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
![626raf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/626raf.jpg)
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 ...
![Wickenby Memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Wickenby_Memorial.jpg)
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
]
See also
*List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
Squadron (aviation), Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, dur ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
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Further reading
* Currie, Jack. ''Lancaster Target: The Story of a Crew Who Flew from Wickenby''. Goodall Publications Ltd., 1997. .
* Smith, Ron. ''Rear Gunner Pathfinder''. Manchester, UK: Goodall Publications Ltd./Crécy, 1998. .
* Ward, Cris. ''Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles, Number 122: 626 Squadron, "To Strive and Not to Yield"''. Berkshire, UK: Ward Publishing, 1998.
* West, Dennis. ''To Strive and Not to Yield: No. 626 Squadron and the Battle of Berlin ''. Woodfield Publishing, 2002. .
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