On 22nd April 1940, No.1 Squadron Southern Rhodesian Air Force was taken into control by the RAF, it was renamed as No.237 (Rhodesian) Squadron and put to serve through various campaigns like Abyssinia, Northern Africa or Persia.
Equipped with various aircraft types like the Westland Lysander, Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane and, in December 1943 while stationed in Egypt, the Supermarine Spitfire.
From December 1943 until April 1944 they were tasked with aerial defence and convoy protection duties, flying from RAF Idku. In April they replaced the Spitfire Mk.V with the Mk.IXc and were rebased to the French island of Corsica, in order for them to operate in Northern Italy and Southern France, in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France.
Once the operation was over, they were rebased to south-eastern France but, as the Allied armies linked up quickly with the ones that disembarked in Normandy, the associated aerial units were rebased again, so No.237 was rebased to Italy where they spent until the end of the war, flying occasional fighter sweeps over Po Valley. On 1st January 1946, they were renamed as No.93 Squadron, still operating from Italy.
Ian D. Smith, who would later be Prime Minister of Rhodesia, flew in the No.237 Squadron, before being shot down over Italy.
Once the operation was over, they were rebased to south-eastern France but, as the Allied armies linked up quickly with the ones that disembarked in Normandy, the associated aerial units were rebased again, so No.237 was rebased to Italy where they spent until the end of the war, flying occasional fighter sweeps over Po Valley. On 1st January 1946, they were renamed as No.93 Squadron, still operating from Italy.
Ian D. Smith, who would later be Prime Minister of Rhodesia, flew in the No.237 Squadron, before being shot down over Italy.
The other Rhodesian squadron that operated the Spitfire, albeit not as much as No.237, was No.266 squadron. This unit was activated in October 1939 as part of the Rhodesian gift, and was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.I in January 1940. They saw action for the first time during the evacuation of Dunkirk on 2nd June 1940. During that same year they were based in south-eastern England where they took part in the Battle of Britain. In September they were rebased to RAF Wittering, where they remained until May 1942 when their Spitfires were replaced by the Hawker Typhoon.
After World War 2, in 1947, the Southern Rhodesian Air Force was re-established with a mixture of various aircraft, including twenty-two Spitfire F.22. They were flown to SRAF Cranborne, Salisbury (capital city of Rhodesia) in 1951. Their service with the Southern Rhodesian Air Force (SRAF) was, however, short as the SRAF was preparing to move into the jet age by purchasing various De Havilland Vampire fighters.
The Spitfires, therefore, which were them all assigned to the No.1 Squadron, were allocated to the ground attack role. With the unification of both south and northern Rhodesia in 1953, the SRAF became the Royal Rhodesian Air Force on 15th October 1954 and, by then the Vampires were already being relegated to the ground attack roles, relieving the Spitfire from its role.
The Spitfires, therefore, which were them all assigned to the No.1 Squadron, were allocated to the ground attack role. With the unification of both south and northern Rhodesia in 1953, the SRAF became the Royal Rhodesian Air Force on 15th October 1954 and, by then the Vampires were already being relegated to the ground attack roles, relieving the Spitfire from its role.
On 18th December 1954 the Spitfire was officially withdrawn from service with the RRAF. Some few machines were kept as gate guards and exposition material until the 1970s.
Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Air_Force
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._237_Squadron_RAF
3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._266_Squadron_RAF
4th http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/237_wwII.html
5th http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/266_wwII.html
6th https://www.key.aero/article/rhodesian-fledglings
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