File:624 (Special Duties) Squadron,.jpg

In proud memory of 624 (Special Duties) Squadron RAF. Air Crew and Ground Staff of the RAF and Allied Air Forces, Supporting the Liberation of France, Italy and Yugoslavia.

The forerunner to the Squadron, No 1575 Flight, was formed in Tempsford on 28 May 1943 to support Special Operations Executive Duties. In June it was transferred to Mailson Blanche in North Africa under the command of Squadron Leader JB Austin DFC. In September 1943, all personnel, equipment and aircraft transferred to Blida in Algeria where 1575 Flight disbanded and 624 (Special Duties) Squadron was formed under the command of Wing Commander CSG Stanbury DSO, DFC. The Squadron continued to carry out special duties operations into Greece, Romania, Albania, Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Southern France, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. These operations included supply dropping and the insertion of agents to support the partisans and local resistance movements. For these duties the Squadron’s main operational aircraft were the Handley Page Halifax Mk II and V and the Short Stirling Mk IV. Their work was so secret that their families did not know where they were of what they were doing; the only person on each flight who knew the exact location of the drop-zone was the navigator. Although operations continued from Blida, detachments operated out of Protville and Sidi Amour in Tunisia, and Tocra in Libya. In November 1943 the Squadron moved to Brindisi in Italy to conduct operations in Northern Italy and the Balkans but returned to Blida in February 1944 to concentrate their efforts on Southern France. After a sustained period of successful and effective operations, the Squadron was disbanded on 5 September 1944. It was briefly reformed in December 1944 with entirely new crew and supporting ground personnel with Walrus flying boats and based in Italy conducting mine-detection duties. On 30 November 1945 the Squadron finally disbanded.

Donated by members of 4624 RAauxAF Squadron and 624 Squadron, their Associations and supporters and by Thales.

This plaque is located at the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire.

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