Gloster
Gladiator Aviation art prints of the Gloster Gladiator by renowned
aviation artists these Gloster Gladiator art prints are available from
the aviation art print company a division of Cranston Fine arts GLOSTER
GLADIATOR: A continuation form the Gloster Gauntlet aircraft
the Gloster Gladiator (SS37) becoming designated the F.7/30 was named
Gladiator on the 1st July 1935. The first 70 Gladiators had Under wing
machine guns (Vickers or Lewis) before the browning became
standard The first aircraft arrived at Tangmere airfield on
in February 1937 to no. 72 squadron. at the outbreak of world war two a
total of 218 Gladiators had been received by the Royal air force with a
total of 76 on active service. They served also in the Middle eats and
in 1940 when Italy joined the war was nearly the only front line fighter
in the middle east. Between 1939 and 1941. the Gloster
Gladiator flew in many war zones. flying in France, Greece,
Norway, Crete Egypt Malta and Aden. The Aircraft claimed
nearly 250 air victories. It stayed in front line duties until
1942, then becoming fighter trainer, and other sundry roles. It
continued in these roles until the end of world war two. The Naval
equivalent the Sea Gladiator a short service in the Middle east and European
waters. A Total of 746 aircraft were built of these 98 were Sea
Gladiators.. Performance. speed: 250mph at 17,500 feet, 257
mph at 14,600 Range 430 miles. Armament: Two fixed .3-03
browning machine guns Squadron
Leader Marmaduke T St. John 'Pat' Pattle, DFC: Born
on 3rd July 1914 in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa, 'Pat' Pattle
joined 80 Squadron in 1937. The Squadron was sent to Egypt in April 1938,
and Pattle became a flight commander in 1939. During August 1940 the
Squadron moved up to the Libyan border. Whilst escorting a Lysander,
Pattle's flight was engaged by a force of Italian fighters. Pattle
(claiming 2) was forced to bale out inside Italian territory, but returned
to base the next day. The Squadron moved to Greece in November in support
of Greek forces on the Albanian border. Pattle was awarded the DFC in
February 1941. In March he was awarded a bar to the DFC promoted to
Squadron Leader and given command of 33 squadron equipped with Hawker
Hurricanes Mk I. By this time he was credited with 23 victories. Due to
the chaotic conditions during the British and Greek retreat, records were
lost. However, relying on personal records and memories, it appears that
his score of victories was 50 (possibly as high as 60), making him the
highest scoring RAF pilot of the war. On 20th April 1941, he led the
combined remnants of No.s 33 and 80 squadrons from Eleusis airfield.
Although suffering from influenza and fatigue and on his third sortie of
the day, Pattle led the remaining Hurricanes to intercept a German
formation over Eleusis Bay. He was seen to shoot down a Bf110 but two
other Bf110's then attacked him. Pattle was hit and he was seen slumped
forward in the cockpit of his aircraft as it fell into the Bay.
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| Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman. Although key to the allied campaign in the Mediterranean, Malta was virtually undefended against air raids in the early part of the Second World War. Just four Gloster Sea Gladiators, packed in crates, were deposited on the island by HMS Glorious, these aircraft originally intended for operations in Norway. Three of them were hurriedly assembled, the forth being held in reserve, and were instantly engaged in fierce fighting against Italian raiders. Nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity, their determined pilots fought for seventeen days without relief, their achievements playing a major part in fooling the Italian intelligence into thinking that this crucial Mediterranean outpost was much more heavily defended than it really was. Signed limited edition of 20 giclee paper prints. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm). Price £140.00  Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £10 on selected prints - Was £150
Limited edition of 10 artist proofs. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm). Price £180.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Small limited edition of 20 artist proofs. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £100.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £105
Small limited edition of 30 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £75.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £80
Signature edition of 2 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £380.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £460.00
Original painting, oil on canvas by Ivan Berryman. Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £
Remarque edition - limited edition of 10 giclee prints featuring an original pencil remarque. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm) plus border with text and remarque drawing.. Price £350.00
ITEM CODE DHM1892 |
| Faith, Hope and Charity by Kenneth McDonough. June 1940, Gloster Sea Gladiators. Maltas airborne defence flying over the Grand harbour. Open edition print. Image size 16 inches x 11 inches (41cm x 28cm). Price £21.00
ITEM CODE DHM1471 |
