No. 127 Squadron RAF

Summary

No. 127 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the United Kingdom's Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.

No. 127 Squadron RAF
Active(RFC) 1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918
(RAF) 29 June 1941 - 30 April 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Part ofRAF Fighter Command
Motto(s)Eothen (Latin: Out of the east)[1]
AircraftGloster Gladiator
Hawker Hurricane
Supermarine Spitfire
Battle honoursWorld War II
• Home Defence
• Middle East
• Italy
• Western Desert
• Invasion of Europe
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA tarantula.
Squadron CodesHF allocated April 1939 - September 1939
EJ June 1942 - January 1943
9N April 1944 - April 1945

History edit

It was first formed as a day bomber unit in February 1918, but was disbanded on 4 July of that year without seeing service. From 29 June to 12 July 1941, the designation was assigned to a detachment of Hawker Hurricanes and Gloster Gladiators in service in Iraq before they were renumbered No. 261 Squadron. Thereafter, the designation was taken up again and the squadron who served in Egypt.

It returned to the UK for Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy) when it was equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire IX HF operating from RAF Lympne in Air Defence of Great Britain, though under the operational control of RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF).[2]

The squadron disbanded on 30 April 1945.

Notes edit

  1. ^ Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 65. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^ Delve, p. 137.

References edit

  • Ken Delve, D-Day: The Air Battle, London: Arms & Armour Press, 1994, ISBN 1-85409-227-8.

External links edit

  • "127 Squadron". Historic Squadrons. Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2017.