Initial Coastal Bomber role 31 Squadron was formed in December 1939 by amalgamating 13 (B.R.) Squadron (re-designated as "A" Flight) and 14 (B.R.) Squadron (re-designated as "B" Flight) as a Coastal Squadron. The squadron flew
Junkers Ju 86's and
Blenheim Mk 1's. On 10 June 1940 the Blenheims attacked the Italian ship SS
Timavo which was forced to run aground 5 miles north of St. Mary's Hill, north of Durban. The Junkers were replaced by
Avro Ansons and on 1 September 1940 the squadron again split with "A" Flight re-designated as 31 Coastal Reconnaissance Flight flying from Durban and "B" Flight as 33 Coastal Reconnaissance Flight flying from Port Elizabeth. On 1 July 1942, 31 Coastal Reconnaissance Flight was disbanded and renamed No. 22 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron.
Heavy Bomber Squadron Egypt, Crete and the Aegean The squadron was re-formed at Zwartkop Air Station in South Africa in early January 1944 and was moved to Almaza in Egypt on 30 January 1944. Ground crews started arriving from 19 February 1944 and air crews were sent to No. 1675 Conversion Unit at Lydda, Palestine to be converted onto the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber. On 19 April 1944 an advance party set off to establish a base camp forty kilometers north of Cairo, accordingly named Kilo 40. The first aircraft arrived at Kilo 40 on 27 April 1944 and the squadron was joined by 34 Squadron at Kilo 40 – both squadrons being placed under command of the newly established No. 2 Wing, SAAF. Operations began on 27 May 1944, flying bomber missions over Crete and the Aegean, with 31 Sqn's first target being the runway at
Kastelli Pediada in eastern Crete.
Central Europe missions From 16 June 1944 the squadron started to move to the
Celone airfield close to
Foggia in southern Italy to join
No. 205 Group RAF, RAF together with
178 and
614 RAF Squadrons.
Supporting the Warsaw Uprising In the summer of 1944 the squadron took part in the invasion of Southern France. It was also one of the squadrons (with 34 Squadron and 178 Sqn RAF)
Transport role at the end of the war After the end of the fighting the squadron converted to transport duties, operating a shuttle service from Italy in which liberated Allied prisoners of war were flown from Italy back to the United Kingdom and South African troops preparing to return home were flown to Egypt. In September 1945 the squadron moved to Shallufa in Egypt, from where it operated as a transport squadron within the Mediterranean until 5 December 1945. It was disbanded on 15 December 1945.
Helicopter Role The squadron was reformed on 4 January 1982 at AFB Hoedspruit, operating Puma and Alouette III helicopters. Activities included crime-prevention operations in support of the South African Police, search and rescue, mercy flights, VIP transportation and firefighting. The squadron also played an active part in the Border War, with deployments to the operational region between 1982 and 1989, carrying out operations in both South West Africa and southern Angola. The Pumas were replaced by the Oryx on 12 February 1991, but due to ongoing cost cutting – it was disbanded at Hoedspruit on 4 December 1992. ==Aircraft==