Posts Tagged ‘335 Squadron Tiger’

The first four F-16 Block 52+ Advanced arrived last Friday afternoon 22 May 2009 at Araxos Air Base Greece. A simple ceremenoy took place there between the Hellenic Air Force personnel and the American pilots that brought them to Greece after a long journey. These aircrafts are a part of the total Peace Xenia IV program between the Hellenic Air Force and Lockheed Martin. At the end 20 single seated and 10 double seated F-16 Block 52+ Advanced will come to Araxos Air Base and will equip 335 Squadron. New aircrafts means new patches. First of new patches is the 335 Squadron ‘Tiger’ patch:

The 335 Squadron with callsign “Tiger”, is the oldest squadron of the Hellenic Air Force, as it was established when Greece was under German occupation, in October 1941 at the Palestinian airport of Akir, i.e. a few months after Greece’s total occupation by the Germans.

The first squadron pilots were officers of the Hellenic Royal Air Force, who had been sent to Iraq since 1940 to be trained by British officers, as well as many pilots who abandoned Greece after the occupation, for carrying on the liberation fight.

The squadron was initially equipped with the fighter aircraft Hurricane-IIB and thereafter with the Hurricane-IIC and was subordinated to the RAF 339 Combat Wing. With these aircraft, it operates until December 1943, when the modern Spitfire VB and VC replaced them.

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