882 Naval Air Squadron

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History 

15. July 1941 882 NAS formed at RNAS Donibristle
30. September 1942 882 NAS merged with 881 NAS
7. September 1942 882 NAS reformed at RNAS Donibristle
9. October 1945 882 NAS disbanded in the UK
 
Planes:
  Jul 1941 - Apr 1942
Sea Hurricane Ib
 

 

   
  Jul 1941 - Sep 1942
Martlet I & II
 

 

   
  Sep 1942 - Jun 1943
Martlet IV
 

 

   
 

 

 

Sep 1943 - 1945
Wildcat V & VI
   
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882 NAS Deployments 
         
20. December 1942 - 31. December 1942 HMS Victorious - Martlet IV (40) -
3. February 1943 - 4. March 1943 HMS Victorious - Martlet IV (6 -
8. May 1943 - 9. August 1943 HMS Victorious - Martlet IV (6 -
12. August 1943 - 1. September 1943 HMS Victorious - Martlet IV (6 -
15. September 1943 - 26. September 1943 HMS Victorious - Martlet IV (6 -
         
..
882 NAS Commanding Officers 
Lt-Cdr O. N. Bailey, RN Jul 1941 Aug 1941
Lt F. C. Furlong, RNVR (temp) Aug 1941 Sep 1941
Lt-Cdr H. J. F. Lane, RN Sep 1941 Sep 1942
Lt (A) I. L. F. Lowe, DSC, RN Sep 1942 Dec 1942
Lt-Cdr E. A. Shaw, RN Dec 1942 Oct 1943
Lt Cdr John Cooper Oct 1943  Jul 1944
Lt-Cdr(A) G. R.  Henderson, DSC, RNVR  Jul 1944 Nov 1944
Lt-Cdr R. A.  Bird, RN Nov 1944 Jun 1945
Lt-Cdr (A) G. A. M. Flood, RNVR Jun 1945 1945
..

History 

The squadron formed at RNAS Donibristle in July 1941 as a Fleet Fighter squadron with 9 Martlet Is, moving to St Merryn in November, RNAS Yeovilton in December, and subsequently to Turnhouse with 13 Group RAF until mid March when it transferred to Machrihanish. 
In May 1942, the squadron embarked in HMS Illustrious to provide support during the invasion of Madagascar, after which it merged into 881 squadron.
A remaining detachment still existed, and had embarked on HMS Archer in April 1942, disembarking at Floyd Bennett Field, New York, USA carrying out anti-submarine patrols with Swordfish until it was disbanded in September 1942.
The squadron was reformed in September 1942 at RNAS Donibristle with 12 Martlet IVs, embarking on HMS Victorious the following month to take part in the landings in North Africa. The ship then sailed through the Panama Canal to undertake sweeps in the Coral Sea, and provide support to US forces in the Middle Solomon islands including by using US Navy F4F-4s.
The squadron disembarked at RNAS Eglington in September 1943, and joined the 7th Naval Fighter Wing, embarking in HMS Searcher for convoy duties to the USA in December 1943. January 1944 was spent in NAS Brunswick, MA.
In February 1944, HMS Searcher joined the Home Fleet and was involved in a number of operations against Norwegian targets, including the Operation Tungsten dive-bombing strike against the German battleship Tirpitz in Kaa Fjord, northern Norway, on 3 April 1944, returning to RNAS Hatston two days later on 6 April 1944.
Subsequently the ship sailed for the Mediterranean, the squadron in detachments at Ta Kali and Dekheila. The squadron provided bombing attacks in support of the US Army during the landings in southern France, and subsequently took part in operations in the Aegean in September 1944.
October till December 1944 was spent at Long Kesh, the squadron subsequently embarking on HMS Searcher in February 1945 for further operations off Norway, including a successful strike on the U-Boat base at Kilbotn in May 1945.
In June 1945 the ship sailed for Ceylon, arriving at Cochin in July 1945, and Katukurunda, Ceylon just after VJ-Day on 20 August 1945.


Commanding Officer of 882. Sqn Fleet Air Arm, between Oct. 1943 and July 1944, was Lt Cdr John Cooper.

Knut Støre


- Has anyone more Informations about this Squadron -

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last update 24. April 2020

written 1. March 2011

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