No. 57 Squadron RAF

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No. 57 Squadron RAF
Active	8 June 1916 - 2002 2008 -
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto	Corpus non animum muto Latin: I change my body not my spirit
Battle honours	Western Front, 1916-1918: Amiens: France & Low Countries, 1939-1940: Norway, 1940: Channel & North Sea, 1940: Ruhr, 1941-1943: Fortress Europe, 1941-1944: Berlin, 1941-1943: Walcheren: France & Germany, 1944-1945:

No. 57 Squadron RAF is a Royal Air Force flying training squadron.

History

57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 8 June 1916 at Copmanthorpe, Yorkshire. In December 1916 the squadron was posted to France equipped with the FE2d. The squadron re-equipped with Airco DH4s in May 1917 and commenced long range bombing and reconnaissance operations near Ypres in June of that year.^{[citation needed]} It was one of the few bomber units to produce a flying ace, having two on strength. William Edward Green scored nine wins,^[1] and Arthur Thomas Drinkwater scored six victories, both in an Airco DH.4.^[2] Following the armistice the squadron was assigned to mail carrying duties before returning to the UK in August 1919 and then disbanding on 31 December of that year.^{[citation needed]}

The squadron re-formed at Netheravon on 20 October 1931 equipped with the Hawker Hart. In May 1936 the squadron converted to the Hawker Hind. At the outbreak of war the squadron was based in France equipped with Bristol Blenheims and was engaged in bombing and reconnaissance operations during the German invasion. The squadron operated from Rosières, then Poix and finally Crécy before returning to England in May 1940. After a brief stay at Wyton the squadron moved to Scotland to commence anti-shipping strikes against the coast of Norway.

The squadron moved to Feltwell in November 1940 to re-equip with the Vickers Wellington . In September 1942 the squadron moved Scampton and converted to Avro Lancasters. This was followed by a move to East Kirkby in August 1943 from where it operated for the remainder of the war until disbanding on 25 November 1945. The following day the squadron was re-formed via the re-numbering of No. 103 Squadron's Avro Lincoln flight.

In May 1951 the squadron converted to Boeing Washingtons before re-equipping with the English Electric Canberra in May 1953. The squadron disbanded on 9 December 1957.

The squadron re-formed on 1 January 1959 at Honington as part of the V-Bomber force equipped with the Handley Page Victor. In December 1965 the squadron moved Marham to take on the role of a tanker squadron, before disbanding again on 30 June 1986.

The squadron number was assigned to No. 242 OCU at Lyneham from 1 June 1992 until 14 March 2002.

The 57 Squadron plate was assigned to No. 2 Sqn, 1 EFTS as an elementary flying training squadron, this was effective from 1 October 2008.

Aircraft operated

Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
1916	Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2	BE2c
1916	Avro 504	504K
1916–1917	Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2	FE2d
1917–1919	Airco DH.4
1919	de Havilland DH.9	DH.9A
1931–1936	Hawker Hart
1936–1938	Hawker Hind
1938–1940	Bristol Blenheim	I
1940	Bristol Blenheim	IV
1940–1942	Vickers Wellington	IA, IC, II and III
1942–1946	Avro Lancaster	I & III
1945–1951	Avro Lincoln	B2
1951–1953	Boeing Washington	B1
1953–1957	English Electric Canberra	B2
1959–1966	Handley Page Victor	B1
1966–1977	Handley Page Victor	K1
1976–1986	Handley Page Victor	K2
1992–2002	Lockheed Hercules
2008-	Grob Tutor	T1

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

Endnotes

1. ^ Franks, et al, p. 66.
2. ^ Franks, et al, p. 63.

Reference

• Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. Above the War Fronts: the British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914-1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Grub Street, 1997. ISBN 1898697566, 978189869756.
• http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h57.html
• http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn056-60.htm
• G G Jefford, RAF Squadrons, second edition 2001, Airlife Publishing, UK, ISBN 1-84037-141-2.