Formation and the First World War Though already formed at
Catterick as a day bomber unit on 8 October 1917, No. 107 Squadron was not equipped with aircraft until 15 May 1918 at RFC Lake Down, north of
Salisbury. The squadron received
Airco DH.9s, which it took to the
Western Front on 3 June of that year. The squadron became at first part of the 13th wing of the 3rd brigade, working up to operational status. Thereafter it was transferred to the 51st wing of the 9th brigade and it began operations from
Drionville. Its main targets were enemy airfields, base areas and communication lines, which it continued to attack until the Armistice. The squadron's most successful raid was made on
Saponay on 21 July 1918, where a large ammunition dump was hit. From the squadron's airfield, 20 miles away at
Chailly, the reflection of the explosions and fire could be seen going on all the evening and throughout the night. Another notable raid was that made on the
Aulnoye railway station and junction on 1 October 1918. Returning to
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in March 1919, it disbanded there on 30 June of that same year.
Reformation and the Second World War No. 107 Squadron was reformed at
RAF Andover on 10 August 1936 as a light bomber squadron, equipped with
Hawker Hinds. These were replaced by
Blenheim Mk.Is from August 1938 which gave way in their turn to Blenheim Mk.IVs in May 1939. It was with five of this aircraft that No. 107 took part in the RAF's first bombing raid of the war against enemy ships in the German port of
Wilhelmshaven on 4 September 1939, the day after war was declared on Germany, along with
No. 110 Squadron. The raid was not a success: of the five aircraft despatched only one returned – and with its bomb load still intact as it had not been able to locate the enemy. These were among the first casualties of the German fleet during the war.
Bostons and Mosquitoes In the meantime the rest of the squadron, forming the ground echelon, had remained at
RAF Great Massingham,
Norfolk and on 5 January 1942, it received
Douglas Boston bombers and new aircrews, and began converting them onto this aircraft. The squadron began flying daylight operations again in March 1942. The most famous operation the squadron flew using the Boston was
Operation Oyster, the daylight raid against the
Philips works in
Eindhoven. The squadron continued to fly the Boston until February 1944, when they converted to the
Mosquito Mk.VIs and switched to night intruder operations. In November the squadron moved onto the continent, flying from
Cambrai and later from
Melsbroek. The squadron continued to fly in the night intruder role to the end of war, when it took up the duty of training in the light bomber role. Remaining in Germany as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation (BAFO) after the war, it was disbanded on 4 October 1948 at
Wahn by being renumbered to
No. 11 Squadron RAF. (Though some sources claim 15 September 1948.)
On Thor missiles When the
Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile were employed in the UK each operating missile squadron was originally meant to control three sites. 107 Squadron so started out in September 1958 by being the 'C' flight of the first RAF Thor missile unit,
No. 77 Squadron RAF. The flight was stationed at
RAF Tuddenham. By June 1959 the flights had reached squadron strength and in September 1959 it was decided that such sites should carry their own identities, 'C' flight of 77 Squadron was thus redesignated No. 107(SM) Squadron RAF, to be effective from 22 July 1959, making No. 107 Squadron one of the twenty RAF squadrons that reached operational status using the
Thor missile. However, this new incarnation of No. 107 Squadron did not last long. The upcoming
ICBM missiles soon made the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile obsolete, and in 1962 the Minister of Defence announced the phase-out of the Thor missiles. The squadron therefore disbanded once again, at Tuddenham on 10 July 1963. ==Aircraft operated==