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81
Squadron Royal Air Force Non solum nobis - 'Not for us alone' |
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Formed: 7 Jan 1917 Disbanded: 4 Jul 1918 Reformed: 1 Dec 1939 Disbanded: 15 Jun 1940 Reformed: 29 Jul 1941 Disbanded: 20 Jun 1945 (Reformed): 20 Jun 1945 Disbanded: 30 Jun 1946 Reformed: 1 Sep 1946 Squadron was based at: Gosport :: Jan 1917 - Jul 1918 RAF Leconfield :: 29 Jul 1941 - RAF Turnhouse :: Feb 1942 RAF Wellingore :: 1 Sep 1942 - 30 Oct 1942 Gibraltar :: Oct 1942 Malta :: Jun 1943 Italy India :: Nov 1943 Ceylon :: - Jun 1945 Squadron was equipped with: Hurricane :: Jul 1941 - Spitfire :: Feb 1942 - 20 Jun 1945 Thunderbolt :: 20 Jun 1945 - Sep 1946 Mosquito PR :: Sep 1946 - 15 Dec 1955 Spitfire PR :: Sep 1946 - < Apr 1954 Spitfire (ftr/recce) :: Aug 1947 - 1 Apr 1954 Meteor PR10 :: Sep 1953 - 1960 Canberra :: 1960 - Jan 1970 After an 18 month existence as a training unit at Gosport during the Great War, 81 Sqn reformed on 1 Dec 1939 by the redesignation of a Communications Squadron at Mountjoie, Amiens. After the German invasion of France it returned to England and disbanded. It reformed a year later in Jul 1941 at Leconfield with Hurricane. In September it operated the type in North Russia for a few weeks before handing them over to the Russians and returning to the UK. It was re-equipped with Spitfire in Jan 1942 which it took to the African theatre via Gibraltar, then on to India. 123 Sqn was renumbered to 81 Sqn on the same day that 81 Sqn was disbanded in Ceylon, 29 Jun 1945. The new reformation of 81 Sqn was employed in tac recce missions in Java before disbanding on 20 Jun 1945. The next formation of 81 Sqn was created by the renumbering of 684 Squadron on 1 Sep 1946. It was equipped with Mosquito and Spitfire photo recce aircraft, adding the fighter-recce Spitfire in August 1947. Although converted to Meteor PR10 from Sep 1953, 81 Sqn flew the last operational RAF Spitfire mission on 1 April 1954. They repeated this with the last Mosquito mission on 15 Dec 1955. The final type flown was the Canberra, from 1960 until disbandment on 16 Jan 1970. |
81
Sqn history on RAF site
Aviation
Heritage Lincolnshire
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