The squadron moved to Malta and began operations over Sicily. Often they met bitter enemy resistance, and after one particularly heavy contact with Bf-109s, Focke-WuIf FW-190s and Macchi MC-202s Captain A-C. ‘Tony’ Smit belly-landed his Baltimore at the squadron base with 298 holes from bullets and flak. Captain Smit had handed out some punishment as well, he shot the canopy off one 109 with his front guns and, on its way past, his gunner, Flight-Sergeant D. Wright, poured a long burst into it as well, to send the German aircraft crashing into the sea in flames. During the invasion of Sicily the squadron flew several night interdiction raids in addition to its normal daylight operations, and this round-the-clock work continued as the squadron moved to Sicily and was plunged into the Italian campaign. After flying a total of 217 sorties from Sicily the squadron moved to the Italian mainland and settled in at the big Foggia air base on October 16, 1943. From here operations continued at a furious tempo; on one occasion Lieutenant D. G. Wood - severely wounded, two of his crew dead and the third dying - nursed his seriously damaged Baltimore back to Foggia, for which he was awarded an immediate DSO. Early 1944 found the squadron operating over three different areas, supporting the Anzio beachhead, the Monte Cassino offensive and Tito’s partisan operation in Yugoslavia. A respite came in July. However, when the squadron stood down for conversion to Marauders. By August 1944 No. 21 Squadron was back in action, bombing targets in northern Italy. It was still operating with No. 3 Wing, and on April 16,1945, the squadron’s Major Musgrove led awing box of only four aircraft on the first SAAF raid made with the new Shoran bombing aid. (Another member of the squadron, Major R. Farrant DFC, was one of only two SAAF airmen to qualify as a Category ‘A’ bombing leader during the entire war.) No.21 squadron was disbanded in Italy on September 10, 1945, but was re-formed the following year at AFS Swartkop as a bomber squadron flying Venturas. In this guise it did not last long and on January 1, 1951 it was renumbered to No. 25 Squadron but in February 1966 it was re-formed again, this time as a VIP squadron, from part of No.28 Squadron.

Equipped initially with a Viscount and three Dakotas, it received the first of a number of HS125 Mercurius aircraft from 1970, and then the Swearingen Merlins, followed by the Dassault Falcons and even Cessna Citations. The Squadron was granted unit colours in 1976 and moved to AFB Waterkloof in 1981. In recent years the Sqdn's main role is an ambassadorial one. Normally with no advanced notice the crew and aircraft can be tasked to fly virtually anywhere in the world. As South Africa is a member of the free world, the crews are constantly reviewing air navigation procedures and territorial conditions of international air travel. The Sqdn goes to great lengths to ensure an exceptionally high standard is maintained in all its activities. Job satisfaction is very high and pilots and personal rarely leaves the sqdn. One of the sqdn's best known pilots, Cmdt(now Lt Col) "Mitch" Mitchell retired after 40 years in the SAAF, with a record of 14 000 hours - a large number of these was obtained while flying with 21 Sqdn. He transported every State President since President Swart. Also a number of foreign guests like Mr Harry Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the USA, Mr Perez de Cuellar, former Secretary General of the UN and a number of other VIPs. The sqdn is also responsible for the training of hostesses through the Sqdn's Hostess School.

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