No. 109 Squadron RAF

No. 109 Squadron RAF
Active	1917-1918 1940-1945 1945-1957
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto	Primi Hastati

No. 109 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Wellington VIs.

History

The squadron first formed on 1 November 1917 as 109 Squadron Royal Flying Corps at South Carlton in 1917 operating the de Havilland DH.9 until it was disbanded on 19 August 1918.

Reformed on 10 December 1940 from the Wireless Intelligence Development Unit at RAF Boscombe Down operating a variety of aircraft. The main task was to identify German radio beams and to develop methods to jam them, its secondary role was to develop wireless and radar navigation aids for Bomber Command.^[1] In 1942 the squadron moved to RAF Tempsford with the twin-engined Mosquito light bomber fitted with Oboe and operated as part of the Pathfinder Force. The first raid it led as a marker squadron was on Düsseldorf on 1 January 1943.^[1] and was fully involved with raids including the last raid on Berlin on 21 April 1945. As the war finished it used its accurate navigation equipment to help drop supplies in the Netherlands. The squadron was disbanded on 30 September 1945 at RAF Little Staughton it had carried out 5,421 operational sorties with the Mosquito with the loss of 18 aircraft.

On 1 October 1945 it was reformed at RAF Woodhall Spa still as a Mosquito unit and provided a light bomber force for Bomber Commander in the post-war years. It eventually re-equipped with Canberras and saw action in the Suez campaign. With the increase of the V-Bomber force the squadron was no longer needed and was finally disbanded on 1 February 1957 at RAF Binbrook.

Aircraft operated

^[2]

Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
1917-1918	de Havilland DH.9		Single-engined piston biplane bomber
1940-1941	Armstrong Whitworth Whitley	V	Twin-engined medium bomber
1940-1942	Avro Anson	I	Twin-engined transport and trainer
1940-1942	Vickers Wellington	I	Twin-engined medium bomber
1941-1942	Vickers Wellington	1C
1942	Vickers Wellington	I
1942	Avro Lancaster	I	Four-engined heavy bomber
1942-1945	de Havilland Mosquito	IV, IX and XVI	Twin-engined light bomber
1945-1948	de Havilland Mosquito	XVI
1948-1952	de Havilland Mosquito	B35
1952-1954	English Electric Canberra	B2	Twin-engined jet light bomber
1954-1957	English Electric Canberra	B6

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Orbis 1985,p 2876
2. ^ Jefford 1988, page 55

References

• Gunston, Bill "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Combat Aircraft of World War II" Salamander Books, Ltd. 1978 ISBN 0-89673-000-X
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 1985. 
• Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1 85310 053 6.