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.

No. 103 Squadron RAF
Active1 Sep 1917 - 1 Oct 1919
10 Aug 1936 - 26 Nov 1945
30 Nov 1954 - 1 Aug 1956
1 Aug 1959 - 31 Jul 1963
1 Aug 1963 - 31 Jul 1975[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)"Swindon's 'own' Squadron" (unofficial)[2]
Motto(s)Latin: Noli me tangere[2][3]
(Translation: "Touch me not" or more modern: "Don't touch me")
Battle honoursWestern Front, 1918*
Hindenburg Line*
France & Low Countries, 1939-40*
Invasion Ports, 1940*
Fortress Europe, 1940-44*
Biscay Ports, 1941-43
Berlin, 1941-44*
German Ports, 1941-45
Baltic, 1941-45
Ruhr, 1941-45*
France & Germany, 1944-45*
The honours marked with an asterisk(*) are those emblazoned on the squadron standard.
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA swan, wings elevated and addorsed[3]
A swan was chosen because this bird is very strong on the wing and also well able to defend itself[2]
Squadron CodesGV (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)[4][5]
PM (Sep 1939 - Nov 1945)[6][7]

History

Formation in World War I
A scoreboard listing the claims for aircraft destroyed by No. 80 Wing between July and November 1918.

No. 103 Squadron was formed during the Great War as No. 103 Squadron, RFC[2] at RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire on 1 September 1917,[1] equipped with Airco DH.9 aircraft.[8]

In May 1918 the Squadron was transferred to France and flew reconnaissance and day bombing operations on the Western Front. That June, following the foundation of the Royal Air Force, the squadron became part of No. 80 Wing RAF. The Squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1919 at RAF Shotwick, Flintshire.[1][3]

Reformation

The Squadron was reformed on 10 August 1936 at RAF Andover, Hampshire as No. 103 (Bomber) Squadron, a light bomber Squadron flying biplane Hawker Hind bombers.[8] The Squadron was then posted to RAF Usworth in County Durham. In July 1938[1] 103 Squadron was re-equipped with the more advanced Fairey Battle monoplane bomber.

World War II
103 Squadron Lancaster over the German V-2 launch site at Wizernes, France
103 Squadron Sycamore over Cyprus, 1961

At the outbreak of the Second World War the Squadron was deployed to France as part of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force. On 10 May 1940 the Luftwaffe and the German Army invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Squadron was heavily committed during the Battle of France, sustaining many losses. In mid June 1940 the Squadron withdrew from France for RAF Abingdon in England. 103 Squadron was then transferred to RAF Newton near Nottingham and reverted to the control of No. 1 Group RAF, Bomber Command. In October 1940 it was re-equipped with Vickers Wellington bombers. Operations were carried out with this type on targets on mainland Europe. The Squadron moved into the new airfield at RAF Elsham Wolds in July 1941. In July 1942[1] the Wellingtons were replaced by Handley Page Halifax bombers. These were in turn replaced in late October 1942 by Avro Lancaster bombers, which 103 Squadron flew on many operations to Germany and occupied Europe for the rest of the war. During the Second World War 103 Squadron flew over 6000 operational sorties, at a high cost in both men and machines. On February 14th 1943 the Squadron was sent to bomb the city of Milan in Northern Italy, but the bomber leading the formation was hit by incendiary bombs dropped from another Lancaster over the target and crashed in the southern outskirts of the city. Some parts of the bomber were discovered in 1990 during the extension of the Milan Metro. At the conclusion of the Second World War, on 26 November 1945, the Squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to 57 Squadron.[1][2][3]

Lost Avro in Lavannes, 1943/3/10.