| Textbook Attack by David Pentland. Bir el Gobi, North Africa, 8th August 1940. A full squadron sweep into Libya by 80 Squadron, designed to give the enemy a bloody nose was devised and implemented by Squadron Leader Paddy Dunn. In all 13 of the unit's Gloster Gladiators engaged some 16 Fiat Cr.42s and 2 Ro.37s, inflicting considerable damage on the enemy. Last to enter the fray were the top cover vic of Pat Pattle, Sid Richens and Greg Shorty Graham. By the end of the brief 5 minute battle 9 Italian aircraft were confirmed destroyed plus 6 probables. Limited edition of 30 giclee paper prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 21cm). Price £56.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 20 artist proofs. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 21cm). Price £75.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £80
Signature edition of 2 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £250.00
Original pencil drawing by David Pentland. Paper size 17 inches x 12 inches (43cm x 31cm). Price £410.00 Signed by Flight Lieutenant Alex Thom DFC. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DP0191 |
| Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. Slow, frail, out-dated and hopelessly outnumbered, Gladiator biplanes of 112 Squadron RAF tenaciously throw themselves into the fray, attacking Luftwaffe fighter-bombers in the battle for Crete, in April 1941. This painting shows Me110Cs of II./ZG76, having attacked naval units off the coast of Crete in early May 1941, being bravely intercepted by two Gladiators of 112 Squadron. Heavily outnumbered, the best the RAF pilots can hope for is to disrupt the Luftwaffe formation. And this they continued to do until, literally, they had no more aircraft left! Signed limited edition of 285 prints. Image size 24 inches x 16 inches (61cm x 41cm). Price £100.00 Signed by Leutnant Otto Fries and Hauptmann Peter Spoden. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Special Edition Artists Proof. Limited edition of 30 artist proofs. Image size 24 inches x 16 inches (61cm x 41cm). Price £155.00 Signed by Leutnant Otto Fries, Hauptmann Peter Spoden and Leutnant Karl-Ludwig Johanssen (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Special Edition. Signed limited edition of 425 prints. Image size 24 inches x 16 inches (61cm x 41cm). Price £125.00 Signed by Leutnant Otto Fries, Hauptmann Peter Spoden and Leutnant Karl-Ludwig Johanssen (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DHM2615 |
| Charity by David Pentland. Malta, 22nd June 1940. Some 12 days after the air battle for Malta began, the recently raised ad hoc Gladiator flight claimed its first confirmed victory. Flt. Lt. George Burges, and Flg. Off. Timber Woods were alerted to a lone S.79 from 219 Squadriglia on a reconnaissance sortie. They managed to intercept the intruder over Valetta, and although Timber's first attack was unsuccessful, Burges in Charity shot off the Savoia's port engine sending it crashing into the sea at Kalafrana. Limited edition of 30 giclee paper prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 21cm). Price £56.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 20 artist proofs. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 21cm). Price £75.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £80
Signature edition of 2 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £250.00
Original pencil drawing by David Pentland. Paper size 17 inches x 12 inches (43cm x 31cm). Price £410.00 Signed by Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DP0190 |
| Lone Gladiator by Ivan Berryman. (P) A Gloster Gladiator MkII of 247 Sqn is depicted patrolling off the Cornish coast in August 1940 during which time this squadron became the only one to operate the Gladiator in the defence of the South of England during the Battle of Britain. Original acrylic painting by Ivan Berryman. Size 13 inches x 9 inches (33cm x 23cm). Price £800.00
ITEM CODE B0377 |
| Faith Hope and Charity by Stan Stokes. With Italys entry into WW II on June 10, 1940, the epic two-and-one-half-year siege of Malta began. Symbolizing the defiant resistance of the people and defenders of that tiny island, the legend of Faith, Hope, and Charity grew from a handful of Gloster Sea Gladiators which initially comprised Maltas sole aerial defense. Until the arrival of the more modern Hawker Hurricanes, these obsolescent biplanes fought the Regia Aeronautica alone in the skies above Malta. Only six or seven Gladiators were assembled from the shipment of eighteen crated aircraft which had been delivered by the HMS Glorious. Others were utilized for spare parts, and three had been dispatched, still crated, to Egypt. Though hugely outnumbered, the defenders fought on, raising the morale of the citizens of Malta, and denying the Italians mastery of the sky. Suffering from a constant shortage of spare parts, tools and equipment, the devoted ground support crews were never able to keep more than three Gladiators operational at any point in time. Only one of these Gladiators was totally lost in aerial combat, and the sole surviving aircraft was presented to the people of Malta, and today stands in their National War Museum as a proud symbol of courage and endurance. In Stan Stokes painting, a Sea Gladiator, piloted by Flight Lt. James Pickering, tangles with a Fiat C.R. 42 over Malta in 1940 while an Italian Savoia