No. 166 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 166 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force
squadron that formed just after the end of World War I
. It was the first and one of only three to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500
heavy bomber.
as the first squadron to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500
heavy bomber. Designed for the long-rang bombing role and particularly for raids on Berlin the squadron worked up with training on long-range navigation. It had three aircraft ready for the first operation but with the Armistice was not flown operationally. It continued to train but the RAF had decided to use the Vickers Vimy
in the long-range bombing role so the squadron was disbanded.
The squadron was re-formed on 1 November 1936 at RAF Boscombe Down from B Flight of 97 Squadron
with the Handley Page Heyford III
heavy bomber. Within a few months it had moved in to the newly opened RAF Leconfield
in Yorkshire. The Heyfords were eventually replaced with the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
in June 1939. The squadron was not used for operations but became a training squadron to prepare crews for front-line service. With the start of the war the squadron moved to RAF Abingdon
and it was disbanded on 6 April 1940 when it was absorbed into No. 10 Operational Training Unit.
No. 142
and 150 Squadron
s were sent to North Africa but had enough surplus crews and equipment left behind at RAF Kirmington
that they were re-formed on 27 January 1943 as 166 Squadron equipped with the Vickers Wellington
. It did not wait to see action and two-days after forming, on the 29 January, the squadron was part of raid on Lorient. It flew regularly night sorties as part of No. 1 Group Bomber Command and converted to the Avro Lancaster
in September 1943. At the start of 1945 with a slow down in operation the squadron flew both day and night sorties but with the end of the war the squadron was disbanded, still at Kirmington, on 18 November 1945.
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 formed just after the end of 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...
. It was the first and one of only three to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500
Handley Page V/1500
-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Bowyer, Chaz. Handley Page Bombers of the First World War. Bourne End, Bucks, UK:Aston Publications, 1992. ISBN 0-946627-68-1.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an...
heavy bomber.
History
The squadron was formed on 13 June 1918 at RAF Bircham NewtonRAF Bircham Newton
RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:...
as the first squadron to be equipped with the Handley Page V/1500
Handley Page V/1500
-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Bowyer, Chaz. Handley Page Bombers of the First World War. Bourne End, Bucks, UK:Aston Publications, 1992. ISBN 0-946627-68-1.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an...
heavy bomber. Designed for the long-rang bombing role and particularly for raids on Berlin the squadron worked up with training on long-range navigation. It had three aircraft ready for the first operation but with the Armistice was not flown operationally. It continued to train but the RAF had decided to use the Vickers Vimy
Vickers Vimy
The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the First World War and post-First World War era. It achieved success as both a military and civil aircraft, setting several notable records in long-distance flights in the interwar period, the most celebrated of which was the first non-stop...
in the long-range bombing role so the squadron was disbanded.
The squadron was re-formed on 1 November 1936 at RAF Boscombe Down from B Flight of 97 Squadron
No. 97 Squadron RAF
No. 97 Squadron, was a Royal Air Force squadron formed on December 1, 1917 at Waddington, Lincolnshire, first as a training unit, until moving to Netheravon in March 1918, and re-equipping with the Handley Page O/400 heavy bomber. The squadron served in France for the remainder of the war...
with the Handley Page Heyford III
Handley Page Heyford
The Handley Page Heyford was a twin-engine British biplane bomber of the 1930s. Although it had a short service life, it equipped several squadrons of the RAF as one of the most important British bombers of the mid-1930s, and was the last biplane heavy bomber to serve with the RAF.-Design and...
heavy bomber. Within a few months it had moved in to the newly opened RAF Leconfield
RAF Leconfield
The former RAF Leconfield, or 'Leconfield Camp' was a Royal Air Force airbase in Leconfield , East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site is now used by the MoD Defence School of Transport Leconfield .-History:...
in Yorkshire. The Heyfords were eventually replaced with the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War...
in June 1939. The squadron was not used for operations but became a training squadron to prepare crews for front-line service. With the start of the war the squadron moved to RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps....
and it was disbanded on 6 April 1940 when it was absorbed into No. 10 Operational Training Unit.
No. 142
No. 142 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 142 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at RFC Ismailia, Egypt in 1918, flying a mixed bag of reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. On the formation of the Royal Air Force, on 1 April 1918, 142 Squadron was at RFC Julis in Palestine, becoming No. 142 Squadron RAF...
and 150 Squadron
No. 150 Squadron RAF
No. 150 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during both World War I and World War II.The squadron was reformed - as 150 Sqn. - on 8 January 1959 as one of 20 Strategic Missile squadrons associated with Project Emily...
s were sent to North Africa but had enough surplus crews and equipment left behind at RAF Kirmington
RAF Kirmington
RAF Kirmington was a Royal Air Force Bomber Command station in North Lincolnshire during World War II.It took its name from the village of Kirmington nearby; the most notable squadron based there was 166 Squadron and a memorial plaque to the members of that unit is in the parish church.-After World...
that they were re-formed on 27 January 1943 as 166 Squadron equipped with the Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. It did not wait to see action and two-days after forming, on the 29 January, the squadron was part of raid on Lorient. It flew regularly night sorties as part of No. 1 Group Bomber Command and converted to the Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
in September 1943. At the start of 1945 with a slow down in operation the squadron flew both day and night sorties but with the end of the war the squadron was disbanded, still at Kirmington, on 18 November 1945.
Aircraft operated
| Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War... |
Biplane fighter | |
| 1918 | Handley Page V/1500 Handley Page V/1500 -See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Bowyer, Chaz. Handley Page Bombers of the First World War. Bourne End, Bucks, UK:Aston Publications, 1992. ISBN 0-946627-68-1.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an... |
Biplane heavy bomber | |
| 1936-1939 | Handley Page Heyford Handley Page Heyford The Handley Page Heyford was a twin-engine British biplane bomber of the 1930s. Although it had a short service life, it equipped several squadrons of the RAF as one of the most important British bombers of the mid-1930s, and was the last biplane heavy bomber to serve with the RAF.-Design and... |
III | Biplane heavy bomber |
| 1939-1940 | Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Armstrong Whitworth Whitley The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War... |
I and III | Twin-engined medium bomber |
| 1943 | Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... |
III and X | Twin-engined medium bomber |
| 1943-1945 | Avro Lancaster Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other... |
I and III | Four-engined heavy bomber |