The Hellenic Air Force - Edocviews

Airwars – Hellenic Air Force4 sponsored bywww.sampublications.comsponsored byThe HellenicAir ForceAirwars Air ArmsBy Andy EvansIn 1911, the Greek Government appointedFrench specialists to form the HellenicAviation Service. Six Greek officers were sentto France for training, while four ‘Farman’type aircraft were ordered. All of the sixgraduated from the Farman school in Étampesnear Paris, but only four served subsequently inaviation. The first military flight was made onMay 13, 1912 by Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberosand in June he flew ‘Daedalus’, another Farmanaircraft that that had been converted to aseaplane, setting a new world average speedrecord of 68mph and with it the foundations ofGreek Naval Aviation. During September of thesame year, the Greek Army also fielded its firstsquadron - the ‘Aviators Company’.The Balkan Wars and AfterOn October 5, 1912, Kamberos flew the first Greekcombat mission, a recce flight over Thessaly on thefirst day of the Balkan Wars, and during the sameday a similar mission was flown by Germanmercenaries in Ottoman service in the Thrace frontagainst the Bulgarians. The Greek and the Ottomanmissions flown during the same day were the firstmilitary aviation combat missions in a conventionalwar. In 1930, the Greek Aviation Ministry wasfounded, establishing the Air Force as the thirdbranch of the Armed Forces, and eventually theHellenic Army Air Service and Hellenic Naval AirService were amalgamated to form the Hellenic AirForce.World War II and Civil WarDuring the Second World War, although beingseverely outnumbered and having only a smallnumber of aircraft, the HAF managed to resist theItalian Invasion of 1940 successfully, and during theconflict the Hellenic Air Force shot down sixty-fourenemy aircraft (confirmed) and claimed a furthertwenty-four. However, in April 1941 Germanyinvaded Greece to assist her Italian allies and theLuftwaffe destroyed almost the entire Hellenic AirForce, although some aircraft managed to escape tothe Middle East, where Hellenic aviation was rebuiltunder the Air Force Ministry based in Cairo. ThreeHellenic squadrons were brought together andoperated under RAF command, these being the13th Light Bomber Squadron flying Avro Ansons,Bristol Blenheims, and Martin Baltimores, and the335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons flying HawkerHurricane I and IIs and Supermarine Spitfire Vs.The Middle East HAF Squadrons undertook avariety of missions, such as convoy patrols, antisubmarinesearch, offensive patrols,reconnaissance, attacks and the interception ofenemy aircraft. In summer 1943 the GreekSquadrons also took part in actions against theGerman forces on Crete.