No. 616 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...

 between 1938 and 1957.
No. 616 Squadron was formed on 1 November 1938 at RAF Doncaster

RAF Doncaster

RAF Doncaster, also referred to as Doncaster Aerodrome, was a Royal Air Force station near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.- The first Aviation meeting in England :...

 and was at first allotted the role of bomber squadron, receiving 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 for that role. The role soon changed however and the squadrons first operational fighter aircraft were Gloster Gauntlet

Gloster Gauntlet

-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Crawford, Alex. Bristol Bulldog, Gloster Gauntlet. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2005. ISBN 83-89450-04-6....

 biplane fighters received in January 1939. Fairey Battle

Fairey Battle

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...

 monoplane light bombers were delivered in May 1939 for training duties to assist the squadron in preparing for re-equipment with Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

 Mk.I's in October 1939.