No. 550 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 550 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force
during World War II
.
), Lincolnshire
on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 100 Squadron
. Equipped with Avro Lancaster
s, they began operating in the same month, as part of No. 1 Group RAF
. On November 26/27, 8 of their Lancasters were dispatched to make bombing runs over Berlin
; 7 succeeded, with the other failing to return after the mission. In early 1944, it was moved to RAF North Killingholme
, Lincolnshire where it continued operations over German targets until May 1945, when it began dropping food over the Netherlands as relieve effort. The squadron completed 3,582 operational sorties with the Lancaster with a loss of 59 aircraft. It was disbanded at North Killingholme on 31 October 1945., the same day that North Killinghome closed.
under 'Operation Banquet' anti-invasion plans.
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...
during 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...
.
History
No. 550 squadron was formed at RAF Waltham (near GrimsbyGrimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
), Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
on 25 November 1943 from 'C' Flight of 100 Squadron
No. 100 Squadron RAF
No. 100 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK, and operates the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk.-World War I:No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk as the Royal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and...
. Equipped with 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...
s, they began operating in the same month, as part of No. 1 Group RAF
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
. On November 26/27, 8 of their Lancasters were dispatched to make bombing runs over Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; 7 succeeded, with the other failing to return after the mission. In early 1944, it was moved to RAF North Killingholme
RAF North Killingholme
RAF North Killingholme is a former Royal Air Force station in England, used during the later years of World War II. It was located just to the west of the village of North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire....
, Lincolnshire where it continued operations over German targets until May 1945, when it began dropping food over the Netherlands as relieve effort. The squadron completed 3,582 operational sorties with the Lancaster with a loss of 59 aircraft. It was disbanded at North Killingholme on 31 October 1945., the same day that North Killinghome closed.
Operation Banquet
Before standing up as an operational bomber unit 550 Squadron was allocated to the Air Fighting Development UnitAir Fighting Development Unit
The Air Fighting Development Unit was an air technical intelligence part of the Royal Air Force which developed operational tactics and tested captured enemy aircraft. It was based at Royal Air Force Stations at Northolt, Duxford and Wittering....
under 'Operation Banquet' anti-invasion plans.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1943 | October 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... |
Mks.I, III |
Notable aircraft
Three of the Lancasters that flew with 550 squadron managed to survive one hundred operations or more, and one nearly did so:| Serial no. | Name | Operations | Call-sign | Fate | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE139 | "Phantom of the Ruhr" | 121 | BQ-B | Scrapped 19-02-1946 | Also flew with No. 100 Squadron RAF No. 100 Squadron RAF No. 100 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK, and operates the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk.-World War I:No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 at Hingham in Norfolk as the Royal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and... . Current Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane... Lancaster flies BQ-B call-sign. |
| PA995 | "The Vulture Strikes" | 101 | BQ-V | Failed to return, 11-03-1945 | Flew all missions with 550 Squadron |
| ED905 | "Ad Extremum/Press on Regardless" | 100+ | BQ-F | Crashed 20-08-1945 with No. 1656 Conversion Unit | Also flew with No. 103 Squadron RAF No. 103 Squadron RAF No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-Formation in World War I:... and No. 166 Squadron RAF No. 166 Squadron RAF 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.-History:... |
| W5005 | "SS-Nan" | 94 | BQ-N | Ditched in Humber estuary 26/27-08-1944 | Also flew with No. 460 Squadron RAF |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 1943 | 3 January 1944 | RAF Waltham, Lincolnshire Lincolnshire Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders... |
| 3 January 1944 | 31 October 1945 | RAF North Killingholme RAF North Killingholme RAF North Killingholme is a former Royal Air Force station in England, used during the later years of World War II. It was located just to the west of the village of North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire.... , Lincolnshire |