No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron

By Tomas Dave Watkins & Phil Listemann
RAF in Combat, ©2007
ISBN 978-295-26-3813-5
Softbound, 138 Pages
Available from RAF in Combat for 25 Euros

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

Last month I reviewed RAF in Combat’s book on 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron and noted the proficiency of the publisher in putting together a quality reference. This second squadron history is no less impressive, and like the previous book, this history on No. 501 Squadron is incredibly thorough.

501 Squadron flew Hurricanes, Spitfires, and Tempests during the war, and this history covers all three. The squadron was based in the southeast of England for much of the war, although it did move to the mainland in 1940 and flew from bases in France. Serving mainly under the control of 11 Group, the 501 (City of Gloucester) Squadron racked up a total of 201 aerial victories and 84 V-1 victories, for a loss of 115 aircraft. The unit had several aces, including the RAF’s top scoring pilot, Joseph Berry, who was credited with 59.5 V-1 kills.

The history portion of this book only takes up the first fifty pages, roughly, with the remainder consisting of the detailed appendices. These appendices are incredibly informative, though, including a mini-biography on all of the pilots of the unit. Also included throughout the book are many great photographs and a handful of color profile illustrations, showing the aircraft flown by the squadron.

This is a great series by RAF in Combat, and each unit has some great history included. For those who are interested in the story behind the aircraft they model, these books are an essential part of your reference library. My thanks to RAF in Combat for the review copy.