VE Day, 8 May 1945, found 605 Squadron in the Netherlands. Wg Cdr Horne had taken command of the Squadron on 17 March 1945 when the previous OC, Wg Cdr Mitchell, had been posted as missing.
The Squadron had moved from Coxyde (now Koksijde) in Belgium to Volkel airfield in the Netherlands on the 28 April. Volkel airfield had been built by the Germans during the occupation but had been heavily bombed by the allies prior to Operation Market Garden. As such, the Germans didn’t use the airfield due to the damage and destroyed any remaining facilities on their retreat.
Billeted in tents, the Squadron operated Mosquito FB6 aircraft in the Fighter/Bomber role. The last enemy aircraft shot down by the Squadron was a FW190 by Flt Lt Brian Williams and WO Stephen Hardy on 2 May 1945.
The Sqn celebrated Victory in Europe with a massive party among the local population, and the Squadron’s Mosquitoes were wisely all locked away to avoid incidents! Although Victory in Europe had been achieved, squadron members would be remembering fallen comrades and thinking about those held in Japanese Prisoner of War and Labour Camps since 1942.
605 Squadron was disbanded in situ, being subsumed into No.4 Squadron on 31 August 1945, although the phone calls received at the orderly room did not get answered if the caller asked for 4 Sqn! Volkel is currently a Royal Netherlands Airforce Base, home to their F16 Fighter Force, and No.4 Sqn flies Hawks at RAF Valley.
