878 Naval Air Squadron

878 Naval Air Squadron
878 NAS badge
Active	1 March 1943 - 25 January 1944
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Single-seat fighter squadron
Role	Fleet fighter squadron
Size	Twelve aircraft
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	See Naval air stations section for full list.
Motto(s)	Feles non pusilla (Latin for 'A cat - but no weakling')
Engagements	World War II Operation Avalanche
Battle honours	Salerno 1943
Insignia
Squadron badge	Black, the face of a wildcat white fimbriated red (1943)
Identification Markings	single letters
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Grumman Martlet

Grumman Martlet Mk IV, as used by 878 NAS

878 Naval Air Squadron (878 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Established in March 1943 as a fleet fighter squadron, it conducted its initial training at HMS Sparrowhawk, RNAS Hatston on Mainland, Orkney, prior to boarding HMS Illustrious in June. The squadron operated from the aircraft carrier off the coast of Iceland before delivering air support during the Salerno campaign in Italy. It ultimately disbanded at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland in January 1944, with its aircraft being transferred to 816 and 1832 Naval Air Squadrons.

History

Fleet fighter squadron (1943 - 1944)

878 Naval Air Sqaudron formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, on 1 March 1943, Lieutenant Commander(A) M.F. Fell, RN, commanding. Its role was as a Fleet Fighter squadron and it was equipped with twelve Grumman Martlet Mk IV, an American carrier-based fighter aircraft.

Following a period of training at RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk), in Orkney, in Scotland, the squadron boarded the lead ship of her class, HMS Illustrious on 8 June and commenced operations in the Icelandic region the subsequent month. In August 1943, the aircraft carrier proceeded to the Mediterranean, where 878 Naval Air Squadron engaged in combat over the Salerno beachhead.

In October 1943, while stationed at RAF Port Ellen, on the island of Islay in Argyll and Bute, the squadron transitioned to ten Grumman Martlet Mk V fighter aircraft, which were subsequently distributed between 816 and 1832 Naval Air Squadrons upon the disbandment of 878 Naval Air Squadron, at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 25 January 1944.

Aircraft operated

The squadron has operated different variants of only one aircraft type:

• Grumman Martlet Mk IV fighter aircraft (March - October 1943)
• Grumman Wildcat Mk V fighter aircraft (October 1943 - January 1944)

Battle honours

The battle honours awarded to 878 Naval Air Squadron are:

• Salerno 1943

Naval air stations and aircraft carriers

878 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, and a Royal Air Force station in the UK and also a Royal Navy fleet carrier:

HMS Illustrious

• Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) (1 March - 10 April 1943)
• Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) (10 April - 8 June 1943)
• Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) (8 - 15 June 1943)
• HMS Illustrious (15 June - 19 October 1943)
• Royal Air Force Port Ellen (19 October - 13 December 1943)
• Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (13 December 1943 - 25 January 1944)
• disbanded into 1832 Naval Air Squadron (25 January 1944)

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 878 Naval Air Squadron:

• Lieutenant Commander(A) M.F. Fell, RN, from 1 March 1943
• Lieutenant Commander(A) D.K. Evans, RNZNVR, from 30 October 1943
• disbanded - 25 January 1944

References

Bibliography

• Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
• Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.