Squadron Number Allocation

  Royal Air Force
   
Numbers Allocations
1 - 299 RFC/RAF allocation. Those from No. 201 onwards had predominantly maritime (RNAS) origins. No. 188 has never been used.
300 - 309 Polish Squadrons.
310 - 313 Czechoslovak Squadrons.
315 - 318 Polish Squadrons.
320 - 322 Dutch Squadrons.
326 - 329 French Squadrons.
330 - 334 Norwegian Squadrons.
335 - 336 Greek Squadrons.
340 - 347 French Squadrons.
349 - 350 Belgian Squadrons.
351 - 352 Yugoslav Squadrons.
353 - 399 RAF allocation. Only 353-358, 360, and 361 have been used.
400 - 445 Canadian Squadrons. 444 and 445 not used.
450 - 467 Australian Squadrons. 465 not used.
485 - 490 New Zealand Squadrons.
500 - 509 Special Reserve (later Auxiliary, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force) squadrons. Only 500 - 504 used.
510 - 599 RAF allocations. 522, 523, 545, 546, 568, 569, 572-574, 579-581, 583-586, 588-594, 596, 597, and 599 were never used.
600 - 616 Special Reserve (later Auxiliary, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force) squadrons. 606 not used.
617 - 650 RAF allocation. 617 - 620 were originally intended as Auxiliaries but were not formed as such. 629, 632 - 634, 636 - 638, 641 - 643, and 645 - 649 were not used.
651 - 673 Army associated allocation. 651 - 666 were AOP units, of which 663 was Polish, 664 - 666 were Canadian, 668 - 673 were glider units in India. Since 1st September, 1957 this block has been dedicated to Army Air Corps units.
674 - 699 RAF allocation. Only 679 - 684, 691, 692, and 695 have been used.
700 - 799 Originally attached to Fleet Air Arm catapult units, but later changed to second-line Naval units.
800 - 899 Allocated to carrier and land based operational squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.
900 - 999 Barrage balloon squadrons.
1000 - 1299 Not used.
1300 - 1399 Allocated to miscellaneous flights and some conversion units.
1400 - 1499 Allocated to miscellaneous flights.
1500 - 1699 Allocated to flights and conversion units.
1700 - 1799 Second allocation for Fleet Air Arm second line squadrons.
1800 - 1899 Second allocation for Fleet Air Arm operational squadrons.
1900 - 1999 Allocated to AOP flights.
  Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm)
   
Numbers Allocations
401 - 419 Fleet fighter flights.
420 - 439 Fleet spotter flights.
440 - 459 Fleet reconnaissance flights, many later becoming fleet spotter reconnaissance flights.
460 - onwards Fleet torpedo flights, later becoming fleet torpedo bomber flights.
700 - 749 Catapult flights, later becoming catapult squadrons. When these ceased to exist the range became available for training and ancillary squadrons. No. 700 - 710 were earmarked for use by amphibian and floatplane squadrons in 1943, but this did not actually happen.
750 - 799 Training an ancillary squadrons.
800 - 809 Single seat fighter squadrons on carriers.
810 - 819 Torpedo bomber squadrons on carriers, later torpedo spotter reconnaissance and torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons.
820 - 859 Spotter reconnaissance squadrons, later torpedo spotter recognisance and torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons.
860 - 869 Torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons, later reserved for Dutch and the n Dutch Navy squadrons.
870 - 879 Single seat fighter squadrons, later reserved for Royal Canadian Navy.
880 - 889 Single seat fighter squadrons on carriers.
1700 - 1749 Torpedo bomber recognisance squadrons reallocated to amphibian bomber recognisance squadrons.
1750 - 1769 Single seat fighter squadrons, NTU.
1770 - 1799 Two seat fighter squadrons
1800 - 1809 Torpedo bomber recognisance squadrons, NTU.
1810 - 1829 Dive bomber squadrons.
1830 - 1899 Single seat fighter squadrons, later used for RNVR squadrons, and latterly RNR squadrons.

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Hawker Hurricane -  "Defender Of The Empire"
© - 1997 - Colin James Pratt-Hooson
Last Updated : Saturday, July 20, 2002 01:42:11 PM