No. 106 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 106 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1919. It was also operative during World War II and in the post war period until 1963.
, at Andover, Hampshire, on 30 September 1917. It was initially intended to be a corps reconnaisaance squadron but after training in May 1918 it was not sent to the Western Front but to Ireland to help with the developing troubles there. It served in Army co-operation and policing roles for 18 months before being disbanded at Fermoy
, on 8 October 1919. The squadron next appeared in June 1938, when it was re-formed as No 106 (Bomber) Squadron.
s, it began to receive Battle
s the following month but these actually left the squadron before the Hinds, in June 1939 due to the fact the squadron was to be a No 5 Group
unit and this group was to be equipped with Hampden
s, which began to arrive in May 1939 together with Anson
s to assist in the conversion process.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron was flying Hampdens with No. 5 Group in a training role which continued up until 1 March 1941 when it reverted to front-line status and began regular night bombing operations against Fortress Europe, flying its first bombing raid on raid on Cologne, although it had taking part in some mine laying prior to that.
After a short spell in early 1942 with Manchesters
, from May 1942 No 106 started replacing them with Lancasters
(but it did not become converted completely to Lancasters before some of the squadron's Manchesters had participated in the 1,000-bomber raids on Cologne
, Essen
and Bremen
). In October it contributed 10 Lancasters to No. 5 Group's low level epic dusk raid ("Operation Robinson") on Le Creusot
and two more (one of them piloted by Wing Commander
Guy Gibson
who was then No 106's CO) to the subsidiary raid on Montchanin. In 1943 it took part in the first "shuttle-bombing" raids (when the targets were Friedrichshafen
and Spezia
) and the famous attack on Peenemunde
. Among the targets attacked in 1944 were a coastal gun battery at St. Pierre du Mont and the V1 storage sites in the caves at St. Leu d'Esserent. In December 1944, it made a 1,900-mile round trip to bomb the German Baltic Fleet at Gdynia
, while in March 1945, it was represented in the bomber force that so pulverised the defences of Wesel
just before the Rhine crossing
that Commandos were able to seize the town with only 36 casualties. In April 1945, came the last of the squadron's operations against the enemy - a bombing attack on an oil refinery at Vallo (Tonsberg) in Norway, and a simultaneous minelaying expedition to the Oslo fjord.
During the Second World War No 106 Squadron operated on 496 nights and 46 days, flying 5,834 operational sorties. In so doing it lost 187 aircraft - a percentage loss on sorties flown of 3.21 - but on the credit side its gunners claimed 20 enemy aircraft destroyed, 3 probably destroyed and 29 damaged. A total of 267 decorations were won by the squadron, including a Victoria Cross
awarded to Sergeant NC Jackson
for conspicuous bravery during an attack on Schweinfurt
on 26/27th April 1944.
After VE-Day, 467 Sqn RAAF
arrived at RAF Metheringham
to train with 106 Sqn for operations in the Far East but the end of the war overtook this plan and the squadron was used to fly POW's and troops home, principally from Italian bases until it finally disbanded at Metheringham , on 18 Feb 1946.
. The squadron was equipped with three Thor
Intermediate range ballistic missiles. and based at RAF Bardney
.
In October 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis
, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in the USSR.
The squadron was disbanded on 24 May 1963, with the termination of the Thor Program in Britain.
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| May 1918
| January 1919
| Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
|
|-
| January 1919
| October 1919
| Bristol F2B Fighter
|
|-
| June 1938
| July 1938
| Hawker Hind
|
|-
| July 1938
| June 1939
| Fairey Battle
|
|-
| May 1939
| September 1939
| Avro Anson
| Mk.I
|-
| May 1939
| March 1942
| Handley Page Hampden
|
|-
| March 1942
| June 1942
| Avro Manchester
|
|-
| May 1942
| February 1946
| Avro Lancaster I & III
| Mk.I & III
|-
| July 1959
| May 1963
| Thor IRBM
|
Line drawings of aircraft operated
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|-
| October 1938
| September 1939
| RAF Thornaby
|
|-
| August 1939
| September 1939
| RAF Evanton
| Detached here in Aug 1939 and moved, early in Sep 1939
|-
| September 1939
| October 1939
| RAF Cottesmore
|
|-
| October 1939
| February 1941
| RAF Finningley
|
|-
| February 1941
| September 1942
| RAF Coningsby
|
|-
| September 1942
| November 1943
| RAF Syerston
|
|-
| November 1943
| Febrauary 1946
| RAF Metheringham
|
Establishment and early service
Formed as No 106 Squadron, RFCRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, at Andover, Hampshire, on 30 September 1917. It was initially intended to be a corps reconnaisaance squadron but after training in May 1918 it was not sent to the Western Front but to Ireland to help with the developing troubles there. It served in Army co-operation and policing roles for 18 months before being disbanded at Fermoy
Fermoy
Fermoy is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated on the River Blackwater in the south of Ireland. Its population is some 5,800 inhabitants, environs included ....
, on 8 October 1919. The squadron next appeared in June 1938, when it was re-formed as No 106 (Bomber) Squadron.
Reformation and World War Two
The squadron reformed in 1 June 1938 at Abingdon from a nucleus provided by a flight from No. 15 Squadron. Initially equipped with HindHawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
s, it began to receive 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...
s the following month but these actually left the squadron before the Hinds, in June 1939 due to the fact the squadron was to be a No 5 Group
No. 5 Group RAF
No. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane.-History:The Group was formed on 1 September 1937 with headquarters at RAF Mildenhall....
unit and this group was to be equipped with Hampden
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
s, which began to arrive in May 1939 together with Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s to assist in the conversion process.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron was flying Hampdens with No. 5 Group in a training role which continued up until 1 March 1941 when it reverted to front-line status and began regular night bombing operations against Fortress Europe, flying its first bombing raid on raid on Cologne, although it had taking part in some mine laying prior to that.
