No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment
| No. 3 Squadron, RAF Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active |
3 November 1922 – 1 April 1925 (As No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment) |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Type | Force Protection |
| Role | Ground Defence |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Wittering |
| Motto(s) | In Arduis Audax (Bold in Adversity) |
| Commanders | |
| Last OC | Sqn Ldr Phil Skorge |
3 November 1922 – 1 April 1925
(As No. 3 Armoured Car Company)
1940 - 19 December 1941
(As No. 757 Defence Squadron)
19 December 1941 - August, 1947
(As No. 2757 Squadron)
August 1947 - 1 November 1955
(As No. 3 (Armoured Car) Squadron)
1 January 1956 – 30 September 1957
(As No. 3 (Light Anti Aircraft) Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment)
No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment was a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force. Its mission was protection of RAF bases from ground attack.
The history of No. 3 (Field) Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment dates back to the inter-war years, before the formation of the Royal Air Force Regiment itself. It was Lord Trenchard's philosophy in the 1920s that, to support light bombers in their policing of large areas in the Middle East, Armoured Car Companies should be formed, manned by Royal Air Force officers and airmen and under Royal Air Force control. No. 3 Armoured Car Company was formed on 3 November 1922 at Basra and served in eastern Iraq. The Company conducted operations both on its own and in co-operation with aircraft against disaffected Kurdish tribes over a wide area of southern and eastern Iraq. On 1 April 1925 the Company was disbanded and its personnel and vehicles were distributed among the remaining Armoured Car Companies.
The Second World War was the first war in which air power was to play a decisive role. The rear, which historically had always been protected by the front, would be wide open to the enemy's air and deep penetration forces on the ground unless these could be counted on equal terms. This threat to Royal Air Force stations was initially countered by the formation of Defence Squadrons. No. 757 Defence Squadron was formed at RAF Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland in late 1940 and on 19 December 1941 was re-numbered to No. 2757 Squadron. However, the scale of the German assault in Crete and the speed at which the airfield had fallen acted as a catalyst on British Defence planning and highlighted the need for the coordinated defence of airfields.
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Wikipedia