349th Squadron (Belgium)

No 349 Squadron
Active	10 November 1942 - May 1943 5 June 1943 - 24 October 1946 To Belgian air force - Present
Country	Belgium
Branch	Air Component
Part of	10th Tactical Wing
Motto	Strike Hard, Strike Home
Fighter	F-16 Fighting Falcon
Commanders
Notable commanders	Raymond Lallemant
Insignia
Squadron Badge	Two morning stars in saltire[1]
Squadron Codes	GE (Jan 1943 - Oct 1946)

No 349 Squadron is one of the traditional fighter squadron in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded by Belgian refugees in England in 1942 as the No 349 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, it was transferred to the Belgian air force in 1946. Considered a 'honorary' squadron, it retained its original name and numbering and has been flying in Belgian colors ever since. Today, it is part of the 10th Tactical Wing and operates F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Kleine Brogel airfield.

History

With the Royal Air Force

No 349 (Belgian) Squadron was formed as a Royal Air Force squadron by Belgian personal at RAF Ikeja, West Africa on 10 November 1942.^[1] The squadron was equipped with the Curtiss Tomahawk for local defence duties. The squadron did not become operational and was disbanded in May 1943. On 5 June 1943 the Squadron was reformed at RAF Station Wittering with the Supermarine Spitfire V and became operational at RAF Station Digby in August 1943. The Squadron moved to southern England to operate over France on bomber escorts and low-level sweeps. In early 1944 it began to train as a fighter-bomber unit and then operated in this role in occupied Europe. During the invasion it carried out beach-head patrols and then were used as bomber escorts. In August 1944 the Squadron moved to France in the fighter-bomber role, it carried out armed reconnaissance behind enemy positions and attacked targets of opportunity (mainly vehicles). In February 1945 the Squadron returned to England to convert to the Hawker Tempest. This did not go well and the Squadron re-gained Spitfire IXs. It moved to Belgium and was disbanded as an RAF Squadron on 24 October 1946 on transfer to the Belgian Air Force, keeping the Number.

Aircraft operated during RAF service

From	To	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
Jan 1943	Apr 1943	P-40 Tomahawk	Mk.I
Jun 1943	Feb 1944	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.V
Feb 1944	Feb 1945	Supermarine Spitfire	LF.IXe
Feb 1945	Apr 1945	Hawker Tempest	Mk.V
Apr 1945	May 1945	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IXb
May 1945	Oct 1946	Supermarine Spitfire	LF.XVIe

^[1][2]

Commanding officers

From	To	Name
Jan 1943	Jul 1944	Sqn Ldr I.G. du Monceau de Bergendael, DFC & Bar, CdG
Jul 1944	Mar 1945	Sqn Ldr A.A. Van der Velde
Mar 1945	Dec 1945	Sqn Ldr Raymond ‘Cheval’ Lallemant, DFC & Bar
Dec 1945	Oct 1946	Sqn Ldr A.A. Van der Velde, DFC

^[3]

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Halley 1988, p. 381.
2. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 90.
3. ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 416.

Bibliography

• Donnet, Mike and Leon Branders. Ils en Etaient !. Brussels, Belgium: Pierre De Meyere, Editeur, 1979.
• 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.
• Lallemant, Lt. Colonel R.A. Rendez-vous avec la chance (in French). Paris: Robert Laffont, 1962.
• Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new revised edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.