No. 118 Squadron RAF
No. 118 Squadron RAF | |
---|---|
Active | 1 January 1918 - 7 September 1918 20 February 1941 - 10 March 1946 10 May 1951 - 22 August 1957 1 September 1959 – 31 August 1962 |
Country | Latin: Occido redeoque ("I kill and return")[1] |
No. 118 Squadron was a squadron of the British
Operational history
First World War
The squadron was formed as No. 118 Squadron
Second World War
On 20 February 1941, No. 118 reformed at RAF Filton, near Bristol, as a No. 10 Group fighter squadron equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I fighters, soon supplementing them with Spitfire Mk.IIs.It was commanded by Flight Lieutenant Frank Howell, an experienced fighter pilot. On 28 March, convoy patrols began and after moving to RAF Ibsley in April, it started to fly escort missions for anti-shipping strikes, as well as defensive patrols and fighter sweeps over northern France.[5]
The squadron re-equipped with Spitfire Mk Vbs in September 1941, continuing to fly escort for anti-shipping strikes over the English Channel and for bombing raids. On 12 February it took part in the unsuccessful attempts to intercept the German battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen when they sailed through the Channel, escorting bombers searching for the German squadron.[6] In August 1942, the Ibsley-based fighter wing, including 118 Squadron, moved to RAF Tangmere to support the Dieppe Raid. The squadron flew four missions during the day of the raid, claiming two Dornier Do 217 bombers destroyed.[7]
The squadron moved to RAF Zeals in Wiltshire on 24 August and to RAF Coltishall in East Anglia on 17 January 1943, operating over Belgium, the Netherlands and the North Sea.[3][7] A major task was escorting the light bombers of No. 2 Group RAF on raids over the Netherlands, often encountering heavy German opposition. A particularly violent engagement took place on 3 May 1943, when the Spitfires of 118, 167 and 504 Squadrons escorted the Lockheed Venturas of No. 487 Squadron RNZAF on a raid against a power station in Amsterdam. The German defences had been alerted by a fighter sweep earlier that day, and the raid was met by over 70 German fighters. Although 118 Squadron claimed two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s for the loss of one Spitfire, the escort could not keep the German fighters from the bombers of 487 Squadron, all but one of the Venturas being shot down.[8][9]
The Squadron moved to
It moved south again in July 1944, flying escort missions over Normandy from RAF Detling until August. The Squadron moved to RAF Westhampnett in Sussex at the end of August, and to RAF Manston in September, flying escort missions for Bomber Command's heavy bombers during daylight raids.[10] The short range Spitfire was not ideal for the long-range escort missions now required, and in January 1945 the squadron, by now based at RAF Bentwaters, re-equipped with the longer-ranged North American Mustang, continuing these operations until the end of the war in Europe.[11] In all it claimed 29 enemy aircraft destroyed during the war, with a further nine probably destroyed and 27 damaged.[12] On 10 March 1946, the Squadron was disbanded.[3]
Post war operations - jets and helicopters
The squadron again reformed as a fighter-bomber squadron serving in
On 1 September 1959, as a response to a
Aircraft operated
Source [3] except where indicated.
- Airco DH.6 - 1918[2]
- Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 - 1918[2]
- Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b - 1918.
- Supermarine Spitfire I - 1941[2][15]
- Supermarine Spitfire IIA - March 1941 to September 1941.
- Supermarine Spitfire VB - September 1941 to January 1944.
- Miles Martinet - at least one operated as target tug in January 1943.[7]
- Supermarine Spitfire VI - one or two operated September 1943.[10]
- Supermarine Spitfire IX - January 1944 to March 1944.
- Supermarine Spitfire V - March 1944 to July 1944.
- Supermarine Spitfire VII - March 1944.[10]
- Supermarine Spitfire IX - July 1944 to January 1945.
- North American Mustang - January 1945 to March 1946.
- De Havilland Vampire FB.5 - May 1951 to November 1953.
- De Havilland Venom FB.1 - November 1953 to March 1955.
- Hawker Hunter F.4 - March 1955 to July 1957.
- Bristol Sycamore HR.14 - September 1959 to August 1962.[13]
References
- ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ a b c d e f Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p. 64.
- ^ a b c d e Halley 1980, p. 153.
- ^ Delve 2006, p. 82.
- ^ Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p. 65.
- ^ a b c Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p.66.
- ^ Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, pp. 66–67.
- ^ Richards 1995, pp. 240–241.
- ^ a b c d Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p. 68.
- ^ Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, pp. 68–70.
- ^ a b Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p.70.
- ^ a b c d Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p.71.
- ^ Rawlings 1982, p. 102.
- ^ Thomas Air Enthusiast January/February 1998, p. 69.
Bibliography
- Delve, Ken (2006). The Military Airfields of Britain: Northern England: Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
- Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
- Rawlings, John D. R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
- Richards, Denis (1995). The Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. London: Coronet. ISBN 0-340-61720-9.
- Thomas, Andrew (January–February 1998). "I Kill and Return: No 118 Squadron Royal Air Force". ISSN 0143-5450.
External links
- http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/118squadron.cfm Official History on RAF.mod.uk
- http://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn116-120.htm No. 116–120 Squadron Histories
- http://www.rafjever.org/118squadhistory2.htm "I Kill And Return": The Story of No 118 Squadron Royal Air Force