Formation and World War II When the buildup for
Operation Overlord got under way, an increasing need for transport and airborne assault squadrons became apparent. Therefore, personnel and aircraft from
No. 298 Squadron RAF at
RAF Tarrant Rushton were formed into No. 644 Squadron on 23 February 1944 as part of
No. 38 Group RAF. Operations also included supply dropping to
SOE forces and glider towing during the operations Overlord,
Market Garden and
Varsity. They also carried out supply drops over
Norway and even some tactical night-bombing missions towards the end of the war.
Post war Following the end of hostilities in Europe, 644 Squadron helped to transport the
1st Parachute Brigade to
Copenhagen on 8 May, where they were to oversee the surrender and disarmament of the German forces in
Denmark. On the following day they carried the remainder of the
1st Airborne Division to
Norway for similar duties. Ever since the
Normandy invasion,
No. 46 Group RAF had been involved in a "shuttle service" of ferrying freight to the front line and removing either wounded or freed prisoners of war to Britain. Although most of the armies were more or less static now that the War was over,
RAF Transport Command's responsibilities increased, and so
No. 38 Group RAF received orders to assist in this capacity. In addition to the transport of freight and prisoners of war, No. 644 Squadron also flew service personnel to
Greece,
North Africa and
Italy. In July, the Squadron lost a Halifax over the
Pyrenees. In November 1945, the
6th Airborne Division was despatched to
Palestine as a quick reaction peace keeping force for the British Empire, and 644 Squadron were ordered to lend them their support and so accompanied them to
RAF Qastina in
Palestine (now
Hatzor Airbase). On 1 September 1946 No. 644 squadron disbanded by being re-numbered to
No. 47 Squadron RAF. ==Present==