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When war broke out in 1939, No. 14 Squadron had already sent twenty years in Palestine and Jordan. As war beckoned, the squadron briefly moved to Egypt, then back to the Jordan. In May 1940, as it became increasingly likely that Italy would enter the war, the squadron was moved to the Sudan. From there it spent nearly a year attacking the Italian East African empire in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
After its year in the Sudan, in the remaining months of 1941 the squadron was sent to the western Desert, Iraq and Palestine, before returning to the desert in November. During this period No. 14 Squadron concentrated on bombing land targets.
March 1943 saw a change a role and a change of location, when the squadron moved to Algeria to being two years of anti-submarine duties. In June 1944 it moved to Sardinia, and then over the winter of 1944 back to Britain, resuming operations on 2 February 1945, still performing anti-submarine duties. The wartime squadron was disbanded on 1 June 1945, and replaced by a re-numbered No. 143 Squadron.
Aircraft
March 1938-December 1940: Vickers Wellesley I
September 1940: Gloster Gladiator I
September 1940-September 1942: Bristol Blenheim IV
August 1942-September 1944: Marauder I
November 1944-June 1945: Wellington XIV
Squadron Codes:
Group and Duty
August-December 1939: Egypt
December 1939-May 1940: Transjordan
May 1940-April 1941: Bomber squadron in Sudan
April 1941-March 1943: Bomber squadron in Egypt and western Desert, apart from
August-October 1941: sent to Iraq
March 1943-June 1944: Anti-submarine duties in Algeria
June-September 1944: Anti-submarine duties from Sardinia
September 1944-June 1945: Anti-submarine duties in Britain
Location
24 August-19 December 1939: Ismailia (Egypt)
19 December 1939-19 May 1940: Amman (Trans-Jordan)
19 May 1940-12 April 1941: Port Sudan (Sudan)
12 April-1 May 1941: Heliopolis (Egypt)
1 May-7 July 1941: L.G. 21
7 July-10 August 1941: Petah Tiqva
10-24 August 1941: Habbaniya (Iraq)
24 August-8 October 1941: Qaiyara
8-26 October 1941: Habbaniya
26 October-4 November 1941: Lydda
4-18 November 1941: L.G. 15 (Western Desert)
18 November-18 December 1941: L.G. 75
18 December 1941-27 January 1942: Gambut
27 January-8 February 1942: Bu Amud
8 February-2 May 1942: L.G. 116
2 May-2 June 1942: El Firdan
2 June 1942: To L.G. 116
June (no details): Qassassin
10 August 1942-17 February 1943: L.G. 224
17 February-2 March 1943: Berka III
2-12 March 1943: Telergma (Algeria)
12 March-7 June 1943: Blida
7 June-20 November 1943: Protville
1 October 1943-27 July 1943: Detachment to Grottaglie
20 November-29 June 1944: Blida
1 December-29 June 1944: Detachment to Alghero
29 June-24 October 1944: Entire squadron moved to Alghero (Sardinia)
24 October 1944-1 June 1945: Chivenor (United Kingdom)
Gloster Gladiator Aces, Andrew Thomas. A look at the wartime career of the only biplane fighter still in RAF service during the Second World War. Covers the Gladiator's service in Finland, Malta, North Africa, Greece, Aden, East Africa and Iraq, where despite being outdated it performed surprisingly well.
