896 Naval Air Squadron

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History 
15. September 1942 896 NAS formed at NAS Norfolk VA, USA
12. June 1944 896 NAS disbanded at HMS Pursuer
9. January 1945 896 NAS reformed at Wingfield, Cape Town
19. December 1945 896 NAS disbanded in the UK
 
Planes:
 

 

 

 Sep. 1942 - .Sep 1943
Martlet IV		      
 

 

 

 Sep. 1943 - Jun. 1944
Wildcat V		      
  ....
 

 

 

 Jan. 1945 - Dec. 1945
Hellcat II		  
  ....
896 NAS Deployments 
1942 - 1944
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) -
26. November 1943 - 6. April 1944 HMS Pursuer - Martlet V (10) -
11. April 1944 - 1. May 1944 HMS Pursuer - Martlet V (10) -
2. June 1944 - 12. June 1944 HMS Pursuer - Martlet V (10) -
1945
30. April 1945 - 12. May 1945 HMS Ameer - Hellcat II (24) -
10. June 1945 - 24. June 1945 HMS Empress - Hellcat II (24) -
24. June 1945 - 16. July 1945 HMS Ameer - Hellcat II (24) -
17. July 1945 - 30. July 1945 HMS Empress - Hellcat II (24) -
8. August 1945 - 13. September 1945 HMS EmpressDt. - Hellcat II (24) -
27. November 1945 - 19. December 1945 HMS Empress - - none - -
..
896 NAS Commanding Officers 
1942 - 1944
Lt (A) S. G. Orr, DSC, RNVR 15. Sep. 1942 28. Mar. 1943
Lt-Cdr (A) B. H. C. Nation, RN 28. Mar. 1943 15. Oct. 1943
Lt-Cdr (A) L. A. Hordern, DSC, RNVR 15. Oct. 1943 12. Jun. 1944
1945
Lt-Cdr A) R. M. Norris, RNVR 9. Jan. 1945 14. Jul. 1945
Lt-Cdr (A) G. J. Zegers de Beijl, DSC, RNethN 14. Jul. 1945 12. Oct. 1945
Lt-Cdr (A) M. F. Turner, RNVR 12. Oct. 1945 19. Dec. 1945

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History 

1942 - 1944
896 NAS Squadron personel assembled at RNAS Stretton on 15. August 1942 and, after crossing the Atlantic in HMS Queen Mary, officially formed at NAS Norfolk on 15. September 1942  as a single seater fighter squadron equippd with 6 Martlet IVs. Joining HMS Victorious in February 1943, the ship sailed through the Panama Canal for operätions with the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
In May 1943 patrols and sweeps were carried out in the CoraI Sea, and the following month support was provided for landings by U.S. Marines in the Middle Solonons. Returning to the UK in September 1943. 896 NAS re-equipped with 10 Wildcat Vs, then joined the 7th Naval Fighter Wing in November 1943, sailing in HMS Pursuer with a Glbraltar convoy in February 1944, duing which it carried out fighter patrols. Escort patrols were provided for an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in Kaa Fjord, northern Norway in April, but on 12. June 1944 the squadron disbanded aboard HMS Pursuer, being absrorbed by 881 NAS.

1945
Personel for a new 896 NAS embarked in a troopship at Liverpool on 5. November 1944, arriving at Wingfield, Cape Town on 5. January 1945. Four days later it reforned as a single seater fighter squadron equipped with 24 Hellcat FB.IIs, sailing for Ceylon in HMS Ameer in April 1945. In July fighter cover and bombing were undertaken duing operations in the Car Nicobar aera, then 896 NAS tansferred to HMS Empress to provide fighter patrols during minesweeping operations off Pluket Island Thailand later in the same month. Following VJ-Day, support was provided in early September during occupation of the Malayan Penninsla, then the ship retuned home and the squadron disbanded on arrival on 19. December 1945.

Postscript
The squadron number was taken up again briefly when on 1. September 1978 two Sea King HAS.2s of 819 NAS and three from 826 NAS in HMS Hermes were detached as "No.896 Squadron" to the Royal Netherlands Navy base at Den Helder for Exercise Northern Wedding (4. - 18. September 1978). later in the month they returned to their respective squadrons.

- Has anyone more Informations about this Squadron -

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last update 1. Februay 2013

written 1. March 2011

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