The Middle East
1945-1954

This is a combination photograph to depict the Squadron's transition from the Tempest to the Vampire
The Aircraft

.

The Pilots.


Abel G
Anders
Andrews
Appelboom K
Atkinson F
Austin R W G
Bast
Balfour A E
Barker T I
Barnard J
Barrey C J
Bendeux
Biven
Blatch J
Bowley
Brannon
Brigham G C L
Brown D
Buist
Bunyan
Butterworth W H
Carter
Castagnola
Chiswick
Clarke
Clarkson K J
Claxton J C T
Colebeck R
Colebrook D C
Cooper
Coutts
Crighton
Curtiss  C F A
Dabrowski
Davies M P
Day
Deakin
Deane
Dennis
Douglas-Reid H E A
Draper A
Etheridge
Ewing
Finn D M
Ford K A L
Franklin
Gardiner D A
Gatward



Fg Off
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Flt Lt
Sgt
Flt Lt
Flt Lt
Sgt
Flt Lt
M Plt
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Plt Off
Fg Off
Fg Off
WO
Flt Lt
W O
Fg Off
Fg Off
Flt Sgt
Sgt
Flt Lt
Sgt
Flt Sgt
WO
Sgt
Flt Lt
Sqn Ldr
Flt Sgt
Plt Off
Sgt
Fg Off
Plt 2
Flt Lt
Sgt
Fg Off
Sgt
Flt Lt
Flt Lt
Sgt
Plt Off
Plt 2
Sqn Ldr
Fg Off
Plt Off
Sgt
Fg Off



Gibson
Gooding P
Hambly
Hand
Hankin D A
Harrison M
Hart
Heald R
Holman
Hudgel
Hulse G S
Hutchinson W T F
Jennings J
Johnson R E
Jolliffe
Kelley P J
Kilbansky M
King W
Kitley A J H
Knight S G
Leach
Leeson E
Leyshon
Luckas J R A
Lunn L G
Mackinson
MacGregor E M
Maddox
Mandeville
Marshal
Marshal H
Martin H T
May
McDonald
Milligan
Mollan P F
Monkman W M
Mott G
Munford
Nash R S
Ormiston T M
Palmer F P
Parish S C
Penson F A E
Perkins
Poolman P C N
Powell B H V T
Purchase T E G



Sgt
Sgt
Fg Off
Plt 2
Plt Off
Plt Off
Plt 4
Sgt
Flt Lt
Plt Off
Flt Lt
Flt Sgt
Plt Off
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Sqn Ldr
Sgt
Sgt
Sqn Ldr
Fg Off
Plt Off
WO
Sgt
Fg Off
Flt Lt
Plt Off
Flt Lt
Flt Lt
Flt Lt
Plt Off
Sgt
Sgt
Flt Sgt
Sgt
Plt Off
Fg Off
Flt Sgt
Fg Off
Plt off
Sqn Ldr
Flt Lt
Flt Sgt
Fg Off
Fg Off
WO
Flt Lt
Plt Off
Flt Lt



Radford R
Ralph F A O
Raynor
Ridley R
Rippin
Robinson I O
Rogers G
Roe D J A
Rowe A D
Rumble
Schaumburg O H
Searle M O
Sharpe J B
Sharrett G
Simmons J S
Sincock H H
Smith A G
Sollitt S
Southon
Sparks E
Stares M J
Straker W J P
Strobel
Stuart J
Swann
Swift R S
Tattersfield D
Taylor
Taylor E M
Thirwell J D
Tripp G
Tuck
Twigg A
Vaughan-Fowler P E
Waddington R G
Walker E
Walker J F
Wells M C
West D R
Willdey R C
Williams
Williamson J I
Wilson J F
Wilson J G
Wilson-North O
Wittridge
Wragg
Zagroba



Flt Lt
Fg Off
Plt Off
Fg Off
Plt Off
WO
Fg Off
Sqn Ldr
Fg Off
Flt Sgt
Fg Off
Fg Off
Plt Off
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Plt Off
Fg Off
WO
Flt lt
Sgt
Plt Off
Flt Lt
Plt 2
Sgt
Sgt
Fg Off
Plt Off
Plt Off
Sgt
Flt Lt
Sgt
WO
Fg Off
Sqn Ldr
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Flt Sgt
Sqn Ldr
Flt Lt
Fg Off
WO
Sgt
Fg Off
Flt Lt
Fg Off
Fg Off
Plt 3
Plt 2

PILOTS
THE MIDDLE EAST  1945-1954

213 Squadron Tempest at Nicosia
213 Squadron Vampire at Deversoir
The Squadron continued to operate its much-loved Mustangs until the end of 1946 when it was re-equipped with the mighty Hawker Tempest.

With a wingspan of 41 feet, a length of just over 34 feet, and a height of 15 feet 10 inches the Tempest was a large aeroplane for a single-seat fighter-bomber. Armed with four 20mm cannons and able to carry two thousand pounds of bombs, or eight 60lb rockets on under-wing pylons the Tempest could also deliver a power punch.

The Tempest F Mark IV with which the Squadron was equipped was in fact the tropicalised version of the MarkV. The essential modification was the removal of the oil-cooler from the aircraft's chin radiator and its relocation in the starboard mainplane, thus leaving the chin radiator solely for engine cooling.

A Napier Sabre 5A in-line engine powered the aircraft, this power plant gave the Tempest a top speed of 440 miles per hour making it one of the fastest piston engined aircraft ever to have flown.

By the end of 1949 the Tempests were beginning to show their age and the effects of operating in the harsh desert conditions prevailing in the Canal Zone and East Africa in general. So the news that the Squadron was to enter the jet age and re-equip with the De Havilland Vampire Mk V was greeted with some relief. During December 1949 the changeover was completed.

In terms of top speed the Vampire was nearly one hundred miles an hour faster than the Tempest, its endurance however was considerably less. In terms of manoeuvrability, and particularly visibility, the Vampire also had a distinct advantage.

During the six years that the Squadron operated in the Canal Zone as a ground attack unit it operated a mixture of Vampire FB MkV and Mk. IXs. The illustration  shows the CO's new vampire FB Mk. IX in its new livery, which replicated that used by the Squadron when it was reformed at Northolt in 1937.





TEMPEST TO VAMPIRE
The Airfields
14-May-45
29-Jun-45
13-Sep-45
Sep-46
04-Sep-47
22-Oct-47
27-Mar-48
16-Aug-48

20-Oct-48
04-Mar-49
21 Apl 49
15-Jul-49
05-Aug-49
  Feb 51

SQDN
SQDN
SQDN
SQDN
SQDN
SQDN
DETCH
DETCH
DETCH
SQDN
DETCH
SQDN
DETCH
SQDN
SQDN

Biferno, Termoli, Italy
Brindisi, Italy
Ramat David, Palestine
Nicosia, Cyprus
Shallufa, Egypt
Khartoum, Sudan
Asmara, Eritrea
Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland
Hargesia, Italian Somaliland
Deversoir, Egypt
Nicosia, Cyprus
Deversoir, Egypt
Khartoum, Sudan
Deversoir, Egypt
Deversoir, Egypt

281 Wing, Balkan Air Force
281 Wing, Balkan Air Force
               Air Headquarters, Levant.
               Air Headquarters, Levant.
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group.
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
324 Wing, 205 Group
Canal Zone Fighter Defence Force.

   SQUADRON AIRFIELDS  MIDDLE EAST 1944-1954

22 September 1954
  Squadron Disbanded

The Airfields.