No. 148 Squadron RAF

No. 148 Squadron RAF
148 Squadron Halifax loaded with supplies reading for dropping to Yugoslav Partisans, at Brindisi, Italy
Active	1918-19 1937-1940 1940 1940-42 1943-46 1946-55 1956-65
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto	Trusty
Insignia
Identification symbol	Two battle axes in saltire. The battle axes were selected as being well-tried and formidable weapons.

No. 148 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has been part of the RAF since the First World War.

History

First World War

The squadron was formed at Andover Aerodrome on 10 February 1918, it moved to Ford Junction Aerodrome on 1 March 1918 where it was equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b and moved to France on 25 April 1918. It returned to the UK on 17 February 1919 and disbanded at Tangmere on 4 July 1919.^[1]

Second World War

It was reformed at RAF Scampton on 7 June 1937 with the Hawker Audax and the Vickers Wellesley and moved twice before being disbanded and merged into No. 15 Operational Training Unit on 8 April 1940.^[1]

As No. 148 (SD) Squadron it was reformed as a special duties squadron in 1943 and part of the Balkan Air Force in the Second World War. It dropped men and material behind enemy lines in the occupied countries such as Yugoslavia, Poland etc.

Cold War

No. 148 operated the Vickers Valiant nuclear bomber out of RAF Marham, Norfolk from 1 July 1956 until 1 May 1965.^[1]

Aircraft operated

Date of introduction of aircraft into 148 squadron:^[1]

1918 - Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b
1937 - Hawker Audax
1937 - Vickers Wellesley
1938 - Handley Page Heyford III
1939 - Vickers Wellington I
1939 - Avro Anson I
1940 - Vickers Wellington IC
1941 - Vickers Wellington II
1943 - Consolidated Liberator II
1943 - Handley Page Halifax II
1944 - Westland Lysander IIIA
1944 - Handley Page Halifax V
1944 - Short Stirling IV
1945 - Consolidated Liberator VI
1946 - Avro Lancaster B.1 (FE)
1949 - Avro Lincoln B.2
1956 - Vickers Valiant B1 and B(K).1
1957 - Vickers Valiant B(PR).1
1958 - Vickers Valiant B(PR)K.1

References

Citations

1 2 3 4 Jefford 1988, p. 62.

Bibliography

Jefford MBE, Wg Cdr C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 148 Squadron RAF.

Royal Air Force flying squadrons

Currently active

Inactive

Australian Flying Corps (AFC) units attached
to the RAF during the First World War

67 (1 Sqn AFC)
68 (2 Sqn AFC)
69 (3 Sqn AFC)
71 (4 Sqn AFC)

Commonwealth air force units attached to
the RAF during the Second World War

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)	400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)	450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467

Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)	485 486 487 488 489 490

Squadrons formed from non-Commonwealth
personnel during the Second World War

Argentine	164

Belgian	349 350

Czechoslovak	310 311 312 313

Dutch	320 321 322

French	326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347

Greek	13 335 336

Norwegian	330 331 332 333 334

Polish	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663

United States	71 121 133

Yugoslav	351 352

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Special Reserve	500 501 502 503 504

Auxiliary Air Force	600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616

Fleet Air Arm of the RAF (1924–1939)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.