Number 6 Squadron, RNAS, formed on 1 November 1916 as a fighter unit but disbanded less than a year later. Number 6 (Naval) Squadron was formed on 1 November 1917 at Dover and crossed the Channel with its DH4s on 14 January 1918, receiving DH9s for bomber and reconnaissance duties the following month. With the formation of the RAF, the unit was renumbered No 206 Squadron, RAF, and almost immediately re-assigned to Army co-operation tasks with the 2nd Army. Following the Armistice, the unit remained on the continent as part of the air mail service until June 1919 when the Squadron was despatched to Helwan in Egypt. Its stay in sunnier climes was short-lived, as the unit was renumbered No 47 Squadron on 1 February 1920.
In June 1936, No 206 reformed, this time at Manston and, equipped with Ansons, provided advanced flying training for newly fledged pilots. A change to maritime patrols over the North Sea during the early days of the Second World War saw the unit in the thick of what action was available, and No 206 managed to shoot down an attacking He115 seaplane and hit a U-boat, although the latter probably survived due to the ineffectiveness of 100lb anti-submarine bombs. In early 1940, the unit converted to Hudsons and moved to St Eval to patrol the south-west approaches. Two years later, Fortress IIs arrived and No 206 moved to the Azores to provide convoy protection over a much greater area than had previously been available. The Squadron returned to the UK in April 1944 and converted to Liberators before taking up patrol duties over the Norwegian coastal areas, a task that the unit continued for the remainder of the War. With the end of the War in Europe, No 206 was tasked with the transport of freight to India and then returning home ex-POWs from the Far East until disbanded in April 1946.
The Squadron reformed with Yorks in late 1947, but fell foul of more cutbacks at the end of August 1949. In September 1952, No 206 Squadron was reformed at St Eval, and equipped with Shackletons, provided reconnaissance and rescue patrols over the western approaches until transferring to Kinloss in 1965 and the arrival of Nimrods in November 1970. Since then the unit continued its maritime tasks and operational duties across the globe until being disbanded in a ceremony at RAF Kinloss on 1 April 2005.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 206 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Liberator KL595-LB-30-A fallen to Melsbroek on 13/10/1945
The first British squadron used solely for long-range night bombing, and the first to operate Handley Page bombers, No. 207 Squadron had its origin in "B" Squadron of No 4 Wing of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), which was formed at Eastchurch, Kent, in August 1915. It crossed to Petite Synthe, France, in April 1916, and in November became No. 7 Squadron RNAS. Its duties originally consisted of fighting and day- and night-bombing for which it was equipped with Nieuport two-seaters, Sopwith 11/2-Strutters, Caudron G4 twin-engined bombers and Short single-engined bombers.
At the beginning of April 1917, by which time the Nieuports and Caudrons had been disposed of, No. 7 (Naval) Squadron moved to Coudekerque and amalgamated with a RNAS Handley Page 0/100 unit which was being formed there, but retained it's title. About the same time the 11/2-Strutters were handed to another squadron, leaving No. 7 (Naval) Squadron with a mixture of Shorts and 0/100s which it operated until June when the Shorts were retired. During April and May the squadron made a series of night raids on Ostend as part of the counter-bombing offensive against the increased activity of German seaplane units at Ostend and Zeebrugge. In addition to night bombing, its 01/00s flew daylight coastal patrols against the German Fleet. The squadron also played a valuable part, in the summer of 1917, in the counter-measures against German air bases from which the daylight raids on England originated. During August and September 1917, it attacked enemy rail centres and dumps to interrupt the transport of reserves and munitions to the Ypres sector.
One flight of No. 7 (Naval) Squadron crossed to England early in September 1917, and flew inshore anti-submarine patrols off the North Yorkshire coast from Redcar. After about a month this flight moved to Manston where it formed the nucleus of "A" Squadron, which later became No. 16 (Naval) Squadron and, later still, No. 216 Squadron, RAF...
