Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the 1942 Channel Dash, Dieppe… 65 Sqn’s Spitfires were engaged in some of the major battles of World War Two and lived up to its motto ‘By force of arms’, as Tom Spencer recounts.
RAF 100th ANNIVERSARY
When World War Two began on September 3, 1939, 65 Sqn was one of the few RAF units equipped with Spitfires. It had switched from flying biplane Demons and Gauntlets as war clouds loomed.
The first Spitfires arrived at Hornchurch, Essex, in March 1939 amid much excitement. Commanded by Sqn Ldr D Cooke, there was soon a full complement of aircraft and pilots quickly became operational on their potent new mount. The squadron, which had seen distinguished service in World War One, was ready as part of Fighter Command. It had been reformed on August 1, 1934 but quickly lost personnel to the Middle East because of the Abyssinian crisis in 1935. It was reduced to a cadre but began building up again with Gauntlets by July 1936.
Wartime operations started on September 5, 1939 with a scramble to investigate an unidentified aircraft approaching London, though it didn’t take long to classify the ‘intruder’ as friendly.
The squadron moved to Northolt, northwest London, on October 2 and …
