No. 613 Squadron RAF
| No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 February 1939 – 7 August 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Auxiliary Air Force
|
| Part of |
RAF Army Cooperation Command (39–43) RAF Bomber Command (43–45) RAF Reserve Command (46–50) RAF Fighter Command (50–57) |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Semper parati (Translation: "Always ready") |
| post 1953 squadron markings |  |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Air Commodore | Sir Roy Dobson |
| Notable commanders |
Percy "Laddy" Lucas |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In front of two wings conjoined at base, a black fleur de lis The badge is based upon the badge of the Manchester Regiment |
| Squadron Codes |
ZR (Oct 1939 – Apr 1942) SY (Apr 1942 – Aug 1945) RAT (May 1946 – Mar 1950) Q3 (Mar 1950 – Dec 1953) |
No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force later Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron formed on 1 February 1939 at the then new municipal airport at Ringway, nine miles south of Manchester. The squadron served at first in the army cooperation role, and later during the Second World War became a tactical bomber unit. After the war the squadron reformed as a fighter unit and as such flew until its last disbandment in March 1957.
The squadron was formed at RAF Ringway on 1 February 1939 in the army cooperation role as part of No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group. It was initially intended that the title 'East Lancashire' Squadron would be used, but this could have been confused with No. 611 Squadron RAF, named 'West Lancashire', based at Liverpool's airport at Speke. The link with the City of Manchester was therefore created. The squadron was initially equipped with Hawker Hinds. On 2 October 1939 the squadron moved from RAF Ringway to RAF Odiham near Basingstoke and Hawker Hectors were delivered to the unit during November to replace the Hinds. From 2 April 1940, Westland Lysanders served alongside the Hectors. The Hectors and Lysanders were used to dive-bomb German positions and drop supplies to friendly troops near Calais during the late May 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.
In August 1941 the squadron became a tactical reconnaissance unit and it began re-equipping with the faster Curtiss Tomahawk. It re-equipped with the early Allison V-1710 powered Mark I version of the North American Mustang in April 1942, continuing to operate within RAF Army Cooperation Command.
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