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Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints Countries UK Squadron Index More Squadrons Squadrons 489 to 620 No.542 Sqn |
[UP] - No.489 Sqn RNZAF - No.501 Sqn - No.504 Sqn - No.514 Sqn - No.542 Sqn - No.550 Sqn - No.571 Sqn - No.576 Sqn - No.578 Sqn - No.601 Sqn - No.602 Sqn - No.603 Sqn - No.604 Sqn - No.605 Sqn - No.607 Sqn - No.609 Sqn - No.610 Sqn - No.611 Sqn - No.613 Sqn - No.615 Sqn - No.616 Sqn - No.619 Sqn - No.620 Sqn |
No.542 Sqn
Country : UK
Founded : 19th October 1942
Disbanded 1st October 1958
Codes : , L,
Above all
No.542 Squadron was formed on 19 October 1942 at Benson from A and E Flights of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. Using nearby Mount Farm as its operational base for a time, the squadron used Spitfires for photographic reconnaissance missions over Europe until the end of the war.The squadron’s first role was to photograph the French coast between Cherbourg and Calais. From May 1943 the squadron split its time between this role and supporting Bomber Command, photographing their targets before and after raids. In December 1944 the squadron began to work alongside GEE-equipped Mosquitos. The Mosquito would be used to guide the PR Spitfires to targets that were obscured by clouds, and the Spitfires would then try and find a gap in the weather to take their pictures. On 27 August 1945 The squadron was disbanded
On 17 May 1954, No.542 reformed at Wyton with photographic reconnaissance Canberras, but disbanded again on 1 October 1955. On 1 November 1955, it reformed from No.1323 Flight at Wyton, moving in the following month to Weston Zoyland to prepare for its detachment to Australia to carry out survey and sampling flights during the nuclear bomb tests in 1956-57. In April 1957 it returned to the UK and was renumbered No.21 Squadron on 1 October 1958.
No.542 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
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Text for the above items : |
Mission Accomplished by Philip West. 17th May 1943, Sqn Ldr Frank (Jerry) Fray in his Spitfire PRX1 of 542 Squadron operating out of RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, returned alone and unarmed to gather photographic evidence from 30,000 feet of the Möhne dam having been breached earlier the same day by 617 Squadron Lancaster bombers. |
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