No. 156 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 156 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force
Squadron that was active as a bomber unit in World War II
.
and equipped with DH 9
aircraft, but was disbanded on 9 December 1918 without becoming operational.
at RAF Alconbury
, in the Huntingdonshire
area of Cambridgeshire
, as part of No. 3 Group RAF
and was equipped with Wellingtons
. In August 1942 it joined No. 8 Group RAF
it became one of the original pathfinder
squadrons, converting to Lancasters
in January 1943. It continued in the pathfinder role until the end of the war, being based at RAF Warboys
, RAF Upwood
and finally its original founding base, RAF Wyton
, where it disbanded on 25 September 1945.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Squadron that was active as a bomber unit in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Formation and World War I
No. 156 Squadron Royal Air Force was first formed on 12 October 1918 at RAF WytonRAF Wyton
RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.In terms of organisation RAF Wyton is now part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It...
and equipped with DH 9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
aircraft, but was disbanded on 9 December 1918 without becoming operational.
Reformation in World War II
The squadron reformed in February 1942 from the home echelon of 40 sqnNo. 40 Squadron RAF
No. 40 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport as No 40 Squadron RFC and was disbanded for the last time in 1957.Edward Mannock gained 16 of his 73 victories while with 40 Squadron, 15 of which he shot down while flying a Nieuport Scout...
at RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, in the Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
area of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, as part of No. 3 Group RAF
No. 3 Group RAF
Number 3 Group of the Royal Air Force was an RAF group first active in 1918, again in 1923-26, part of RAF Bomber Command from 1936 to 1967, and part of RAF Strike Command from 2000 until it disbanded on 1 April 2006.-The 1930s and World War II:...
and was equipped with Wellingtons
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. In August 1942 it joined No. 8 Group RAF
No. 8 Group RAF
No. 8 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force group which existed during the final year of World War I and during World War II.-Formation in World War II:...
it became one of the original pathfinder
Pathfinder (RAF)
The Pathfinders were elite squadrons in RAF Bomber Command during World War II. They located and marked targets with flares, which a main bomber force could aim at, increasing the accuracy of their bombing...
squadrons, converting to 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...
in January 1943. It continued in the pathfinder role until the end of the war, being based at RAF Warboys
RAF Warboys
RAF Warboys was a World War II Royal Air Force heavy bomber station, situated just outside the village of Warboys in Huntingdonshire ....
, RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States...
and finally its original founding base, RAF Wyton
RAF Wyton
RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.In terms of organisation RAF Wyton is now part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It...
, where it disbanded on 25 September 1945.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1918 | November 1918 | Airco DH.9 Airco DH.9 The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War... |
A |
| February 1942 | January 1943 | Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... |
Mk.Ic |
| March 1942 | January 1943 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.III |
| January 1943 | September 1945 | Avro Lancaster 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... |
Mks.B.I & B.III |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 1918 | 9 December 1918 | RAF Wyton RAF Wyton RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, England.In terms of organisation RAF Wyton is now part of the combined station RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow, a merger of Wyton with two previously separate bases, RAF Brampton and RAF Henlow. Wyton is the largest of the three. It... , Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west... |
Formed here |
| 14 February 1942 | 15 August 1942 | RAF Alconbury RAF Alconbury RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London.... , Cambridgeshire |
No. 3 Group RAF No. 3 Group RAF Number 3 Group of the Royal Air Force was an RAF group first active in 1918, again in 1923-26, part of RAF Bomber Command from 1936 to 1967, and part of RAF Strike Command from 2000 until it disbanded on 1 April 2006.-The 1930s and World War II:... |
| 15 August 1942 | 5 March 1944 | RAF Warboys RAF Warboys RAF Warboys was a World War II Royal Air Force heavy bomber station, situated just outside the village of Warboys in Huntingdonshire .... , Cambridgeshire |
No. 8 Group RAF No. 8 Group RAF No. 8 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force group which existed during the final year of World War I and during World War II.-Formation in World War II:... |
| 5 March 1944 | 27 June 1945 | RAF Upwood RAF Upwood RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States... , Cambridgeshire |
|
| 27 June 1945 | 25 September 1945 | RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire | Disbanded here |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February 1942 | 30 May 1942 | W/Cdr. Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... P.G.R. Heath |
KIA Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to... |
| 30 May 1942 | 29 July 1942 | W/Cdr. H.L. Price | KIA |
| 30 July 1942 | 28 October 1942 | W/Cdr. R.N. Cook | |
| 28 October 1942 | 8 June 1943 | W/Cdr. T.S. Rivett-Carnac, DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
|
| 17 January 1943 | 13 February 1943 | S/Ldr. Squadron Leader Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these... S.G. Hookway, DFC (acting) |
KIA |
| 8 June 1943 | 22 January 1944 | G/Cpt. Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore... R.W.P. Collings, AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
|
| 22 January 1944 | 27 April 1944 | W/Cdr. E.C. Eaton, DFC | KIA |
| 28 April 1944 | 7 May 1944 | S/Ldr. T.W.G. Godfrey (acting) | |
| 7 May 1944 | 21 November 1944 | W/Cdr. T.L. Bingham-Hall, DFC | |
| 21 November 1944 | 30 December 1944 | W/Cdr. D.B. Falconer, DFC, AFC | KIA |
| 30 December 1944 | 10 April 1945 | W/Cdr. T.E. Ison DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September... , DFC |
|
| 10 April 1945 | 25 September 1945 | W/Cdr. A.J.L. Craig |