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 207 squadron was involved:
* Crash of of Manchester L7312-EM-L fallen to Horendonk on 13/10/1941
*¨Crash of Lancaster W4171-EM-J fallen to Mol on 27/04/1943
* Crash of Manchester L7373-EM-T fallen to Beverlo on 14/10/1941
* Crash of Lancaster LL973-EM-M fallen to Dorne on 22/06/1944
* Crash of Manchester L7321-EM-D fallen to Hozémont on 14/10/1941
* Crash of Lancaster NE168-EM-F fallen to Houffalize on 5/01/1945
* Crash of Lancaster ME683 EM-W fallen to Meeuwen on 22/06/1944
The squadron was reformed on 8 March 1937 flying Gloster Gauntlet IIs, converting to Hawker Hurricanes in January 1939 and flew throughout the war. It participated as part of the British Expeditionary Force; then at Dunkirk; the Battle of Britain and finally in the Middle East as part of the Desert Air Force. It also flew Supermarine Spitfires and North American Mustangs.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 213 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Hurricane P3354-AK-E fallen to Knokke-Heist on 28/05/1940
* Crash of Hurricane P3419-AK-A fallen off the Belgian coast on 31/05/1940
214 squadron was next resurected in 1935 at Boscombe Down as a bomber squadron again. Later it arrived at the newly built Feltwell airbase from Scamton on April 13th 1937. From here it flew Harrows from April 1937 to July 1939 but began switching to Wellington I's in May 1939. The squadron then moved to Feltwell satellite station, Methwold in Sept 1939 and remained there untill moving to Stradishall in Feb 1940. It is interesting to note that Methwold was nothing more than a field with some tents at the time. 214 squadron officially entered the war on June 14, 1940 flying Wellingtons and the first raid was a fire raising attack on German forests by 2 Wellingtons on 14/15 June 1940.
In September 1941 the squadron was honoured by being adopted by the British Malayan Federation and had "Federated Malay States" officially incorporated in its title. The FMS put up the funds to raise the squadron and equip it.
For the most part of the Second World War the squadron served in No. 3 Group and over this period flew some of the bloodiest missions of the war against naval, industrial and other targets in Europe. Many never returned. The 214 provided completely unbroken service throughout the war in Bomber command (though not on Ops for first nine months) and had the highest percentage of losses of 3 Group. It also played an active role in Gardening or minelaying operations...
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 214 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Wellington T2992-BU fallen to Genk on 7/07/1941
* Crash of Wellington L7843-BU fallen to Namur on 28/09/1940
* Crash of Stirling R9350-BU-T fallen to Bomal on 17/09/1942
* Crash of Wellington Z1148-BU-L fallen to Overrepen on 15/04/1942
* Crash of Wellington Z1052-BU fallen to Middelkerke on 1/04/1942
* Crash of B-17 HB763-BU-T fallen to Darmsadt on 26/08/1944
No. 218 Squadron was formed at Dover, Kent, on 24th April 1918, and about a month later went to France as a day-bomber squadron equipped with DH9 aircraft. It joined the 5th Group, working under the Dover-Dunkirk Naval Command, and during five months of operations made 117 raids on enemy targets in Belgium and France, dropped 94 tons of bombs and claimed the destruction of 38 enemy aircraft in air combat, Disbanded in 1919, the squadron was re-formed in 1936 and became one of the comparatively few bomber squadrons to serve continuously through the war against Nazi Germany.
No. 218 Squadron flew to France on 2nd September 1939, and made valuable reconnaissance flights and leaflet raids in Battle aircraft in the early days of the war. In June 1940, after having hindered the German advance into France by bombing the enemy's lines of communications and troop concentrations (and having suffered heavy casualties in the process) it was evacuated to England to be re-equipped with Bristol Blenheim medium-range bombers. Five months later, when it was equipped with Wellington long-range aircraft, it became a heavy-bomber squadron. Its targets were of the widest variety - from industrial centres, railways, Noball (V-weapon) sites and gun batteries, to the Channel ports, oil and petrol installations, and concentrations of troops and armour. The squadron was re-equipped with Stirling four-engined bombers (the first of the real "heavies") beginning in December 1941 - three months after His Excellency the Governor of the Gold Coast and the peoples of the Gold Coast territories officially adopted the squadron - and the Stirlings were, in turn, replaced by Lancasters in the summer of 1944.
Immediately before the German capitulation in May 1945, when the heavy bombers' offensive ceased, the Gold Coast squadron dropped food supplies to the starving Dutch people, and subsequently its aircraft were busily employed ferrying liberated POWs to England from the Continent.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 218 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Stirling BK712-HA-G fallen to Aarschot on 22/06/1943
* Crash of Stirling BF501-HA-N fallen to Kaggevine 24/06/1943
* Crash of Stirling BK688-HA-A fallen to Schaffen on 30/05/1943
* Crash of Stirling N3714-HA-Q fallen to Sterrebeek on 2/09/1942
* Crash of Battle P2326-HA fallen to Saint-Vith on 11/05/1940
* Crew of Battle K9353-HA-J fallen to Bouillon on 12/05/1940
* Crash of Lancaster PB768-XH-B fallen to Gembloux on 1/01/1945
* Crash of Stirling W7562-HA-R fallen to Thynes on 24/08/1942
* Crash of Lancaster PD252-HA-D fallen to Henri-Chapelle on 13/08/1944
* Crash of Stirling BF565-HA-H fallen to Kettenis on 29/05/1943
* Crash of Lancaster LM187-XH-H fallen to Grez-Doiceau
No 219 Squadron was formed in August 1918 at Westgate from units of the seaplane station there and at nearby Manston. No 442 Flight flew seaplanes from Westgate while Nos 555 and 556 Flights used DH9s at Manston, covered by No 470 Flight's Camels. On 7 February the squadron was disbanded.
