No. 148 Squadron RAF

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No. 148 Squadron RAF
148 Squadron Halifax Italy WWII IWM CNA 3231.jpg
148 Squadron Halifax loaded with supplies reading for dropping to Yugoslav Partisans, at Brindisi, Italy
Active1918–19
1937–1940
1940
1940–42
1943–46
1946–55
1956–65
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg Royal Air Force
Motto(s)Trusty [1]
Insignia
Squadron badge [lower-alpha 1] [2] No. 148 Squadron RAF badge.png

No. 148 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force disbanded and re-established several times since the First World War, until its dissolution on 1 May 1965. During the Second World War, the squadron operated as a Special Duties squadron performing partisan supply missions and working closely with the Special Operations Executive for agent drop and pick-up operations.

Contents

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. On 20 May, the squadron carried out a low-altitude bombing raid on the Rumbeke airfield scoring direct hits on hangars. On the night of 4 November, it also bombed the Mons railway station. It returned to the UK on 17 February 1919 and disbanded at RAF Tangmere on 4 July 1919. [2] [3]

Second World War

Monument to the Airmen in Poland, 148 Squadron RAF Monument to the Airmen in Poland, 148 Squadron RAF.jpg
Monument to the Airmen in Poland, 148 Squadron RAF

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. [3] While at RAF Stradishall in 1938, it was converted to a night bomber unit and equipped with the Vickers Wellesley bombers from No. 99 Squadron. In 1939, it received Vickers Wellington bombers and took part in a mass flight of the Bomber Command to Bordeaux and back in July of the same year. [2]

After Italy entered into the war, RAF bomber detachments were sent to Malta to attack targets in North Africa and Italy. In December 1940, No. 148 Squadron was reformed by merging three detachments from the Nos 38, 99, and 115 Squadrons at RAF Luqa. After moving to Egypt, the squadron supported the Eighth Army in the North African campaign. Moved back to Malta in December 1942, the squadron was disbanded with its crews and aircraft being transferred to other units. [2] [4]

With the expansion of the Royal Air Force Special Duties Service, the unit was reformed in 1943 as No. 148 (Special Duties) Squadron equipped with Handley Page Halifax and Consolidated Liberator bombers. As a special duties squadron, the unit's aircraft dropped supplies to partisans in southern France, Italy, the Balkans, and Poland. Working closely with the SOE, the squadron also parachuted agents to various locations in Europe, while its flight of Westland Lysanders under the command of Peter Vaughan-Fowler did agent pick-up operations to Greece, Yugoslavia and southern France. When it was not needed for these kinds of missions, No. 148 took part in regular bombing raids. [4] [5]

After the squadron was moved to Brindisi in 1944, it assisted the No. 1586 (Polish Special Duties) Flight by supplying ammunition, fuel and aircraft, as the No. 138 Squadron could no longer supply the Polish Flight due to distance. The 1586 Special Flight remained with No. 148 until it was reformed as the No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron in November 1944. [4]

Assigned to 334 Wing of the No. 205 Group together with No. 178 Squadron, the squadron participated in the Warsaw airlift in August 1944 [6] and suffered heavy losses during this mission. The unit continued its work through the end of the war. [4]

Cold War

The squadron moved to Egypt after the war and was disbanded on 16 January 1946. Reformed in November 1946, it operated Avro Lancasters until January 1950 when the aircraft were replaced by Avro Lincolns. It was disbanded again on 1 July 1955. From 1 July 1956 until 1 May 1965, No. 148 operated the Vickers Valiant nuclear bomber out of RAF Marham, Norfolk. In October 1956, it was detached to Malta and participated in the Suez Crisis. [2] [3]

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by No. 148 Squadron [3]
FromAircraftVariant
1918 Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b
1937 Hawker Audax
1937 Vickers Wellesley
1938 Handley Page Heyford III
Mar 1939 Vickers Wellington I
Apr 1939 Avro Anson I
Dec 1940Vickers WellingtonIC
Sep 1941Vickers WellingtonII
Mar 1943 Consolidated Liberator II
Mar 1943 Handley Page Halifax II
Feb 1944 Westland Lysander IIIA
Aug 1944Handley Page HalifaxV
Nov 1944 Short Stirling IV
Mar 1945Consolidated LiberatorVI
1946 Avro Lancaster B.1 (FE)
1949 Avro Lincoln B.2
1956 Vickers Valiant B1 and B(K).1
1957Vickers ValiantB(PR).1
1958Vickers ValiantB(PR)K.1

Records from 58RSU indicate 148 Sqdn also operated Bristol Blenheims as 58RSU carried out an engine change on Blenheim Z6157 of 148 Sqdn at Maryut in July 1943, after which it was flown to Heliopolis. [7]

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by No. 614 Squadron [3] [8] [9]
FromToName
10 March 19384 September 1939 RAF Stradishall
4 September 19394 April 1940 RAF Harwell
30 April 194023 June 1940 RAF Stradishall
14 December 19409 March 1941 RAF Luqa
9 March 194119 April 1942 RAF Kabrit
19 April 194226 June 1942 LG-106
26 June 19429 August 1942RAF Kabrit
9 August 194214 November 1942LG-237
14 November 19421 December 1942LG-009
1 December 19427 December 1942LG-167
7 December 194214 December 1942RAF Luqa
14 March 19435 April 1943 RAF Gambut
5 April 19432 September 1943 RAF Derna
2 September 194331 January 1944 Tocra
31 January 194428 June 1945 Brindisi
1 July 19561 May 1965 RAF Marham

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References

Notes
  1. ↑ Two battle axes in saltire. The battle axes were selected as being well-tried and formidable weapons.

Citations

  1. ↑ Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes . London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p.  248. ISBN   0-7100-9339-X.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "148 Squadron". raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jefford 1988, p. 62.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "OPERATION: Dark of the Moon | 148 Squadron R.A.F." operationdarkofthemoon.org.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Air Gunner on board secret WWII flight identified and buried in Albania". Royal Air Force. 21 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Möller, Pieter (30 May 2019). "The Warsaw Airlift, a triumph of South African bravery". defenceweb.co.za.
  7. ↑ Operations Record Book 58RSU, National Archive, 7 Jul 1943
  8. ↑ "No. 148 Squadron (RAF): Second World War". historyofwar.org. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "No. 148 Squadron Royal Air Force". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.

Bibliography

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