No. 166 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that formed just after the end of World War I. It was the first and one of only three to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500 heavy bomber.

History

The squadron was formed on 13 June 1918 at RAF Bircham Newton as the first squadron to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500 heavy bomber. Designed for the long-range bombing role and particularly for raids on Berlin the squadron worked up with training on long-range navigation. It had three aircraft ready for the first operation but with the Armistice was not flown operationally. It continued to train but the RAF had decided to use the Vickers Vimy in the long-range bombing role so the squadron was disbanded. The squadron was re-formed on 1 November 1936 at RAF Boscombe Down from B Flight of 97 Squadron with the Handley Page Heyford III heavy bomber. Within a few months it had moved into the newly opened RAF Leconfield in Yorkshire. The Heyfords were eventually replaced with the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley in June 1939. The squadron was not used for operations but became a training squadron to prepare crews for front-line service. With the start of the war the squadron moved to RAF Abingdon and it was disbanded on 6 April 1940 when it was absorbed into No. 10 Operational Training Unit. 142 Sqn and 150 Sqn were sent to North Africa but had enough surplus crews and equipment left behind at

RAF Kirmington Royal Air Force Kirmington or more simply RAF Kirmington was a Royal Air Force station located north east of Brigg, Lincolnshire and south west of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. History Second World War It took its name from the village of ...

that they were re-formed on 27 January 1943 as 166 Squadron equipped with the Vickers Wellington. It did not wait to see action and two-days after forming, on 29 January, the squadron was part of raid on Lorient. It flew regularly night sorties as part of No. 1 Group Bomber Command and converted to the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

in September 1943. At the start of 1945 with a slow down in operation the squadron flew both day and night sorties but with the end of the war the squadron was disbanded, still at Kirmington, on 18 November 1945.

Aircraft operated

Lancaster nose art Dante's Daughter 1944 IWM CE 126

Jefford 1988, page 64

Notes

References

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External links

{{RAF squadrons

166 Year 166 ( CLXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pudens and Pollio (or, less frequently, year 919 ''Ab urbe condita' ...