No. 139 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 139 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force
Squadron that was fighter unit in World War I
and a bomber unit from World War II
until the 1960s.
was formed on 3 July 1918 at Villaverla
in Italy
and was equipped with Bristol F2b
fighter aircraft. It was disbanded on 7 March 1919.
, equipped first with Hawker Hind
s and then Bristol Blenheim
s. On 3 September 1939 a Blenheim IV of the squadron piloted by Andrew McPherson
was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast after Britain had declared war on Germany. On 4 September 1939 Nos. 110
, 107
and 139 Squadrons led the first RAF air raid of the war against German shipping near Wilhelmshaven
. In December 1939 the squadron was moved to Betheniville, France
and in May 1940 when based at Plivot
it was overrun by the German advance and lost most of its aircraft.
A Jamaica
n newspaper started a fund to buy bombers for Britain and in recognition of money raised to buy Blenheims was decided to link Jamaica with a squadron of the Royal Air Force, hence the "Jamaica" tag given to the squadron. In December 1941 the squadron converted to the Lockheed Hudson
aircraft which it operated in Burma until April 1942.
In June 1942 the squadron returned to England and re-equipped with the Blenheim V before quickly switching to the De Havilland Mosquito
at Horsham St. Faith
. It became part of the pathfinder
force in July 1943 and remained so for the remainder of the war.
B2 at RAF Hemswell
beginning in November 1952. It disbanded on 31 December 1959 and reformed again at RAF Wittering
on 1 January 1962 with the Handley Page Victor
B2, before it was finally disbanded on 31 December 1968.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Squadron that was fighter unit in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and a bomber unit from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
until the 1960s.
Formation and World War I
No. 139 Squadron Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
was formed on 3 July 1918 at Villaverla
Villaverla
Villaverla is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP349 and south of A31.-Sources:*...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and was equipped with Bristol F2b
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
fighter aircraft. It was disbanded on 7 March 1919.
Reformation and World War II
The squadron reformed on 3 September 1936 at WytonRAF Wyton
RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.In terms of organisation RAF Wyton is now part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It...
, equipped first with Hawker Hind
Hawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
s and then Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s. On 3 September 1939 a Blenheim IV of the squadron piloted by Andrew McPherson
Andrew McPherson
Flying Officer Andrew McPherson DFC was a pilot with RAF Bomber Command in World War II.He is notable for being the pilot of Bristol Blenheim bomber N6125 of No. 139 Squadron RAF, which was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast after Britain had declared war on Germany...
was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast after Britain had declared war on Germany. On 4 September 1939 Nos. 110
No. 110 Squadron RAF
-Formation and World War I:No. 110 Squadron RFC was formed on 1 November 1917, at Rendcomb, Gloucestershire and was equipped with B.E.2c aircraft. The squadron moved to Kenley the following year and re-equipped with the DH.9A - the first squadron to employ this aircraft. Its original complement of...
, 107
No. 107 Squadron RAF
No. 107 Squadron RAF was a bomber unit in the RAF in both World War I and World War II and during the Cold war was operational on Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles.-Formation and World War I:...
and 139 Squadrons led the first RAF air raid of the war against German shipping near Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
. In December 1939 the squadron was moved to Betheniville, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and in May 1940 when based at Plivot
Plivot
Plivot is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
it was overrun by the German advance and lost most of its aircraft.
A Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n newspaper started a fund to buy bombers for Britain and in recognition of money raised to buy Blenheims was decided to link Jamaica with a squadron of the Royal Air Force, hence the "Jamaica" tag given to the squadron. In December 1941 the squadron converted to the Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
aircraft which it operated in Burma until April 1942.
In June 1942 the squadron returned to England and re-equipped with the Blenheim V before quickly switching to the De Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
at Horsham St. Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith was a Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
. It became part of the pathfinder
Pathfinder (RAF)
The Pathfinders were elite squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, which a main bomber force could aim at, increasing the accuracy of their bombing...
force in July 1943 and remained so for the remainder of the war.
Post War
The squadron equipped with the English Electric CanberraEnglish Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
B2 at RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command for 20 years between 1937 and 1957 and saw most of its operational life during World War II. Later used by RAF Fighter Command as a nuclear ballistic missile base during the Cold War it closed to military use in 1967...
beginning in November 1952. It disbanded on 31 December 1959 and reformed again at RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
on 1 January 1962 with the Handley Page Victor
Handley Page Victor
The Handley Page Victor was a British jet bomber aircraft produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company during the Cold War. It was the third and final of the V-bombers that provided Britain's nuclear deterrent. The other two V-bombers were the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. Some aircraft...
B2, before it was finally disbanded on 31 December 1968.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1918 | Mar 1919 | Bristol F.2 Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft... |
b |
| Sep 1936 | Jul 1937 | Hawker Hind Hawker Hind -See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3.... |
Mk.I |
| Jul 1937 | Sep 1939 | Bristol Blenheim Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter... |
Mk.I |
| Sep 1939 | Dec 1941 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.IV |
| Dec 1941 | Dec 1941 | Lockheed Hudson Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter... |
Mk.III |
| Feb 1942 | Apr 1942 | Lockheed Hudson | Mk.III |
| Feb 1942 | Oct 1942 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.V |
| Sep 1942 | Jul 1944 | De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"... |
B.IV |
| Sep 1943 | Sep 1944 | De Havilland Mosquito | B.IX |
| Feb 1944 | Nov 1948 | De Havilland Mosquito | B.XVI |
| Nov 1943 | Sep 1945 | De Havilland Mosquito | B.XX |
| Sep 1944 | Sep 1945 | De Havilland Mosquito | B.XXV |
| Oct 1948 | Dec 1953 | De Havilland Mosquito | B.35 |
| Nov 1952 | Dec 1959 | English Electric Canberra English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957... |
B.2 |
| Jan 1962 | Dec 1968 | Handley Page Victor Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor was a British jet bomber aircraft produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company during the Cold War. It was the third and final of the V-bombers that provided Britain's nuclear deterrent. The other two V-bombers were the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. Some aircraft... |
B.2 |