After a short spell in early 1942 with Manchesters
Avro Manchester
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hickley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1857801798....
, from May 1942 No 106 started replacing them with Lancasters
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...
(but it did not become converted completely to Lancasters before some of the squadron's Manchesters had participated in the 1,000-bomber raids on Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
). In October it contributed 10 Lancasters to No. 5 Group's low level epic dusk raid ("Operation Robinson") on Le Creusot
Le Creusot
Le Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom.Since the 1990s, the...
and two more (one of them piloted by Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Guy Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
who was then No 106's CO) to the subsidiary raid on Montchanin. In 1943 it took part in the first "shuttle-bombing" raids (when the targets were Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
and Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
) and the famous attack on Peenemunde
Peenemünde
The Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
. Among the targets attacked in 1944 were a coastal gun battery at St. Pierre du Mont and the V1 storage sites in the caves at St. Leu d'Esserent. In December 1944, it made a 1,900-mile round trip to bomb the German Baltic Fleet at Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, while in March 1945, it was represented in the bomber force that so pulverised the defences of Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
just before the Rhine crossing
Operation Plunder
Commencing on the night of 23 March 1945 during World War II, Operation Plunder was the crossing of the River Rhine at Rees, Wesel, and south of the Lippe River by the British 2nd Army, under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey , and the U.S. Ninth Army , under Lieutenant General William Simpson...
that Commandos were able to seize the town with only 36 casualties. In April 1945, came the last of the squadron's operations against the enemy - a bombing attack on an oil refinery at Vallo (Tonsberg) in Norway, and a simultaneous minelaying expedition to the Oslo fjord.
During the Second World War No 106 Squadron operated on 496 nights and 46 days, flying 5,834 operational sorties. In so doing it lost 187 aircraft - a percentage loss on sorties flown of 3.21 - but on the credit side its gunners claimed 20 enemy aircraft destroyed, 3 probably destroyed and 29 damaged. A total of 267 decorations were won by the squadron, including a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
awarded to Sergeant NC Jackson
Norman Cyril Jackson
Norman Cyril Jackson VC was a sergeant in the Royal Air Force who earned the Victoria Cross during a bombing raid on Schweinfurt, Germany in April 1944. Born in Ealing, Middlesex, Jackson joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1939 and originally served as an engine fitter. He retrained as a flight...
for conspicuous bravery during an attack on Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
on 26/27th April 1944.
After VE-Day, 467 Sqn RAAF
No. 467 Squadron RAAF
No. 467 Squadron RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force bomber squadron during World War II, active in the European Theater of Operations as an Article XV Squadron under command of the Royal Air Force.-History:No...
arrived at RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham was a Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Metheringham and Martin and south east of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
to train with 106 Sqn for operations in the Far East but the end of the war overtook this plan and the squadron was used to fly POW's and troops home, principally from Italian bases until it finally disbanded at Metheringham , on 18 Feb 1946.
Post war reformation
The squadron was reformed - as 106(SM) Sqn. - on 22 July 1959 as one of 20 Strategic Missile (SM) squadrons associated with Project EmilyProject Emily
Project Emily was the deployment of American-built PGM-17 Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the United Kingdom between 1959 and 1963....
. The squadron was equipped with three Thor
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
Intermediate range ballistic missiles. and based at RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney was a RAF station situated near Bardney, in Lincolnshire, England. It was built as a satellite to RAF Waddington in 1943.-Time line:* Opened on 13 April 1943 as home to No. 9 Squadron...
.
In October 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in the USSR.
The squadron was disbanded on 24 May 1963, with the termination of the Thor Program in Britain.
Aircraft operated
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! style="text-align: left;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left;"|Version
|-
| May 1918
| January 1919
| Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed by John Kenworthy. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was more difficult to fly, and was regarded with great suspicion at first in the Royal...
|
|-
| January 1919
| October 1919
| Bristol F2B Fighter
|
|-
| June 1938
| July 1938
| 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....
|
|-
| July 1938
| June 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...
|
|-
| May 1939
| September 1939
| Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
| Mk.I
|-
| May 1939
| March 1942
| Handley Page Hampden
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
|
|-
| March 1942
| June 1942
| Avro Manchester
Avro Manchester
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hickley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1857801798....
|
|-
| May 1942
| February 1946
| Avro Lancaster I & III
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...
| Mk.I & III
|-
| July 1959
| May 1963
| Thor IRBM
PGM-17 Thor
Thor was the first operational ballistic missile of the U.S. Air Force . Named after the Norse god of thunder, it was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate range ballistic missile with thermonuclear warheads. Thor was in height and in diameter. It was...
|
Line drawings of aircraft operated
Bomber Command WWII Bases
! style="text-align: left;"|From! style="text-align: left;"|To
! style="text-align: left;"|Station
! style="text-align: left;"|Comments
|-
| October 1938
| September 1939
| RAF Thornaby
RAF Thornaby
RAF Thornaby was a former RAF Station located at the Teesside town of Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire. The station was created in the mid 1920s and came under the control of No. 18 Group, RAF Coastal Command in 1939. Being used mostly for reconnaissance work, anti shipping strikes, and attacks on...
|
|-
| August 1939
| September 1939
| RAF Evanton
| Detached here in Aug 1939 and moved, early in Sep 1939
|-
| September 1939
| October 1939
| RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
|
|-
| October 1939
| February 1941
| RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
|
|-
| February 1941
| September 1942
| RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
|
|-
| September 1942
| November 1943
| RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
|
|-
| November 1943
| Febrauary 1946
| RAF Metheringham
|
See also
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
- List of UK Thor missile bases