On 4 October 1939, No 219 was reformed at Catterick with Blenheim fighters for shipping protection duties and became operational on 21 February 1940. It soon became fully employed on night patrols and based detachments at various points for night defence. In October 1940, the squadron moved south to protect London and began to convert to Beaufighters.
It was June 1942 before it returned north, where it remained until leaving for North Africa in May 1943. It stationed detachments to protect ports and bases in Algeria and Tunisia and in September sent aircraft to Sicily for local defence. In January 1944, No.219 left for the UK and joined second TAF with Mosquitoes. Intruder patrols were flown over France and the low countries and covered the Normandy beaches after D-day. In October 1944 the squadron moved to France for the rest of the war, returning to the UK in August 1945, where it disbanded on 1 September 1946.
No.219 reformed on 1 March 1951 at Kabrit as a night fighter squadron in Egypt. It replaced its Mosquitoes with Meteors in 1953 and disbanded on 1 September 1954, when its aircraft left for the UK. On 5 September 1955, No.219 reformed at Driffield with Venom NF.2 all weather fighters, disbanding again on 31 July 1957.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 219 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Mosquito MM705 fallen to Holsbeek on 26/12/1944
On 5 October 1939 No. 222 Squadron was reformed at RAF Duxford flying Blenheim Mk.If's in the shipping protection role, but in March of the following year it re-equipped with Spitfires and became a day-fighter unit. It fought during the Battle of Britain, being based at RAF Hornchurch on 15 September 1940, under Squadron Leader "Johnnie" Hill.
It later took part in Operation Jubilee, the 1942 Dieppe raid. In December 1944 the squadron converted to Tempests, which it flew until the squadron was recalled to the UK to re-equip with Meteors.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 222 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Spitfire N3232-ZD fallen off the Belgian coast on 1/06/1940
In the spring of 1917 No.6 Wing, RNAS was established at Otranto, Southern Italy, as part of the organisation designed to combat submarine activity in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. The units comprising the wing had no separate identity until the formation of the Royal Air Force in April 1918. No. 6 Wing was then expanded to form Nos. 66 and 67 Wings under the Adriatic Group. The units were reorganised into squadrons and the bombing unit
equipped with DH4s and, operating from Pizzone aerodrome, Taranto, was designated No. 226 Squadron (No. 67 Wing).
The work of the squadron during the summer of 1918 consisted mainly of anti-submarine patrols, reconnaissance of the enemy coast and the bombing of Austrian submarine bases. DH9s gradually replaced the DH4s and, from August onwards, considerable attention was paid to the bombing of enemy lines of communication...
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 226 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Boston AL685-MQ-Z fallen to Middelkerke on 22/09/1942
* Crash of Boston Z2249-MQ-D fallen to Raversijde on 27/04/1942
No. 229 Squadron RAF was formed on 20 August 1918 at Great Yarmouth. It was made up from Nos 428, 429, 454 and 455 Flights of the Royal Naval Air Service. The squadron's role was to fly coastal patrols. It continued with this until the end of the war and was officially disbanded on 31 December 1919.
On 6 October 1939, 229 Sqn was reformed at RAF Digby as a Fighter squadron and was equipped with Blenheims for a role protecting shipping. The squadron began convoy patrols on 21 December but also carried out night training and radar trials. In March 1940, the squadron was re-equipped with Hurricanes and soon after the German invasion of France in May 1940, sent one flight to reinforce the French-based fighter squadrons for eight days during the Battle of France. After flying defensive patrols over the East Coast, No 229 moved to RAF Northolt in September and remained there for the rest of the Battle of Britain. ACM (then Sqn Ldr) Frederick Rosier was a flight commander on the squadron during this time.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 229 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Hurricane L1802 fallen to Mons on 17/05/1940
No. 233 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that operated from 1918–1919, 1937–1945, 1952–1957 and 1960–1964. The squadron was formed from several Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) flights and took part in the tail end of World War I before being disbanded. The squadron was reformed with the advent of World War II. At first No. 233 Squadron flew general reconnaissance patrols before being tasked with transportation duties just prior to D-Day. Shortly after World War II the squadron was again disbanded, to be reformed once more in 1960. No. 233 Squadron was finally disbanded in 1964
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 233 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Liberator TT336-6C-R fallen to Meerhout on 14/01/1945
No 234 Squadron was formed in August 1918 from Nos 350, 351, 352 and 353 Flights at the seaplane station at Tresco, Isles of Scilly, and flew anti-submarine patrols over the approaches to the English Channel until the Armistice, disbanding on 15 May 1919.
On 30 October 1939, No 234 was reformed at Leconfield as a fighter squadron. Originally intended for shipping protection duties, it flew a mixture of Blenheims, Battles and Gauntlets until March 1940, when it began to receive Spitfires, becoming operational on 11 May. Throughout the Battle of Britain, it was based in southern England and in April 1941 began sweeps over northern France. These continued between defensive patrols until January 1943, when it moved to the Orkney Islands, returning south in June. After covering the invasion beaches in Normandy, No.234 converted to Mustangs and began long range escort missions from East Anglia. A few days before the end of the war, the squadron moved to northern Scotland to escort strike Wings operating along the Norwegian coast, but returned to East Anglia in July to convert to Spitfires. These were flown until replaced by Meteors in February 1946, but on 1 September 1946 the squadron was renumbered 266 Squadron.
On 1 August 1952, No.234 reformed at Oldenburg as a Vampire ground attack squadron in Germany. In November 1953, it received Sabres for day fighter duties and replaced these with Hunters in May 1956. On 15 July 1957, the squadron was disbanded.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 234 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Mustang FB115 fallen to Vaalbeek on 7/02/1945
On 18 September 1940, the squadron reformed at RAF Hatfield from a flight each of No. 16 and No. 225 squadrons. The squadron began with Westland Lysanders, and then later re-equipped with Curtiss Tomahawks and Hawker Hurricanes. The squadron converted to North American P-51 Mustangs in May 1942 and began ground attack and reconnaissance operations over Northern France, which lasted till August 1943, the squadron also taking part in the air cover during the Dieppe Raid.
In September 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Ayr to train as a night fighter unit, and re-equipped with the de Havilland Mosquito. It then moved to RAF West Raynham to join No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group, participating in night time operations against enemy fighters. On 27 October 1944 during fighter affiliation training with No. 49 Squadron RAF, a Mosquito piloted by F/Lt J.H.Roberts and accompanied by Flight Engineer Sgt. A.M.Ashcroft, stalled and crashed in Stapleford Woods, Lincolnshire, with the immediate death of both pilot and passenger.
The squadron disbanded on 1 July 1945
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 239 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Mustang AG472 fallen to Oostende on 14/08/1942
No. 242 Squadron was formed on 15 August 1918[3] from the numbers 408, 409 and 514 Seaplane Flights at Newhaven Seaplane Base, and continued using the Short 184 from there and the nearby airfield at Telscombe Cliffs on anti-submarine patrols over the English Channel until the end of the First World War.
In World War II, the squadron was reformed at RAF Church Fenton on 30 October 1939[5] with Canadian personnel. At first using the Bristol Blenheim and Fairey Battle, it converted to the Hawker Hurricane in February 1940.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 242 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Hurricane Z4001 fallen to Zeebrugge on 26/08/1941
* Crash of Hurricane L1746 fallen in Belgium on 28/05/1940
No 247 Squadron was formed on 20 August 1918 from Nos 336, 337 and 338 Flights at the former Royal Naval Air Station, Felixstowe, and for the remaining months of the war its flying boats flew patrols over the North Sea. On 22 January 1919 the squadron disbanded.
On 21 July 1940, the Fighter Flight, Sumburgh, was transferred to Roborough for the defence of Plymouth and became 247 Squadron on 1 August. It flew Gladiators on defensive patrols, mainly at night until they were replaced by Hurricanes at the end of the year. Convoy patrols and day and night air defence of the area occupied the squadron until September 1941, when it began intruder missions over north-west France with longe-range Hurricanes IIBs. It remained in south-west England until September 1942 when it moved to the Midlands and in January 1943 began to convert to Typhoons.
Joining the newly formed Second TAF during the summer of 1943, No.247 took part in sweeps over northern France and in April 1944, took a course in rocket firing in preparation for its Army support during the invasion. On 20 June it began to operate from airstrips in Normandy and followed the breakout to reach the Netherlands by the end of September. Armed reconnaissance sweeps were flown over Germany for the rest of the war, the main targets being enemy transport, railways and barges. On 13 April 1945, the squadron moved to its first German base and remained in Germany until transferred back to the UK in August to convert to Tempests IIs. It did not have these for long before it was selected to be the first Vampire squadron in March 1946, and in June No.247 moved to Odiham, its home base for next eleven years. In April 1952 re-equipment with Meteors began and these gave place to Hunters fron June 1955. On 31 December 1957, the squadron was disbanded.
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Sources: Royal Air Force
Crash in which the 247 squadron was involved:
* Crash of Typhoon JP583 fallen to Poteau on 24/12/1944
* Crash of Typhoon MN399-ZY-M fallen in Germany on 31/12/1944