On jet bombers in RAF Germany

103 Squadron was subsequently reformed at RAF Gütersloh, West Germany on 30 November 1954 and was part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. During this short period the unit flew the English Electric Canberra bomber. The Squadron was however again disbanded on 1 August 1956.[1][3]

On helicopters in Cyprus

103 Squadron reformed at RAF Nicosia, Cyprus on 1 August 1959 after renumbering of 284 Squadron.[3] From then onwards it became a support unit with Bristol Sycamore HR.14 helicopters operating in search and rescue, casualty evacuation and internal security roles. 103 Squadron was disbanded on 31 July 1963 by breaking the squadron up into Nos. 1563 (at Nicosia) and 1564 (at El Adem) flights.[3][9]

In the Far East

103 Squadron itself was reformed in the Far East at RAF Seletar, Singapore on 1 August 1963 by renumbering 110 Squadron.[3] At that time it was equipped with Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopters. In 1969 the Squadron was posted to RAF Changi and subsequently moved to RAF Tengah in 1971. In November 1972 the Westland Whirlwind was replaced with the more modern and capable Westland Wessex helicopter, but three years later 103 Squadron was disbanded for the last time, on 1 August 1975 at RAF Tengah.[3][9]

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by No. 103 Squadron RAF[1][3][10]
FromToAircraftVersion
December 1917March 1919Airco DH.9
August 1936Late 1938Hawker Hind
Late 1938October 1940Fairey BattleMk.I
October 1940July 1942Vickers WellingtonMk.Ic
July 1942October 1942Handley Page HalifaxMk.II
October 1942November 1945Avro LancasterMks.I & III
November 1954August 1956English Electric CanberraB.2
August 1959July 1963Bristol SycamoreHR.14
August 1963November 1972Westland WhirlwindHAR.10
November 1972August 1975Westland WessexHC.2

Squadron bases
Memorial dedicated at former RAF Elsham Wolds to those lost on operations from no. 103 Squadron and 576 Squadron RAF
Bases and airfields used by No. 103 Squadron RAF[1][3]
FromToBaseRemarks
1 September 19178 September 1917RFCS Beaulieu, HampshireFormed here as RFC unit
8 September 191712 May 1918RFCS Old Sarum, Wiltshire
12 May 191821 October 1918Serny, France
21 October 191826 October 1918Floringhem, France
26 October 191825 January 1919Rochin, France
25 January 191926 March 1919Maisoncelle, France
26 March 19191 October 1919RAF Shotwick, Flintshire1st Disbandment
10 August 193626 February 1937RAF Andover, Hampshire
26 February 19372 September 1938RAF Usworth, County Durham
2 September 19381 April 1939RAF Abingdon, Oxfordshire
1 April 19392 September 1939RAF Benson, Oxfordshire
2 September 193928 November 1939Challerange, France
28 November 193915 February 1940Plivot, France
15 February 194016 May 1940Bétheniville, France
16 May 19404 June 1940Rhèges/Saint-Lucien Ferme
4 June 194014 June 1940Ouzouer-le-Doyen, France
14 June 194015 June 1940Sougé, France
15 June 194016 June 1940RAF Abingdon, OxfordshireAir echelon only
16 June 19403 July 1940RAF Honington, Suffolk
3 July 194011 July 1941RAF Newton, Nottingham
11 July 194126 November 1945RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire2nd Disbandment
30 November 19541 August 1956RAF Gütersloh, West Germany3rd Disbandment
1 August 195931 July 1963RAF Nicosia, Cyprus4th Disbandment
1 August 196328 March 1969RAF Seletar, Singapore
28 March 196915 September 1971RAF Changi, Singapore
15 September 197131 July 1975RAF Tengah, Singapore5th Disbandment
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References
Notes
  1. Jefford 2001, p. 57.
  2. Moyes 1976, p. 142.
  3. Halley 1988, p. 177.
  4. Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 13.
  5. Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 50.
  6. Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 82.
  7. Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 97.
  8. "No. 103 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  9. Rawlings 1982, p. 98.
  10. Moyes 1976, pp. 142-143.
Bibliography
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937-56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Charlwood, Don. No Moon Tonight. London: Goodall Publications Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-907579-06-X.
  • Finn, Sid. Black Swan: A History of 103 Squadron RAF. Newton Publishers, 1989. ISBN 1-872308-00-7.
  • Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 2nd edition 1976. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Public Record Office AIR 27 103 Squadron files.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
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