S.79 tri-engined bomber passes by in the background. The Gloster Gladiator represented the zenith of development of the classic biplane fighter aircraft, a design formula which characterized an entire era from WW I until the advent of the monoplane fighter just before WW II. Glosters naval model of the Gladiator was equipped with a Bristol Mercury VIIIA engine providing a maximum speed of 253 MPH, a rate of climb of 2300 feet per minute, an operational ceiling of 32,200 feet, and a range of 415 miles. The Gladiator was armed with four .303 inch Browning machine guns, and incorporated several advanced features including an enclosed cockpit and wing flaps. One top RAF ace, Sqd. Ldr. Pattle, attained eleven victories flying the Gladiator. A total of 527 Gladiators were produced, and the aircraft served in twelve different countries. The Italians were overly persistent in their emphasis on biplane fighters, stemming from their successes with these highly maneuverable machines during the Spanish Civil War. Employing distinctive Warren-truss type interplane bracing the C.R. 42 was powered by a Fiat A74 R.C. 38 engine providing a maximum speed of 274 MPH and a range of 485 miles. The C.R. 42 was more lightly armed than the Gladiators it opposed, possessing only two 12.7mm Breda machine guns. The C.R 42 served on all of Italys fronts including North and East Africa, France, Britain, the Balkans, and Russia. Exported to Hungary, Sweden and Belgium, the C.R. 42 ironically served alongside the Gladiator in other theaters of operation during WW II. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £40.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £75.00 Signed by Malta Gladiator pilot Flt Lt James Pickering (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £80
ITEM CODE STK0115 |
| Impossible Odds by Ivan Berryman. Outnumbered and outclassed, the aging Gloster Gladiators of 112 Sqn nonetheless put up a spirited defence in the skies above Crete as Germanys Operation Mercury gathered momentum in the Spring of 1941. Here, shark-mouthed Messerschmitt Bf.110s of ZG.76 menace a lone Gladiator during an evening encounter. Signed limited edition of 20 giclee paper prints. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm). Price £150.00 Save £10 on selected prints - Was £160
Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 10 artist proofs. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm). Price £180.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Small limited edition of 100 artist proofs. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £70.00 Save £5 on selected prints - Was £75
Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Small limited edition of 1150 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £42.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Save £5 on selected prints - Was £47
Signature edition of 20 prints. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £250.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £460.00
Original painting, oil on canvas by Ivan Berryman. Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £3100.00 Massive Summer Sale! To make way for new art projects, this painting is reduced to gallery trade price for all customers!
Save £500 on this original painting! - Was £3600
Remarque edition - limited edition of 10 giclee prints featuring an original pencil remarque. Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm) plus border with text and remarque drawing.. Price £350.00
ITEM CODE DHM1911 |
| Gloster Gladiator Mk II L8011 YK-O. by M A Kinnear. Aircraft History: Built by Gloster Aircraft, L8011 was one of a batch of 28 Gladiators delivered in September 1938 to the Royal Air Force. Allocated to 80 Squadron, L8011 saw service in North Africa and Greece, until it was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Air Force, 15th December 1940.
Squadron Leader Marmaduke T St. John Pat Pattle, DFC: Born on 3rd July 1914 in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa, Pat Pattle joined 80 Squadron in 1937. The Squadron was sent to Egypt in April 1938, and Pattle became a flight commander in 1939. During August 1940 the Squadron moved up to the Libyan border. Whilst escorting a Lysander, Pattles flight was engaged by a force of Italian fighters. Pattle (claiming 2) was forced to bale out inside Italian territory, but returned to base the next day. The Squadron moved to Greece in November in support of Greek forces on the Albanian border. Pattle was awarded the DFC in February 1941. In March he was awarded a bar to the DFC promoted to Squadron Leader and given command of 33 squadron equipped with Hawker Hurricanes Mk I. By this time he was credited with 23 victories. Due to the chaotic conditions during the British and Greek retreat, records were lost. However, relying on personal records and memories, it appears that his score of victories was 50 (possibly as high as 60) making him the highest scoring RAF pilot of the war. On 20th April 1941, he led the combined remnants of No.s 33 and 80 squadrons from Eleusis airfield. Although suffering from influenza and fatigue and on his third sortie of the day, Pattle led the remaining Hurricanes to intercept a German formation over Eleusis Bay. He was seen to shoot down a Bf110 but two other Bf110s then attacked him. Pattle was hit and he was seen slumped forward in the cockpit of his aircraft as it fell into the Bay. Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE AP0012 |
