No. 640 Squadron RAF

No. 640 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

No. 640 Squadron RAF
Active	7 January 1944 – 7 May 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Bomber Squadron
Part of	No. 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1]
Base	RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire
Insignia
Squadron Codes	C8 (Jan 1944 – May 1945)[2][3]
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Handley-Page Halifax

History

No. 640 Squadron was first formed at RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire on 7 January 1944,[4] from 'C' Flight of No. 158 Squadron RAF. It was equipped with Halifax Mk.III bombers, and operated as part of No. 4 Group in Bomber Command. It re-equipped with Halifax VI bombers in March 1945, and was disbanded at RAF Leconfield on 7 May of that year.[5]

Operational Highlights

A crew from No. 640 Squadron at Leconfield taken in December 1944, with a Halifax III in the background. Photograph features: Captain F/O R.Wakeman, DFC; Navigator P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC; Bomb Aimer F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC; W/Op. F/Sgt H. Bearyman; Flt.Eng F/Sgt P/McPhie; Mid-upper Gunner F/S R.Thomas; Rear Gunner F/Sgt E.G. Humphries.

• First Operational Mission 5 Halifaxes bombed Berlin while 3 others aborted on the night from 20 to 21 January 1944
• Last Operational Mission 18 Halifaxes bombed gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge on 25 April 1945[6]

Listed below are further operational highlights for the Wakeman crew (see photograph right)[7]

Position	Name crew member	Known as
Captain	F/O R.Wakeman, DFC	Jimmy
Navigator	P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC	Reg
Bomb Aimer	F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC	Cliff
W/Op	F/Sgt. H.Bearyman	Harry
Flt.Eng.	F/Sgt. P.McPhie	Peter
Mid-upper Gunner	F/S R.Thomas	Tommy
Rear Gunner	F/Sgt. E.G.Humphries	Eric

Individual missions for the above named crew, data from[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Date (all dates are in 1944)	Off	Back	Target	Mission Detail	Bomb Load (lbs)	Individual Aircraft Code	Aircraft Serial No.
6 August	11:12	14:27	Forêt de Nieppe	V-Weapon Sites.	16×500	X
7 August	20:53	01:48	May-sur-Orne	Army Support – Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy.	9×1000	H	NA573
9 August	11:53	15:28	Le Châtellier	Chemical works.	4×500	X
10 August	20:50	03:50	Dijon	A railway junction and the railway yards.	4×500	J
11 August	18:22	22:07	Étaples	Railway bridge.	4×500	Z
15 August	09:40	13:45	Eindhoven	Airfield	4×500	B	MZ561
16 August	21:40	01:45	Kiel		4×500	B	MZ561
18 August	22:20	03:00	Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.	Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant (SBC = small bomb container)	1×2000, 4×SBC	B	MZ561
9 September	06:44	11:09	Le Havre	Abandoned – cloud.	16×500	G
11 September	05:19	09:49	Cadillac		7×1000, 6×500	K
12 September	16:15	20:50	Münster		1×2000 & Incendiary	P	MZ678
17 September	06:52	10:43	Boulogne	German positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops.	9×1000, 4×500	J	NP631
25 September	06:35	10:36	Calais	German defensive positions.	9×1000, 4×500	J	NP931
27 September	09:29	13:03	Calais	German defensive positions.	9×1000, 4×500	D	LW554
30 September	09:45	14:22	Bottrop, Ruhr.	Oil plant.	16×500	H	MZ344
6 October	14:28	19:04	Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.	Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.	16×500	J	NP931
7 October	11:45	16:03	Kleve	Army support – Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen.	9×1000, 4×500	J	NP931
15 October	00:16	05:53	Duisburg		8×1000, 5×500	K	MZ930
15 October	17:48	21:41	Wilhelmshaven		8×1000, 5×500	K	MZ930
25 October	12:09	17:51	Essen	Industrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks.	9×1000, 4×500	J	NP931
28 October	09:45	13:05	Walcheren	Gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island.	1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500	L	NP931
31 October	18:03	23:10	Cologne		1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500	G	MZ404
2 November	16:05	22:00	Düsseldorf		1×2000 & Incendiary	J	NP931
4 November	17:34	22:34	Bochum	Industrial areas, particularly the steelworks.	1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500	J	NP931
6 November	11:42	16:42	Gelsenkirchen	Nordstern synthetic-oil plant.	1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500	J	NP931
16 November	12:43	17:30	Jülich	Army support – cut communications behind the German lines.	1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500	J	NP931
21 November	17:25	23:55	Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.	Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.	16×500	J	NP931
29 November	02:26	08:22	Essen	Industrial areas, including the Krupps works.	1×2000, 16×500	J	NP931
2 December	17:35	00:07	Hagen	Industrial areas – unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries.	1×2000 & Incendiary	J	NP931
12 December	16:24	21:58	Essen	Industrial areas, including the Krupps works.	1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500	J	NP931
22 December	15:05	21:33	Bingen am Rhein	Railway yards.	1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500	J	NP931
24 December	11:17	16:42	Essen/Mülheim	Airfields.	5×1000, 8×250	J	NP931

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]

From	To	Aircraft	Version
January 1944	March 1945	Handley-Page Halifax	Mk.III
March 1945	May 1945	Handley-Page Halifax	Mk.VI

Squadron Bases

Base operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]

From	To	Name
7 January 1944	7 May 1945	RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

References

Notes

1. Delve 1994, p. 69. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDelve1994 (help)
2. Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 27. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBowyer_and_Rawlings1979 (help)
3. Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 65. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFFlintham_and_Thomas2003 (help)
4. Halley 1988, p. 443. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHalley1988 (help)
5. Jefford 2001, p. 102. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFJefford2001 (help)
6. Moyes 1976, p. 290. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMoyes1976 (help)
7. Reginald William Parr Flight Log 1944 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFReginald_William_Parr_Flight_Log1944 (help)
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/Nov.html
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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.
• Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
• 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, 1918–88. 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 Ltd., 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.
• Norman, Bill. Halifax Squadron: the Wartime Bombing Operations of No. 640 Squadron, Leconfield. Preston, Lancashire: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications, 2005. ISBN 0-9547325-1-0.
• Norman, Bill. No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron, RAF Leconfield: a Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations. Warrington, Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications, 1999. ISBN 1-900604-08-6.
• The Squadron Association no longer exists, but a Facebook group has been created for family members.See link below

External links

• History of No. 640 Squadron (broken link)
• No. 640 Squadron RAF movement and equipment history (broken link)
• Squadron histories for nos. 621–650 sqn of RAF Web (broken link)
• A Facebook group for relatives of squadron members