Formed in January 1941, 809 Squadron embarked in HMS Victorious and entered combat over Petsamo, shooting down four German fighters while losing three Fulmars. It continued covering Russian convoys and striking shipping around Bodø before moving to the Mediterranean for Operation Pedestal. After the Malta convoy, the unit trained in Army cooperation and surrendered one experienced flight to help create 879 Squadron. The sequence shows how a carrier fighter squadron could switch theatres and missions much faster than a simple battle-honours list suggests.
Chapter · 19:51-22:00
Fulmars from the Arctic to Operation Pedestal
809 Squadron forms with Fulmars, fights over Petsamo and Arctic convoys, and escorts the hard-fought Operation Pedestal convoy to Malta.