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A big thanks must go to Paul Jackson for the following précis of 24 Squadron S.A.A.F. The information was obtained using information contained in the book, details at the bottom of the page. If you would like a bit more detail, please follow this link. All copyright remains with the books author. Vernon Vice has sent in these pictures of S.A.A.F. Buccaneers and can be seen via this link. No 24 Squadron was formed on March 5, 1941 by renumbering No 14 Squadron, which had operated in Kenya and Abyssinia during the East African campaign,and replacing its Hawker Hartbeestes with Maryland light bombers, subsequently replaced by Bostons during the ensuing Western Desert campaign. The last Boston mission was flown on November 8, 1943. The squadron was then re-equipped with Marauder Mk 2 from December 1943 onwards and then with Marauder Mk 3 The last operation of the war was flown on April 25, 1945, after which the squadron was attached to No 3 Wing S.A.A.F. with its marauders converted to transports. On November 6, 1945 No 24 Squadron was disbanded, but reformed the following April as a regular medium bomber squadron flying B-34 Venturas out of Air Force Station Bloemspruit, near Bloemfontein. In 1948 a part-time Active Citizen Force element flying Harvards was added to it and when No 24 Squadron was disbanded for the second time on January 1, 1951, the part time pilots became the nucleus of No 8 Squadron, flying Harvards till they were replaced by Impala Mk 1 in the early 1970s. No 24 Squadron itself remained in suspended animation, however,until it was re-formed at R.N.A.S. Lossiemouth in May 1965, before flying back to Waterkloof with their new additions The Squadron was disbanded in March 1991, by which time a few Impalas had been added to make up the small compliment of Buccaneers left. Squadron Motto: Per Noctem Per Diem ( Through Night, Through Day )
ISBN No 0710601174, Authors Herman Potgeiter and Willem Steenkamp, First published in South Africa in 1980 Published in the UK 1981 by Jane's Publishing Co. Ltd.
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