RAF in Combat

Famous Squadrons Series 312 (Czech) Sqn; 501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn

by  Tomas Polak; David Watkins and Phil Listemann

Reviewed By  Paul Bradley, IPMS# 35554

MSRP: 20 Euros ($30 approx.), and 25 Euros ($38 approx.), respectively. Web Site: www.raf-in-combat.com This is a new publisher and a new series to IPMS/USA, and very welcome they are to this reviewer! RAF In Combat is a specialist company and these two titles are the fourth and fifth in their Famous Squadrons series. These titles tell the story of an individual squadron from 1939 to 1945. Taking 312 Sqn first, the book tells the story of one of the units formed by the RAF for displaced foreign pilots, in this case, the Czechs. The squadron was formed on Hurricanes in the summer of 1940 and was quickly thrown into the maelstrom of the Battle of Britain. At first led by a Brit, the squadron was eventually led by Czechs, and played a distinguished part in the battles over France until the end of the war, by then flying Spitfires. The squadron returned to Czechoslovakia in 1945, but that, as they say, is a whole different story. 501 Squadron was one of 5 Special Reserve squadrons of the RAF formed in the mid-twenties. Each had a regional association, hence 501 was called the County of Gloucester squadron. During the Battle of Britain, this was a Hurricane unit, but later switched to Spitfires before ending the war with Tempests. The unit was heavily active during Nazi Germany's indiscriminate V1 offensive against the British citizenry, knocking down around 100 of the despised flying bombs. Each book is laid out in much the same way. The first section is a potted squadron history of the war period. This is nicely illustrated with period photos and is useful in and of itself. The meat of the book though is taken up by a series of very useful appendices. These include a list of bases, an ops diary, lists of kill claims and losses, a roll of honor and a complete squadron roster with biographies of every pilot to serve with the squadron during the war. These can range from just a few lines for some pilots to whole pages for well-known or long serving pilots. These books are illustrated with numerous photos of both aircraft and aircrew, and to supplement these are a number of beautifully painted full color profiles of squadron aircraft.

These are handy little books that pack a lot of information. This series should be popular with RAF enthusiasts everywhere and I hope that it will continue for many years. Pervious titles in this series cover 310 (Czech), 457 (RAAF), and 485 (New Zealand) Squadrons. Heartily recommended. Our sincere thanks to Phil at RAF In Combat for the review samples. RAF In Combat books can be obtained directly from their website; please also see their list of distributors on that website.

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