Editing 1 Squadron SAAF (section)

== History ==

=== Establishment ===
There had been no official squadron designations in the South African Air Force (SAAF) from its inception in 1920<ref name=SAMHSV5N6>{{cite web|last=Tidy|first=D.P. Major|title=South African Military History Society|url=http://www.samilitaryhistory.org/vol056dt.html|work=They Mounted up as Eagles: A brief tribute to the South African Air Force| access-date= 4 August 2011}}</ref> until the early 1938 when 1 and 2 Transvaal Air Squadrons were formed as training units based at Waterkloof Air Station which had been opened earlier that year.<ref>Becker (1991) p.49</ref> Each squadron comprised 18 aircraft, divided into 3 flights each, plus a headquarters or administrative flight per squadron. Each flight was structured to form the working nucleus of a squadron. A flight of [[Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5|SE5s]] was to be the cadre of a fighting/ground strafing squadron; [[Avro 504|Avro 504Ks]] of a training and artillery spotter squadron, and [[Airco DH.9|DH9s]] were to form the cadre of a long-distance communication, photographic, bombing, and reconnaissance squadron.<ref name=Eagles1>Brown (1970) pp.21-22</ref>

=== World War II ===
On 31 August 1939, 1 Transvaal Air Squadron was re-designated as 1 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, and the original aircraft were replaced with [[Hawker Hart]]ebeest.<ref name=Eagles1/> It took until May 1940 for the squadron to be trained and brought up to strength, by when it had been equipped with four [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricanes]] and six [[Hawker Fury|Furies]] and was officially titled "1 (Fighter) Squadron," commanded by Maj. N.G. Niblock-Stuart. The squadron was the first SAAF squadron to deploy in support of the Allied war effort, when a group of pilots and support staff were ferried to Egypt on 13 May 1940 by [[50 Squadron SAAF|50 Squadron]].<ref name=Eagles2>Brown (1970) pp.33-34</ref> Once they had arrived in Egypt, they were equipped with 18 Gloster Gladiators.<ref name="Becker67">Becker (1991) p.67</ref>

At the same time, the Hurricanes were ferried north from Pretoria on 22 and 24 May, accompanied by a [[Junkers Ju 86|Ju86]]<ref group="Note">These Ju86s had been purchased from Germany as passenger aircraft for South African Airways. At the outbreak of war, they were transferred to the SAAF and modified to permit them to be used as bombers by the addition of external bomb racks. (Brown (1990) p.54)</ref> carrying the maintenance crews and arrived in Nairobi at the end of May.<ref name=Eagles2/> The squadron's Fury aircraft were flown from Pretoria to Durban for crating and were then shipped to Mombasa on [[SS Takliwa]], embarking on 26 May and arriving in East Africa on 1 June 1940 where the Furies were un-crated and re-assembled.<ref name=Hakans>{{cite web|title=Hakans Aviation Page |url=http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/fury_southafrica.htm |work=South African Air Force use of the Hawker Fury during the Second World War |access-date=10 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721050059/http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/fury_southafrica.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> By early June the pilots from Egypt had married up with their aircraft in East Africa and were declared operational.<ref name=Becker67/>

==== East Africa ====
The squadron's first operational mission was an attack on the Italian ''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' air base at [[Yabelo|Yavello]] in [[Ethiopia|Abyssinia]], on 17 June 1940. The task of the two Hurricanes was to escort three [[Junkers Ju 86]] bombers from [[12 Squadron SAAF|12 Sqn]] in the attack on the airfield. The attack destroyed airport infrastructure as well as six [[Caproni Ca 133|Caproni Ca 133s]] on the ground. But a couple of [[Fiat CR.32]]s from 412ª ''Squadriglia'' had scrambled as soon as the South Africans had been spotted. The two Italian pilots severely damaged one of the Ju 86s, then shot down one of the Hurricanes<ref group="Note">2nd Lt B.L. Griffiths, who was to be the first operational casualty of the squadron.</ref> Capt St E. Truter, in the second Hurricane, reacted: he attacked and chased away the CR.32 flown by ''Tenente'' Aldo Meoli, that flipped over when it landed.<ref name="Sutherland & Canwell 2009, p. 38">Sutherland and Canwell 2009, p. 38.ruter </ref><ref>Brown, (1990) p.54</ref>

The squadron's Hurricanes, Gladiators and Hartbeest aircraft continued to provide fighter cover but by late 1940 the Hartbeest were proving to be no longer a match for the Italian [[Fiat CR.42 Falco]]s and one flight consisting of Hartbeest and Gladiators was split off from the squadron to form the nucleus of [[2 Squadron SAAF|2 Fighter Bomber Squadron]].<ref>Becker (1991) p.71</ref> The squadron then continued operating with the remaining Gladiators and Hurricanes from airfields in Abyssinia and [[Sudan]] until the fall of [[Addis Ababa]] on 5 April 1941. Although the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African campaign]] continued until November 1941, the absence of Italian fighters permitted the squadron to be moved to the Middle East on 8 April 1941.<ref>Becker (1991) p.73</ref>

From June 1940 to April 1941 the squadron operated from [[Kenya]], Abyssinia, Sudan (Azzoza and Port Sudan), and [[Eritrea]].

