nov-43	Stirling	Gardening	3	1	0	2	0
04/05-Dec-43	Stirling	Gardening	2	1	0	0	1	Nectarines LK387
Totals			138	115	1	11	11

Despatched – number of aircraft taking off
DCO – Duty Carried Out
Alt – Alternative target attacked
DNCO – Duty Not Carried Out (sortie aborted)
Gardening – laying anti-shipping mines in coastal waters
Comments – code names for area where mines dropped and identity of losses.

References

Notes

Bibliography

Bowyer, Michael J.F. The Stirling Bomber. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1980. ISBN 0-571-11101-7.
Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
Falconer, Jonathan. Stirling Wings: The Short Stirling Goes to War. Stoud, Gloucestershire, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd., 1995 (republished by Budding Books, 1997. ISBN 1-84015-004-1.).
Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.* Dickinson, Jack. The Time of my Life: Life with 218 & 623 Squadrons.
Gomersall, Bryce. The Stirling File. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. and Aviation Archaeologists Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-85130-072-3.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE,BA,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (second edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
No. 623 Squadron Operational Record Book (Forms 540/541), National Archives, Kew (AIR 27/2141).

External links

Royal Air Force flying squadrons

Currently active

Inactive

Australian Flying Corps (AFC) units attached
to the RAF during the First World War

67 (1 Sqn AFC)
68 (2 Sqn AFC)
69 (3 Sqn AFC)
71 (4 Sqn AFC)

Commonwealth air force units attached to
the RAF during the Second World War

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)	400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)	450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467

Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)	485 486 487 488 489 490

Squadrons formed from non-Commonwealth
personnel during the Second World War

Argentine	164

Belgian	349 350

Czechoslovak	310 311 312 313

Dutch	320 321 322

French	326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347

Greek	13 335 336

Norwegian	330 331 332 333 334

Polish	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663

United States	71 121 133

Yugoslav	351 352

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Special Reserve	500 501 502 503 504

Auxiliary Air Force	600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616

Fleet Air Arm of the RAF (1924–1939)

Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force portal

Formations and units	Commands Groups Stations Wings Squadrons Flights Conversion units Operational Training units Schools / Training units Ferry units Glider units Misc units Regiment squadrons

Branches and components	RAF Regiment RAF Chaplains Branch RAF Intelligence RAF Legal Branch RAF Medical Services Princess Mary's RAF Nursing Service RAF Police Search and Rescue Force Mountain Rescue Service RAF Marine Branch

Reserve forces	Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Volunteer Reserve

Associated civil organizations	Air Training Corps RAF Association RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine RAF Football Association

Equipment	List of RAF aircraft List of RAF missiles

Personnel	Officer ranks Other ranks List of personnel

Appointments	Chief of Air Staff Assistant Chief of the Air Staff Air Member for Personnel Air Secretary Air Member for Materiel Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment Chief of the Air Staff's Warrant Officer

Symbols and uniform	Ensign Badge Roundels Uniform

History Timeline Future

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/23/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.