No. 626 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron 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 ...

from 1943 to 1945.

History

The squadron was formed on 7 November 1943 at RAF Wickenby from ''C'' Flight of No. 12 Squadron. It operated in the strategic bombing role with 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 ...

. It was disbanded on 14 October 1945, having spent the last months of the war on food droppings (

Operation Manna Operation Manna was the codeword for a World War II, Second World War operation by the British and Greek forces in Greece in mid-October 1944, following the gradual withdrawal of the Axis Occupation of Greece, German occupying forces from the c ...

) and transport duties (Operation Exodus), repatriating former prisoners of war and bringing British troops home from Italy.

First operational mission

10/11 November 1943 * 7 Lancasters bombed

Modane Modane (; ) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise National Park. It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia unti ...

Last operational mission

25 April 1945 * 14 Lancasters bombed Obersalzberg

Last mission before V.E. day

7 May 1945 * 19 Lancasters dropped supplies to the Dutch in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

The squadron flew 2,728 sorties during the Second World War for the loss of 49 aircraft.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Notable personnel

Michael Bentine Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...

– Intelligence Officer *

Colin Tapley Colin Edward Livingstone Tapley (7 May 1909 – 1 December 1995) was a New Zealand actor in both American and British films. Born in New Zealand, he served in the Royal Air Force and an expedition to Antarctica before winning a Paramount Pictur ...

– Flying Control Officer * Eric Simms – bomb-aimer * Jack Currie, Lancaster (later Mosquito) pilot, writer, broadcaster and artist * Stewart Jacques - Flight Sergeant

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Tom Bint – 626 Squadron & RAF Wickenby

626 Squadron on RAF website

{{Royal Air Force Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II

626 __NOTOC__ Year 626 ( DCXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 626 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...

Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945