No. 178 Squadron RAF

No. 178 Squadron RAF
No. 178 Squadron ground crew preparing to load a Liberator bomber with mines
Active	15 Jan 1943 – 15 April 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto(s)	Latin: Irae emissarii (Emissaries of wrath) [1]
Insignia
Squadron badge [a] [2]

No. 178 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a bomber unit based in Egypt, Libya and Italy in World War II.

History

Formation in World War II

W.D. Wright pilot, 178 Squadron RAF, war cemetery in Kraków

The Squadron was equipped with Liberators at RAF Shandur, Egypt on 15 January 1943 and then moved to Libya, then Italy from March 1944. The squadron was actively involved in the air drop operations in support of the besieged Polish Home Army in Warsaw in 1944.

Postwar

In November 1945 the Liberators were replaced by Lancasters at Fayid, Egypt. It was disbanded upon renumbering as No. 70 Squadron RAF on 15 April 1946.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 178 Squadron RAF ^[3]

From	To	Aircraft	Variant
Jan 1943	Dec 1943	Consolidated B-24 Liberator	II
May 1943	Sep 1943	Handley Page Halifax	II
Sep 1943	Jul 1944	Consolidated B-24 Liberator	III
Jan 1944	Jan 1946	Consolidated B-24 Liberator	VI
Nov 1945	Apr 1946	Avro Lancaster	III

References

Notes

1. An erased lion holding a flash of lightning.

Citations

1. Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes . London: Routledge & K. Paul. p.  116. ISBN   0-7100-9339-X.
2. "178 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017.
3. C.G.Jefford (1988). RAF Squadrons. UK Airlife Publishing. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.

External links

• History of No.'s 176–180 Squadrons at RAF Web
• 178 Squadron history on the official RAF website