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Number 56 Squadron, also known as No. 56 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), [3] nicknamed the Firebirds for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both the First and Second World ...
Number 56 Squadron was one of the most famous fighter squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps and early RAF. It flew its first mission on 22 April, and achieved its first aerial victory the next day by none other than the renowned Captain Albert Ball, DSO, MC.
No 56 Squadron was the frist squadron to confirm a victory while flying the Hawker Typhoon. In 1944 56 Squadron moved to RAF Newchurch and was re equipped with the new Hawker Tempest V, becoming part of the No.150 Wing under the command of the Ace Wing Commander Roland Beamont.
Equipped with nine ground-shaking English Electric Lightnings, ‘The Firebirds’ of 56 Squadron were one of the RAF’s most revered aerobatic teams of all time. Hugh Trevor recalls their halcyon days.
Nov 11, 2014 · This was the situation when No 56 Squadron arrived in France at the end of April 1917. Equipped with the superb new SE 5, it was the first fighter squadron of the RFC to be able to meet the Albatros and Halberstadt fighters of the Jagdstaffeln on equal terms.
"The success of a squadron depends enormously on the personality of the Commanding Officer. Major Blomfield, O.C. 56, was determined to allow nothing to come between him and making his the crack fighting squadron in the R.F.C.
No. 56 Squadron has a distinguished history, going back to its inception in 1916 with famous aces such as Captain Albert Ball and Major James McCudden, both Victory Cross recipients. This website seeks to honour that history, with a mission to provide the most comprehensive source of Squadron history available on the internet.
