Royal Yugoslav Air Force Detachment

The Royal Yugoslav Air Force Detachment was a United States Army Air Forces detachment composed of aviators from the Royal Yugoslav Air Force formed in November 1943, attached to the 512th Bombardment Squadron of the 376th Bombardment Group. Several hundred Royal Yugoslav Air Force personnel escaped capture in the April War in 1941 and met with Allied forces in Egypt. Forty of these aviators were selected in 1942 to undergo additional training in Florida and California. These men were then assigned to the Royal Yugoslav Air Force Detachment, officially formed on 25 November 1943, and saw service throughout the remainder of the war as part of the 512th Squadron.[1] The unit saw action in the Mediterranean Theater and flew four B-24 Liberator aircraft, only one of which remained in service by the time of the detachment's disbandment in August 1945. 13 personnel transferred to the USAAF when the unit was disbanded, while several others joined the newly-formed Yugoslav Air Force.[2]

Royal Yugoslav Air Force Detachment
Active25 November 1943 – 24 August 1945
Country United States
BranchUnited States Army Air Forces
RoleStrategic bombing
SizeDetachment
Part of512th Bombardment Squadron
Garrison/HQSan Pancrazio Airfield
Engagements

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tillman, Barrett (2014). Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1621572358.
  2. ^ Thomas, Nigel; Babac, Dusan (2022). Yugoslav Armies 1941–45. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 1472842014.