© Allan Hillman; no reproduction without permission, please.
After joining the 2nd Tactical Air Force in September 1944, the Squadron was due to move to the Continent. However, because of the appalling weather conditions, and the poor state of the landing grounds, it was not until 5 December that 41 Squadron joined 125 Wing at B.64 Diest / Schaffen in Belgium.
"…Other aircraft in the air 41 and 130 were diverted to other bases as the wind at Diest decided to be awkward..." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 23 December 1944)
"The weather is magnificent, the sun shining through the sharp crisp atmosphere. The mush has gone, a hard frost having fixed the water and slush. But the wind persisted from the N.E. and whilst it was O.K. for a/c. to take off; it was considered extremely dangerous to land Spits. downhill so the sqdns. remained away. We heard that 41 were doing patrols from Eindhoven and that 130 and 402 were working from Volkel. On the first sweep, a composite sqdn. of 402 and 130 had Huns reported but none were seen. During the day a number of sorties were flown by 41 from Eindhoven. These included Patrols (Nijmegen-Volkel) and a sweep in the Venlo area. Sweeps were done by 402 and 130. The aircraft being used to the best advantage, composite formations at times being flown. It is difficult to say exactly how many sorties were flown during the day, but it can be stated that 402 made the only claim of MET 1-0-0. Toward the end of the day, it was possible to get our aircraft back to base and several aircraft of all sqdns. were able to land." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 24 December 1944)
They were away for one day were back on Christmas Day, as the ORB states,
"The Air Officer Commanding the Group (Air Vice-Marshall Broadhurst) paid the Wing a welcome visit on Christmas morning. He met the pilots of the three squadrons in the briefing room." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 25 December 1944)
At that time 125 consisted of 130 (Punjab) Squadron, 402 (Winnipeg Bear) Squadron RCAF and 41 Squadron - 610 and 350 (Belgian) joined the Wing at Y.32 Ophoven - with 402 moving to B.88 Heesch with 126 (RCAF) Wing shortly afterwards. On New Years Eve, the following entry appears in the ORB:
"Quite an exciting end to the old year and a much more exciting beginning to the new. Our aircraft from Diest (41 and 130 Sqdns) and from Brussels (610 and 350 Sqdns) arrived at our new base, having operated from our old fields, landed at Y.32 and then continued to work for the remainder of the day. We got no joy, and so far now news has been received of P/O Joseph of 130 Sqdn who failed to return from the last sortie flown by the “Punjabs” on the last day of the old year. Most of the chaps were tired out by the end of the day, but a few remained up to bid farewell to 1944. “Fritz” tried to dampen our spirits with a few bombs and a shoot-up, but at midnight we sang in 1945 with Auld Lang Syne. A few of the windows in our new billet failed to live long enough to let in the light of the new year." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 31 December 1944)
"New Year’s Day saw everyone up bright and early and 41 Squadron were away on an Armed Recce when the Hun turned up in some force and proceeded to strafe us and the American strip nearby. Considering everything, his shooting was poor. 350 Squadron came off worse having had seven aircraft u/s but not all badly damaged. 130 had one damaged. Two airmen were wounded and a petrol dump was set on fire. The Wing cannot claim any Huns destroyed over base, but the Americans got quite a few. Just after the strafe, 610 were able to report one FW 190 destroyed by F/Lt Gaze – a good show. The Wing was able to continue work all day and 130, 610 and 41 were constantly in the air on Recces and Patrols, and some Met, Goods Truck and a Signal Box were shot up by 41 Sqdn. Altogether we flew 39 sorties on December 31st and 81 on January 1st." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 1 January 1945)
Then, on 25 January 1945, the Squadron became a part of 122 Wing (at B.80 Volkel, Holland) initially to provide top cover to the Wing’s Tempest V’s for a short period, before returning to 125 Wing again.
"All was ready for the move to B.78 at first light, but weather at our new base and at B.80 where 41 Sqdn are going temporarily, prevented a take-off until after lunch. Conditions were then reported to be O.K. to proceed and during the early afternoon the squadrons moved." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 27 January 1945)
122 Wing’s history states, “On 25th January 1945, 41 Squadron flew in with Spitfire XIV’s, and remained with 122 for about six weeks, thus giving the Wing the rather unwieldy total of six Squadrons. 41 very quickly fell in with their new colleagues pronounced views on German railways and achieved excellent results, although their rather limited range kept them out of the more fruitful areas.”
When, in mid-March, after attending an Armament Practice Camp at Warmwell, in Dorset, 41 Squadron returned to 125 Wing, it was by then operating from B.78 Eindhoven, Holland, and the Squadron flew fighter sweeps over the continent.
"Today, the first official day of spring, was anything but a pleasant one for the Hun, for he was handed a shower of steel by the R.A.F. From early morning till last light, heavies and mediums pounded his lines of communications, his airfields and his fuel supplying depots. His transport and troops were strafed by fighter bombers and by rocket-firing Typhoons. 125 Wing was not heavily engaged but it fulfilled its commitments. 130 Sqdn were first away at 0830 to escort Mediums bombing Coesfeld and pilots were able to report concentrated bombing. Soon after 0900 hours 41 Sqdn sent off eight aircraft to escort a further bunch of Mediums on the same target and our pilots were able to report that the bomber boys were again “bang-on”. Later still, a composite team of 41 and 130 went with a third box again to Coesfeld and bombing was again reported to be good. The Hun flew no aircraft in opposition to these raids but at times the flak was intense and although our aircraft escaped, some of the Mediums were hit. Two Mitchells, a Lancaster and a Halifax landed at B.78. One crew had a really rotten experience. An A.A. shell hit one of the bombs just as it had left the aircraft and this caused damage to the aircraft and injuries to one of the crew." (Source: 125 Wing ORB, 21 March 1945)
"The Spitfire squadrons of No. 125 Wing were the first to cross the river and station themselves at Twente [8 April 1945], an airfield captured twenty-four hours earlier by the British Second Army." (Source: RAF 1939-1945, Volume III - The Fight is Won)
On 14 April the C.O., Squadron Leader John Shepherd, found a Bf110 towing a Me163 Komet and, after attacking and destroying the Bf110 also despatched the latter. Shortly after this they, along with their fellow Squadrons in 125 Wing, moved into Germany to B.118 Celle.
On 4 May, most sorties ceased and the Squadron maintained a patrol line Hamburg/Boisenburg for a day or two before moving to B.160 Kastrup/Copenhagen, Denmark, upon it’s liberation, and finally, as part of the Occupation forces, returning to B.172 Husum, Germany, on 21 June 1945. When the war ended in early May, the unit’s tally had been raised to 200, with 170 more ‘probables’. Code letters throughout the war were EB.