| Shuttleworth Salute by Ivan Berryman. To commemorate Shuttleworths Golden Jubilee in 1994. A Spitfire leads a Hawker Hind and a Gloster Gladiator in formation over Old Warden. The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden aerodrome is recognised as one of the finest private collections of vintage aircraft in the world. Many of the exhibits have direct connections with the all too short but lively career of Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth himself, and all the aircraft are flown regularly - from the frail and endearing Bristol Boxkite to what is regarded as the most genuine Spitfire flying today. Here, this Spitfire leads a Vic-3 formation of the Collections Hawker Hind and Gloster Gladiator over Old Warden during a typical flying display to Commemorate Shuttleworths Golden Jubilee in 1994. Signed limited edition of 250 prints. Image size 22 inches x 15 inches (56cm x 38cm). Price £100.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE B0017 |
| Veterans of the Med by Ivan Berryman. Alone in the aerial defence of Malta in the early part of WW2, these three Gloster Gladiators, nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity, saw such intense action against the invading Italian air force that the enemy's commanders were convinced that a much bigger force existed on Malta. They are depicted here making a low pass over the destroyer HMS Dainty as she heads out of Grand Harbour from Sliema Creek. Herself a veteran of much action in the early part of the war, HMS Dainty was lost to dive bombers off Tobruk on 24th February 1941. Signed limited edition of 20 giclee paper prints. Image size 26 inches x 18 inches (66cm x 46cm). Price £150.00
Limited edition of 10 artist proofs. Image size 26 inches x 18 inches (66cm x 46cm. Price £180.00
Small limited edition of 20 artist proofs. Image size 12 inches x 9 inches (31cm x 23cm). Price £105.00
Small limited edition of 30 prints. Image size 12 inches x 9 inches (31cm x 23cm). Price £80.00
Signature edition of 2 prints. Image size 12 inches x 9 inches (31cm x 23cm). Price £380.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 26 inches (91cm x 66cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of up to 50 giclee canvas prints. Size 30 inches x 23 inches (76cm x 58cm). Price £460.00
Original painting, oil on canvas by Ivan Berryman. Size 32 inches x 24 inches (82cm x 61cm). Price £
Remarque edition - limited edition of 10 giclee prints featuring an original pencil remarque. Image size 26 inches x 18 inches (66cm x 46cm) plus border with text and remarque drawing.. Price £350.00
ITEM CODE DHM1919 |
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Pattle's First Victory, 4th August 1940 by David Pentland
Gloster Gladiators flown by Flt. Lt. M.T. Pattle and Flying Officer
Johnny Lancaster surprise a flight of Breda 65's from 59A Squadriglia
over Bit Taob El Essem, North Africa. Pattle went on to be top
Commonwealth Air Ace of all time.
Faith, Hope and Charity
by Kenneth McDonough June 1940, Gloster Sea Gladiators. Maltas airborne defence flying over
the Grand harbour.
Faith Hope and Charity by Stan Stokes.
With Italys entry into WW II on June 10, 1940, the
epic two-and-one-half-year siege of Malta began. Symbolizing the defiant
resistance of the people and defenders of that tiny island, the legend
of Faith, Hope, and Charity grew from a handful of Gloster Sea
Gladiators which initially comprised Maltas sole aerial defense. Until
the arrival of the more modern Hawker Hurricanes, these obsolescent
biplanes fought the Regia Aeronautica alone in the skies above Malta.
Only six or seven Gladiators were assembled from the shipment of
eighteen crated aircraft which had been delivered by the HMS
Glorious. Others were utilized for spare parts, and three had been
dispatched, still crated, to Egypt. Though hugely outnumbered, the
defenders fought on, raising the morale of the citizens of Malta, and
denying the Italians mastery of the sky. Suffering from a constant
shortage of spare parts, tools and equipment, the devoted ground support
crews were never able to keep more than three Gladiators operational at
any point in time. Only one of these Gladiators was totally lost in
aerial combat, and the sole surviving aircraft was presented to the
people of Malta, and today stands in their National War Museum as a
proud symbol of courage and endurance. In Stan Stokes painting, a Sea
Gladiator, piloted by Flight Lt. James Pickering, tangles with a Fiat
C.R. 42 over Malta in 1940 while an Italian Savoia S.79 tri-engined
bomber passes by in the background.
The Gloster Gladiator represented the zenith of development of
the classic biplane fighter aircraft, a design formula which
characterized an entire era from WW I until the advent of the monoplane
fighter just before WW II. Glosters naval model of the Gladiator was
equipped with a Bristol Mercury VIIIA engine providing a maximum speed
of 253 MPH, a rate of climb of 2300 feet per minute, an operational
ceiling of 32,200 feet, and a range of 415 miles. The Gladiator was
armed with four .303 inch Browning machine guns, and incorporated
several advanced features including an enclosed cockpit and wing flaps.
