No. 122 Expeditionary Air Wing is a former deployable

Expeditionary Air Wing On 1 April 2006 Expeditionary Air Wings (EAWs) were formed at nine of the RAF's Main Operating Bases. Each EAW has its own identity and is led by the Station Commander, supported by his Station management team. The deployable elements of the st ...

of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

based at RAF Cottesmore,

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

, England. The current wing was established on 1 April 2006 the wing has history dating back to May 1944:

Second World War

No. 122 (Rocket Projectile) Wing within

No. 15 Sector RAF No. 15 Sector RAF is a former Royal Air Force Sector that was operational during both the First and the Second World Wars. First World War Reserve Army Wing was formed on 21 June 1916, it renamed to 15th Corps Wing RFC on 24 June 1916 it moved to ...

No. 83 Group RAF No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group is a group within the Royal Air Force, currently based at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Originally formed in 1943, during the Second World War it formed part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force (2TAF) and was known as No ...

, RAF Second Tactical Air Force was formed on 12 May 1944 at RAF Gravesend operating

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H ...

s controlling: *

No. 19 Squadron RAF Number 19 Squadron (sometimes written as No. XIX Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to operate the Supermarine Spitfire. It currently operates the UK's Control and Reporting Centre from RAF Boulmer. No. 19 S ...

* No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF * No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF The wing moved to

RAF Funtington Royal Air Force Funtington or more simply RAF Funtington is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground located in West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprise ...

on 13 May 1944 then to

RAF Ford HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire di ...

on 18 June 1944. It moved to France on 23 June 1944, going to B.2 Bazonville, B.7 Martragny, B.12 Ellon, No.24 St Andre-De-L'Eure, B.24 Beauvais and B.60 Grimbergen before moving to England and

RAF Matlaske Royal Air Force Matlaske or more simply RAF Matlaske is a former Royal Air Force satellite station to RAF Coltishall, situated near Matlaske in Norfolk, England. History There was a small aerodrome, details of which are not known, at Matlaske b ...

on 28 September 1944. Where the wing was disbanded and became

No. 150 Wing RAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...

. No. 122 Wing was reformed on 28 September 1944 at Grimbergen, it moved to B.80 Volkel, B.112 Rheine-Hopsten, B.152 Fassberg, B.160 Kastrup and finally B.166 Flensburg where the unit was disbanded on 7 September 1945.

History of No. 122 Airfield

No. 122 Airfield Headquarters was formed on 15 February 1943 at RAF Zeals, moving shortly afterwards to RAF Chilbolton on 24 February 1943. The HQ then moved to back to Zeals on 13 March 1943 and moved to

RAF Eastchurch Royal Air Force Eastchurch or more simply RAF Eastchurch (formerly RNAS Eastchurch) is a former Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the fi ...

on 4 April 1943, moving to

RAF Bognor RAF Bognor (also known as ''Bognor Advanced Landing Ground (A.L.G.)'') is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground north of Bognor, West Sussex, England. History Survey work on the site was undertaken in "mid-1942", with constructio ...

on 1 June 1943. The HQ moved to RAF Kingsnorth on 1 July 1943m then to RAF Gravesend on 20 October 1943. On 15 April 1944 it had a four day stay at

before returning to Gravesend. Finally it moved to

on 29 April 1944 and was disbanded there on 12 May 1944. Squadrons: *

(15 February 1943 to ?) * No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron RAF (1 March 1943 to 18 May 1943) replaced by No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF (18 May 1943 to 12 May 1944) * No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF (1 March 1943 to 3 May 1943) replaced by

No. 181 Squadron RAF No. 181 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a fighter-bomber unit in World War II. History Formation The squadron formed on 25 August 1942 at RAF Duxford and was supplied with Hurricane and Typhoon aircraft. The squadron ...

(3 May 1943 to 12 May 1944) *

No. 184 Squadron RAF No. 184 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron during the second world war. History No.184 Squadron was formed at RAF Colerne on 1 December 1942, as a fighter bomber unit equipped with the Hawker Hurricane. Initially, Mark IIDs with 40mm anti-ta ...

(1 March 1943 to 12 June 1943) replaced by No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF (12 June 1943 to 1 July 1943) replaced by No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF (1 July 1943 to 12 May 1944) * No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAuxAF (31 May 1943 to 13 August 1943) replaced by

(14 August 1943 to 18 August 1943) replaced by

(18 August 1943 to 12 May 1944)

Post war

The wing was reformed on 1 April 1953 at

RAF Jever The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's Air force, air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal ...

, it controlled: * No. 4 Squadron RAF * No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF *

No. 98 Squadron RAF No. 98 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I and World War II. It flew fighter-bombers post-war, and converted to fighters in 1955. Reformed as a ballistic missile unit between 1959 and 1963, its final incarnation wa ...

(1 April 1953 to 15 July 1957) *

No. 118 Squadron RAF No. 118 Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Air Force. Originally formed in 1918, it served as a fighter squadron in the Second World War, flying Spitfires and Mustangs. It flew jet fighters as part of RAF Germany in the 1950s, and Bristol ...

(6 May 1955 to 22 August 1957) It was disbanded on 1 January 1960 stil at Jever.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{RAF Wings E 122