Part VI - 1948-1967

The Berlin Airlift 1948-1949

The post-war situation allowed little relaxation and 30 Sqn was brought back to life at RAF Oakington in November 1947.  For the first time in it’s history, 30 Sqn was stationed in the UK, and was designated a ‘transport’ squadron equipped with the Dakota MkIV.  In June 1948 the Sqn moved to Germany to participate in ‘Operation Plain Fair’, better known as the Berlin Airlift.  This, of course, brought back memories of the supply missions into Kut in 1916!

During one month, 444 sorties were flown into Berlin and by the end of the Airlift all flying members of the Sqn had flown at least 200 sorties to their credit. 

A lot has been written about the general Berlin Airlift.  Below is a video describing some of the event:

The fascinating story of how the US and British air forces combined to feed 2 million Berliners for 15 months entirely through an airlift after Stalin tried to starve West Berlin into submission in 1948-49.

Courier Service 1950-1957

The Valetta C1 in Flight

Once the Operation Plain Fair was over, Valetta C1’s replaced the old ‘Daks’, and in 1950 the Sqn moved to RAF Dishforth.  The main schedules were a weekly service through the ‘Iron Curtain’ to Warsaw (the only NATA aircraft to do so); a weekly casevac flight, and a daily freight and passenger run to Germany.  As tension eased so the ‘action’ flights reduced until the European role became very small indeed.  In April 1957, the Sqn re-equipped with the Blackburn Beverley and trained in the short-range and tactical transport role, like the job it had performed on the Dakota.

Kenya 1959-1964

Having moved to Kenya in 1959, 30 Sqn aircraft roamed far and wide over the African continent and flew a number of flood and famine relief operations in the early sixties.  In one operation, 1,783,000ibs of supplies were dropped in 70 sorties!  In 1960, the Sqn assisted in the evacuation of refugees from Stanleyville in the Congo.

Bahrain 1964-1967

From Bahrain, the Sqn operated the Beverley in a variety of tasks: route flights to the Mediterranean and East Africa; supply and para drops; strip landings in up-country areas; and even search and rescue operations around Bahrain. After assisting in the withdrawal from Aden the Sqn returned home and was reduced once again to ‘number only’ basis.