One top RAF ace, Sqd. Ldr. Pattle, attained eleven victories flying the
Gladiator. A total of 527 Gladiators were produced, and the aircraft
served in twelve different countries. The Italians were overly
persistent in their emphasis on biplane fighters, stemming from their
successes with these highly maneuverable machines during the Spanish
Civil War. Employing distinctive Warren-truss type interplane bracing
the C.R. 42 was powered by a Fiat A74 R.C. 38 engine providing a maximum
speed of 274 MPH and a range of 485 miles. The C.R. 42 was more lightly
armed than the Gladiators it opposed, possessing only two 12.7mm Breda
machine guns. The C.R 42 served on all of Italys fronts including North
and East Africa, France, Britain, the Balkans, and Russia. Exported to
Hungary, Sweden and Belgium, the C.R. 42
ironically served alongside the Gladiator in other theaters of
operation during WW II.
Aircraft side view by M A Kinnear
Gloster Gladiator Mk II L8011 YK-O.
Built
by Gloster Aircraft, L8011 was one of a batch of 28 Gladiators delivered
in September 1938 to the Royal Air Force. Allocated to 80 Squadron, L8011
saw service in North Africa and Greece, until it was transferred to the
Royal Hellenic Air Force, 15th December 1940.
Squadron
Leader Marmaduke T St. John 'Pat' Pattle, DFC:
Born
on 3rd July 1914 in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa, 'Pat' Pattle
joined 80 Squadron in 1937. The Squadron was sent to Egypt in April 1938,
and Pattle became a flight commander in 1939. During August 1940 the
Squadron moved up to the Libyan border. Whilst escorting a Lysander,
Pattle's flight was engaged by a force of Italian fighters. Pattle
(claiming 2) was forced to bale out inside Italian territory, but returned
to base the next day. The Squadron moved to Greece in November in support
of Greek forces on the Albanian border. Pattle was awarded the DFC in
February 1941. In March he was awarded a bar to the DFC promoted to
Squadron Leader and given command of 33 squadron equipped with Hawker
Hurricanes Mk I. By this time he was credited with 23 victories. Due to
the chaotic conditions during the British and Greek retreat, records were
lost. However, relying on personal records and memories, it appears that
his score of victories was 50 (possibly as high as 60), making him the
highest scoring RAF pilot of the war. On 20th April 1941, he led the
combined remnants of No.s 33 and 80 squadrons from Eleusis airfield.
Although suffering from influenza and fatigue and on his third sortie of
the day, Pattle led the remaining Hurricanes to intercept a German
formation over Eleusis Bay. He was seen to shoot down a Bf110 but two
other Bf110's then attacked him. Pattle was hit and he was seen slumped
forward in the cockpit of his aircraft as it fell into the Bay.
80 Squadron Royal Air Force:
80
Squadron Motto: Strike True. 80 Squadron was formed at Montrose on
the 10th August 1917, and saw action in France, specialising in the ground
attack role. Remaining in Belgium after the war, they moved to Egypt in
May 1919 where it was renumbered 56 the following year. 80 squadron
re-formed at Kenley on 8th March 1937, equipped with Gloster Gauntlets and
Gladiators. Posted to Egypt in May 1938, the squadron joined No.33 to form
a Gladiator Wing for defence of the Suez canal. When Italy entered the
war, 80 squadron was stationed at Amriya equipped with Gladiators and one
Hurricane. In November 1940, the squadron moved to Greece and in February
1941, the squadron equipped with a mixture of Gladiators and Hurricanes
was used on bomber escort duties. In March the Germans came to the aid of
their Italian Allies and on 24th March the squadron was evacuated to Crete
and then to Palestine. In November 1941 they returned to the Western
Desert to take part in the relief of Tobruk. During 1942-43, the squadron
was on defence duties and convoy escort work over the Eastern
Mediterranean. Posted to Italy in January 1944 and then onto the UK, they
were re-equipped with Spitfires Mk IX. 80 Squadron then took part in
bomber escorts, sweeps and armed reconnaissance. They began to re-equip
with the Hawker Tempest, and were used for anti V1 operations. 80 Squadron
was posted to the continent to support the Arnhem landings and roamed over
Germany in the ground attack role. They remained in Germany as part of the
occupation force until 1949. It was then sent to Hong Kong on air defence
duties equipped with Spitfires and Hornets between 1949 and 1955.
Disbanded in 1955, 80 Squadron reformed in Germany as a P R Squadron
equipped with Canberras PR7. They finally disbanded in September 1969.
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