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concise 27 Squadron history
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By order AO46/51 of 9 July 1951, instructions are given to form the 10th Fighter Wing with its three squadrons. The formation date of 1 September 1951 is determined and the different initial locations for the squadrons are established: the 23rd Sqn will be stationed at Chièvres Airbase, the 27th Sqn at Florennes and the 31st Sqn at Beauvechain. The 27th Sqn is to be equipped with Spitfires Mk.XIV. The order states furthermore that all will be equipped with F-84E Thunderjets in 1952 and from then on will operate from a still to be determined location. 3 months later, on 20 December, the Squadron relocated to Chièvres AB, to form, together with 23rd Squadron and 31st Squadron, the 10th Fighter-Bomber Wing, starting off with a dozen Spitfire XIV, a single T-6 Harvard and some Airspeed AS.40 Oxford's. In the second part of 1952 a group of pilots is send to Florennes to convert to F-84G Thunderjet. Operational life in the 10th Wing is mainly centered around the 27th Sqn, the other two squadrons basically exist on paper only. The Spitfires were soon being replaced by the Republic F-84G "Thunderjet", who, in turn were replaced by the more powerful F-84E "Thunderjet" in 1955. The official move of the three squadrons to the assigned new airbase Kleine-Brogel starts on 23 February 1953. The 23rd and 27th Sqn set off on 27 February, the 31st Sqn on 20 March (23 and 31 without airplanes). Although these are the official dates, three formations of jets, ten in total, already leave Chièvres for Kleine-Brogel one day earlier. But the brand new taxi tracks at Kleine-Brogel soon were showing cracks and started to crumble. This could casue severe damage to the jet engines of the brand new aircraft. Due to this hazard, the 10th Wing moves on 28 May 1953 to RAF Geilenkirchen, Germany. The 27th and the 23rd Sqn acquire their own dispersal on this crowded RAF Airbase. A nomadic period starts and will last until the construction works in Kleine-Brogel are finished. Only command and maintenance personnel remain on the home base. On 1 September 1954 the 27th Sqn deploys to Weelde (B), an auxiliary airfield. End 1954 27th Sqn is the first squadron of the 10th FB Wing to deploy to Sylt, Germany, for air-to-air exercises. In May 1956 the third version of the F-84 entered service. This F84-F "Thunderstreak" also announced the Supersonic-age in Belgium. The 27th Sqn is additionally tasked as ‘OTU F-84F’ (Operational Training Unit) on 27 December 1956: it becomes responsible for training young pilots as fighter bomber pilots on F-84F. New strategies were being developed; one of them, the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert), was activated in 1960. Drastic changes are carried out in the Wing in October 1960. The 27th Sqn is dissolved as an operational squadron and is reorganized to be only an operational training unit. It is assigned fifteen aircraft, while the 2 operational squadrons have 20 jets each. 1962 was a dark year for the Squadron, due to reorganisations within the Belgian Air Force the 27 OTU was disbanded on 4 June. During its lifetime it trained 133 pilots assigned to fighter squadrons of Florennes and Kleine-Brogel to operational status on F-84F. |
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1951: Activation of the squadron in Beauvechain 1951: 'Spitfire' Mk. XIV 1951: 'Spitfire' Mk. XIV (Chièvres, part of 10 Wing) 1952: F-84G 'Thunderjet' 1953: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Kleine Brogel) 1953: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Geilenkirchen [Germ.]) 1954: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Weelde) 1954: F-84G 'Thunderjet' (Kleine Brogel) 1955: F-84E 'Thunderjet' 1956: F-84F 'Thunderstreak' 1960: Operational Training Unit 1962: Disbanded |
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