| Unit Name: | 1771 Naval Air Squadron |
| Dates: | 1 February 1944 - 16 October 1945 |
| Type: | Two-seat fighter squadron |
| Role: | Fighter Squadron |
| Size: | twelve aircraft |
| Command Structure: | Fleet Air Arm
|
| Battles: | World War II |
| Battle Honours: |
|
| Identification Symbol: | Blue, a base barry wavy of six white and blue an eagle gold in combat with a sea monster black issuant from base armed and langued red (1944) |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Squadron Badge Description |
| Identification Symbol 2: | single letters 4A+ (September 1944) 270-281 (July 1945) |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Identification Markings |
| Identification Symbol 3: | N (July 1945) |
| Identification Symbol 3 Label: | Tail Code |
| Aircraft Fighter: | Fairey Firefly |
1771 Naval Air Squadron (1771 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded at HMS Nabbington, RNAS Nowra, near Sydney, in October 1945. Notably, the squadron was the first British & Commonwealth unit to fly over Japan in the Second World War.[1] The squadron formed at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton at the start of February 1944, as a Fighter Squadron and also operated from HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough, and HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, with deck landing training on the escort carriers HMS Trumpeter and HMS Ravager before embarking in the fleet carrier HMS Implacable in September. It was involved in sorties over Norway including reconnaisance of the German battleship Tirpitz and other anti-shipping strikes. The squadron remained in HMS Implacable and joined the British Pacific Fleet participating in attacks on the Caroline islands and the Japanese home islands, and becoming part of the 8th Carrier Air Group.
1771 Squadron formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset, on 1 February 1944 as a two-seater fighter squadron. It was equipped with twelve Fairey Firefly I, a carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft. At the beginning of March the squadron relocated to RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail), Lancashire, which had day and night fighter facilities.[2] In late June early July, deck landing training was done on the . Early August saw the squadron move to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and mid-month, an . provided deck landing training.
The squadron embarked in the name ship of her class of aircraft carrier, on 22 September and the following month undertook reconnaissance missions over Norway, including Tromsø, where the German battleship Tirpitz was anchored. This was followed by anti-shipping strikes in November, with one troopship being destroyed and four other ships damaged.
In March 1945 HMS Implacable sailed for the Far East joining the British Pacific Fleet. The squadron disembarked in May and spent two weeks at RNAS Jervis Bay (HMS Nabswick), New South Wales, Australia, the location of Mobile Naval Air Base (MONAB) No. 5, with it re-embarking on the carrier on 24 May.[3] It took part in Operation Inmate, with attacks on Truk in the Caroline Islands in June. A detachment of seven aircraft from the squadron disembarked from HMS Implacable between 9 - 12 May to RNAS Ponam (HMS Nabaron), Ponam Island, a former United States Navy airstrip transferred to the Royal Navy on loan.[4]
It conducted attacks in operations against the Japanese mainland as part of the 8th Carrier Air Group, just before the end of the Second World War. 1771 Naval Air Squadron disembarked to RNAS Nowra (HMS Nabbington), New South Wales, Australia, on 13 September, disbanding on 16 October.[5] Squadron personnel had moved to HMS Golden Hind, Camp Warwick, Sydney on 4 October and returned to the United Kingdom aboard MV Dominion Monarch the following month.
1771 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:
The battle honours awarded to 1771 Naval Air Squadron are:
1771 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, a number overseas, and a couple of Royal Navy escort carrier and a fleet carrier:
List of commanding officers of 1771 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment: