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No. 118 Squadron RAF

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No. 118 Squadron RAF
Active1 January 1918 - 7 September 1918
20 February 1941 - 10 March 1946
10 May 1951 - 22 August 1957
1 September 1959 – 31 August 1962
CountryUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Motto(s)Latin:Occido redeoque
( "I kill and return" )[1]

No. 118 Squadronwas a squadron of the BritishRoyal Air Force.Originally formed in 1918, it served as a fighter squadron in theSecond World War,flyingSpitfiresandMustangs.It flew jet fighters as part ofRAF Germanyin the 1950s, andBristol Sycamorehelicopters in Northern Ireland before finally disbanding in 1962.

Operational history

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First World War

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The squadron was formed as No. 118 SquadronRoyal Flying CorpsatCatterick Airfield,North Yorkshire, on 1 January 1918 with the intention of becoming a night bomber unit. It received a mixture of aircraft for training, includingAirco DH.6s,Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2sandRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.2bs.[2][3]The squadron moved toNetheravonon 15 April that year, and again toBicester Airfieldon 7 August, with the intention that it would receiveHandley Page O/400heavy bombers before moving to France.[2][4]A change of plans meant that it would wait forVickers Vimysinstead of the O/400s, but the squadron received none before being disbanded on 7 September 1918.[2]

Second World War

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Supermarine Spitfire

On 20 February 1941, No. 118 reformed atRAF Filton,nearBristol,as aNo. 10 Groupfighter squadron equipped withSupermarine SpitfireMk.I fighters, soon supplementing them with Spitfire Mk.IIs.It was commanded by Flight LieutenantFrank Howell,an experienced fighter pilot. On 28 March, convoy patrols began and after moving toRAF Ibsleyin 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 theEnglish Channeland for bombing raids. On 12 February it took part in the unsuccessful attempts to intercept the German battleshipsScharnhorst,Gneisenauand heavy cruiserPrinz Eugenwhen theysailed through the Channel,escorting bombers searching for the German squadron.[6]In August 1942, the Ibsley-based fighter wing, including 118 Squadron, moved toRAF Tangmereto support theDieppe Raid.The squadron flew four missions during the day of the raid, claiming twoDornier Do 217bombers destroyed.[7]

The squadron moved toRAF Zealsin Wiltshire on 24 August and toRAF Coltishallin East Anglia on 17 January 1943, operating over Belgium, the Netherlands and theNorth Sea.[3][7]A major task was escorting the light bombers ofNo. 2 Group RAFon raids over the Netherlands, often encountering heavy German opposition. A particularly violent engagement took place on 3 May 1943, when the Spitfires of 118,167and504 Squadronsescorted theLockheed VenturasofNo. 487 Squadron RNZAFon a raid against a power station inAmsterdam.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 twoFocke-Wulf Fw 190sfor 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 toRAF Peterheadin Aberdeenshire on 20 September to carry out defensive duties over northernScotland,with a detachment at RAF Skeabrae in theOrkney Islands,moving toRAF Castletownin Caithness in October. In February 1944 the Squadron, by now equipped with more modern Spitfire IXs, moved toRAF Detlingin Kent where it became part ofSecond TAF,but on 10 March it moved back to Skeabrae, remaining in Orkney for four months.[3][10]

It moved south again in July 1944, flying escort missions over Normandy from RAF Detling until August. The Squadron moved toRAF Westhampnettin Sussex at the end of August, and toRAF Manstonin September, flying escort missions forBomber 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 atRAF Bentwaters,re-equipped with the longer-rangedNorth 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

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The squadron again reformed as a fighter-bomber squadron serving inRAF Germanyon 10 May 1951. It flewde Havilland Vampiresout ofRAF FassberginLower Saxony,close to theborderwithEast Germany.The Vampire was obsolete however, and in November 1953 the squadron receivedde Havilland Venoms.[12]Even the Venom was outdated by 1955, and so the squadron discarded its Venoms in March that year when it moved toRAF Jever,operating swept-wingHawker Huntersin the pure day-fighter role. It kept the Hunters until 22 August 1957 when it was disbanded as a result of the1957 Defence Review.[13]

On 1 September 1959, as a response to acampaign of attacksby theIRA,a detachedSearch and rescueflight ofNo. 228 SquadronatRAF Aldergroveequipped with threeBristol Sycamorehelicopters was re-designated 118 Squadron on 1 September 1959. It flew its Sycamores in support of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary(RUC), carrying out short range transport and reconnaissance missions.[13]Other duties of the squadron included experiments in traffic control.[14]On 31 August 1962, with the threat from the IRA ended by a ceasefire, the Squadron was disbanded.[13]

Aircraft operated

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Source[3]except where indicated.

References

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  1. ^Pine, L.G. (1983).A dictionary of mottoes(1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p.160.ISBN0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^abcdefThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p. 64.
  3. ^abcdeHalley 1980, p. 153.
  4. ^Delve 2006, p. 82.
  5. ^ThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, pp. 64–65.
  6. ^ThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p. 65.
  7. ^abcThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p.66.
  8. ^ThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, pp. 66–67.
  9. ^Richards 1995, pp. 240–241.
  10. ^abcdThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p. 68.
  11. ^ThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, pp. 68–70.
  12. ^abThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p.70.
  13. ^abcdThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p.71.
  14. ^Rawlings 1982, p. 102.
  15. ^ThomasAir EnthusiastJanuary/February 1998, p. 69.

Bibliography

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  • 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.ISBN1-86126-809-2.
  • Halley, James J. (1980).The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force.Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd.ISBN0-85130-083-9.
  • Rawlings, John D. R. (1982).Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft.London: Jane's Publishing.ISBN0-7106-0187-5.
  • Richards, Denis (1995).The Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War.London: Coronet.ISBN0-340-61720-9.
  • Thomas, Andrew (January–February 1998). "I Kill and Return: No 118 Squadron Royal Air Force".Air Enthusiast.No. 73. pp. 64–71.ISSN0143-5450.
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