No. 94 Squadron RAF was a unit 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) an ...

that served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The squadron has been formed a total of four times.

World War I

The squadron was formed at Harling Road on 1 August 1917 as a training unit for the

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

. Mobilised in May 1918, the Squadron moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

at the end of October with S.E.5A's, but due to the end of the war being imminent, the squadron returned to the UK, without seeing any action, in February 1919 and disbanded on 30 June 1919 at

Bramham Moor Aerodrome Bramham Moor Aerodrome, (later known as RAF Tadcaster), was a First World War era military airfield near to the village of Bramham, West Yorkshire, England. Initially a Royal Flying Corps site, on the formation of the RAF, its name was official ...

World War II

On 26 March 1939, the squadron was reformed at

RAF Khormaksar Royal Air Force Khormaksar or more simply RAF Khormaksar was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Aden, Yemen. Its motto was "Into the Remote Places". During the 1960s, it was the base for nine squadrons and became the RAF's busiest-ever station ...

as a fighter squadron for the defence of the

Aden Protectorate The Aden Protectorate ( ar, محمية عدن ') was a British protectorate in South Arabia which evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut following the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British India ...

. During April 1941, the squadron handed over operations to the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

together with its Gladiators. Moving to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, the squadron was re-equipped with

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

s in May.

As part of the Western Desert campaign and undertaking day and night defensive patrols, the squadron began ground attack missions in November. The squadron converted to Kittyhawks in February 1942 as part of its change to fighter patrols over the desert until May, when it was withdrawn from the front line to receive Hurricanes for defensive duties. In February 1944, the squadron converted to

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s, which were used on sweeps over

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, and in September the squadron moved to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. In December 1944, it provided air support for the Army during its clashes in Athens with the Communist-controlled

EAM-ELAS The Greek People's Liberation Army ( el, Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ), ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós'' (ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberat ...

guerrilla and was disbanded on 20 April 1945.

Cold War

On 15 December 1950, the squadron was reformed at

RAF Celle Celle Air Base German: ''Heeresflugplatz Celle'' is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Today the a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as a

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...

fighter-bomber squadron. The squadron was re-equipped with

Venoms Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

in January 1954 and was disbanded on 15 September 1957. The squadron was reformed again at

RAF Misson The site of the former RAF Misson, Nottinghamshire, is located south-east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and approximately south-east of the former RAF Finningley airfield. History The site was used as a bombing range by the Operational Traini ...

, near

RAF Finningley Royal Air Force Finningley or RAF Finningley was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The station straddled the historic county boundaries of both ...

, on 1 October 1960 as a

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...

air defence missile unit which disbanded on 30 June 1963.

References

External links

RAF website
{{Royal Air Force 094 094 Military units and formations established in 1917 Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II R Air defence squadrons Military units and formations in Aden in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1963