Special Sub-Topic: The Belgian Airforce during WWII Click Here To Play: The Belgian Airforce during WWII

How much regiments did the Belgian Airforce have at the start of May 1940?

3. These regiments were equipped with old planes and weren't able to stop the Luftwaffe.

Did the Belgian airforce have aircraft made in Italy or Germany ?

y. Yes, they had 24 CR-42's "Falco's" on May 10,1940. Belgium had orginialy ordered 40 of them. They were in duty at the 3eme and 4eme Escadrille (3rd and 4th Group). 13 were destroyed on the ground and the rest were of course no match for the Luftwaffe.

Belgium had a biplane fighter from Britain. Which of these was it?

Gloster Gladiator Mk. I. Belgium bought 22 Gladiators, which were delivered between September 1937 and May 1938. They were stationed in Diest, with the 1er Escadrille de Chasse (1st Fighter Group) within the 1er Grouppe No.2 (1st Group). None of those planes was a match for the Luftwaffe and all planes were shot down.

What was the most modern fighter that Belgium had at the beginning of May, 1940 ?

Hawker Hurricane. Belgium bought 20 Hurricanes and built 80 under licence. These were in service in the 2nd Squadron of the 1st Group of the 2nd regiment (2/1/2Ae), stationed in Schaffen. Most of them were destroyed on the ground. Only one took off and was shot down.

How many Belgian pilots were killed in the Battle of Britain ?

7. Of the 29 pilots that participated in the Battle of Britain, only 22 survived and were transfered to another squadron.

When was an agreement signed between Great Britain and the Belgian Goverment in Exile by which the incorporation of Belgian pilots in the RAF was decided on ?

June 4, 1942. All Belgian personnel was to be integrated into the RAF including ground crews.

With which section of the RAF were the Belgians integrated after the agreement?

Volunteer Reserve. Before forming real "squadrons" they were incorporated in the Volunteer Reserve.

In which Squadron was the first Belgian flight created ?

609th Squadron. The flight was created on February 11, 1941. It mainly flew Typhoons. There was a second flight in the 131th, which was created on August 27, 1941.

How many pilots served in the new Belgian squadron?

55. In the spring of 1941, a handful Belgians joined the squadron, most of them experienced combat pilots. They formed the nucleus of the continuous Belgian presence in one of the RAF’s most successful fighter units. Fifty-five Belgian pilots served in 609. Fifteen lost their lives in the squadron, several more were killed whilst serving in other RAF-squadrons. Today, only a handful of Belgian "609ers" is left.

From the second flight, Belgians went to the second Belgian squadron. Which was it?

350th Sqd.. After the capitulation of Belgium, several pilots and young pilot candidates who had left for England were grouped together in national units within the RAF to go on fighting. 350 Squadron was constituted from a Belgian Flight out of the 131 Squadron, reformed as Fighter Squadron the 30th of June 1941 in Ouston. So the 350 Squadron was officially born on the 12th of November 1941 in Valley amongst the 9th Fighter Group and with S/Ldr Thompson as first CO. It was then equipped with the Spitfire II and marked with the code letters "MN". The motto of the squadron was : "Belgae gallorum fortissimi" ("The Belgians, bravest of the Gauls")

What was the first Belgian squadron ?

349th Squadron. No.349 Squadron was formed on 10 November 1942 at Ikeja in Nigeria, as a Belgian-manned fighter squadron for service in the Belgian Congo. After flying Tomahawks for a few months, the squadron's pilots were diverted to ferrying fighters to the Middle East, and at the end of May its personnel were transferred to the UK to reform at Wittering with Spitfires on 5 June 1943. Becoming operational on 13 August, it moved south in October and began flying sweeps over France on 24 October. After covering the Normandy landings as part of No.135 Wing No.349 moved to France in August 1944 for fighter bomber and escort missions until February 1945, when it returned to the UK to re-equip with Tempests. Conversion was abandoned in April and the squadron moved to the Netherlands to join No.132 Wing for the rest of the war, flying armed reconnaissance sweeps over Germany. After a period with the occupation forces, No.349 passed to the control of the Belgian Air Force on 24 October 1946. Motto of the squadron was: "Strike hard, strike home ".

Did Belgian pilots participate in D-Day ?

y. They helped cover the Normandy landings as part of No. 135 Wing.

Did Belgian pilots serve in the SAAF (South African Air Force) ?

y. From the 134 Belgians trained in the SAAF as flying personnel, 44 stayed in the SAAF, with 12 killed, and 56 were transferred to the RAF. Most of them were pilots stationed in Belgian Congo.

Between June 1 1940 and May 8 1945, 521 Belgian officers served as pilots or navigators in the RAF. How many were killed ?

128. They all died for their country and are still remembered today.

When was the RAF Belgian section transferred to the Belgian Armed Forces ?

October 15, 1946. Most of the Belgian pilots were happy to see their families again. For them the war was over.