==== Western Desert ====
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-596-0367-05A, Flugzeug Me 323 Gigant.jpg|thumb|right|SAAF Squadrons intercepted and destroyed 16 of these Me323's on 22 April 1943]]
The squadron arrived in April 1941 and scored its first kill on 16 May when Lt. Talbot shot down a Ju 87. The first large-scale deployment was in support of ''[[Operation Brevity]]'' and later in support of ''[[Operation Battleaxe]]'' when Lt. Talbot – the squadron's highest scoring ace, with 10 kills at that stage – was shot down and killed.<ref>Becker (1991) p.81</ref> By this stage, the squadron was only flying Hurricanes. During ''[[Operation Crusader]]'' the squadron forced down a German Bf109F, capturing it intact – for which they were congratulated by Air Chief Marshal Tedder for capturing the first of this type of aircraft.<ref>Becker (1991) p.85</ref>

By the time of [[Operation Crusader]] the squadron was part of [[No. 258 Wing RAF]], under the direct command of [[Air Headquarters Western Desert]].
[[File:JG959 AX-N.jpg|thumb|right|Spitfire Mk. Vc of 1 Squadron SAAF]]
On 3 July 1942, the squadron was intercepting a German raid on the Alamein area while [[No. 272 Squadron RAF]] was providing them with top cover. The formation came across 15 [[Junkers Ju 87]]s escorted by 7 Bf109s; 274 Sqn attacked the Bf109s whilst 1 Sqn went after the Ju 87s. In what was later to become known as the "1 Squadron Stuka Party" the squadron destroyed 14 Ju 87s, damaged two, and shot down one of the Bf109s for the loss of just one aircraft (Lt Ray Connell, who crash-landed at Burgh-el-Arab after a rear gunner destroyed his oil pump)<ref>1 Sqn SAAF War Diaries</ref> in a forty-five-minute engagement.<ref>Becker (1991) pp.89-91</ref>

During the second Battle of El Alamein, the squadron was tasked with protecting the allied armour in their advance across the start line during the break-out phase, where squadron Hurricanes destroyed a number of [[Junkers Ju 87|Ju 87 Stukas]] during this phase of the battle.<ref>Playfair Vol.IV, (2004) p.68</ref> After the Battle of Alamein, the squadron received Spitfires as replacements for their Hawker Hurricanes.

During April 1943, German transport aircraft were freighting supplies to the beleaguered [[Africa Korps]] in Tunisia after Allied air and sea interdiction had stopped most of their shipborne supplies coming from Italy. On the 22nd, the squadron Spitfires joined by [[Curtiss P-40 variants|Kittyhawks]] from SAAF [[2 Squadron SAAF|2]], [[4 Squadron SAAF|4]] and [[5 Squadron SAAF|5]] Squadrons intercepted 21 huge [[Messerschmitt Me 323|Me323's]] attempting to bring in fuel (each aircraft carried 10 tons of fuel) to Tunisia. They destroyed 16 Me323s and two of their fighter escorts (one [[Macchi C.202|MC.202]] and one [[Reggiane Re.2001|Re.2001]]). After this successful intercept, [[Hermann Göring|Goering]] forbade all transport flights to Africa. The decision was overturned two days later after protests from [[Albert Kesselring|Kesselring]], on condition that all future flights were made by night.<ref>Playfair Vol IV, (2004) p.416</ref>

During the fighting in the Western Desert in 1941 (while operating under the 6 Squadron designation) they acquired their nickname "The Billy Boys" because whenever successful in combat, the South African pilots would shout "''Jou Bielie!''" over the radio (roughly translated into British English as "You clever chap!" and into American English as "You Hoss!").{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

==== Italy ====
By July 1943, 1 Sqn had ceased operations in North Africa and were then tasked with patrolling the beaches where the landings for the invasion of Sicily were to take place. After the successful landings of ''Operation Husky'' and the subsequent exploitation, the squadron moved to Sicily on 14 July. After 38 days in Sicily, the squadron again provided cover for the British landings in Italy on 3 September 1943<ref>Becker (1991) p.125</ref> to be followed by them providing fighter cover at the Anzio landings on 22 January 1944.<ref>Becker (1991) p.129</ref> The squadron then moved to Italy and supported the assault on Rome, claiming 16 enemy aircraft destroyed during this battle.<ref>Becker (1991) p.137</ref> 1 Squadron remained in Italy for the rest of the war operating as a fighter squadron but also flying ground attack sorties towards the end of the Italian campaign. In June 1945 the squadron began to convert to the North American Mustangs, but by July 1945, when the squadron's personnel started to return to South Africa, only a few Mustangs had been delivered.<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>

=== Postwar to disbandment ===
[[File:Sabres on flightline, AFB Pietersburg.jpg|thumb|right|1 Squadron Sabres on the flightline at AFB Pietersburg in 1970]]
After the end of the war, the number of SAAF aircraft were greatly reduced, many being scrapped or sold at nominal prices. By June 1946, the squadron was assigned to [[7 Wing SAAF]] based at [[AFB Waterkloof]], flying Harvards but still retaining the Spitfires.<ref>Becker (1991) p.157</ref> In 1947 the concept of the Active Citizen Force was introduced whereby permanent force pilots would fly the squadron aircraft in the week and citizen force pilot officers would pilot the same Harvards and Spitfires over the weekends. Because of the Citizen Force association with the squadron, its name was changed to 1 "City of Pretoria" Squadron.<ref>Becker (1991) p.163</ref>

By 1954 all of the squadron's Spitfires were retired and replaced by Sabre Mk6s in 1956. Additional new aircraft types were procured and by 1957 the squadron had 16 Sabres, 12 Vampires and 12 Harvards on strength.<ref>Becker (1991) p.179</ref>

The squadron was later reequipped with the Impala Mk. I and then the Mirage F1AZ, operating from Hoedspruit until its disbandment on 25 November 1997. It saw combat during the [[South African Border War]] in SWA/Angola.<ref>Lord, Dick. (2008). From Fledgling to Eagle: The South African Air Force during the Border War. Johannesburg: 30° South.</ref>