First World War biplane 5927/16 forced down on 24 Apr 17 near
Béthune, France by pilots from
8 Naval Sqdn and 40 Sqdn RFC 40 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 26 February 1916 at
Fort Grange,
Gosport, equipped with a mixture of training types. In July that year it received its intended operational mount, the
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8, a single-seat
pusher configuration fighter, being the first squadron equipped with the F.E.8. The squadron moved to France in August that year, On 9 March 1917, a patrol of nine 40 Squadron F.E.8s were attacked by a formation of German fighters from
Jasta 11, led by
Manfred von Richthofen. All nine of the F.E.8s were shot down or forced landed, while one German aircraft, flown by Richthofen was damaged and made a forced landing while a second German pilot was slightly injured. Later that month, the squadron was re-equipped with more capable
Nieuport 17s. with one pilot,
Edwin Benbow claiming eight confirmed victories when flying the F.E.8 with 40 Squadron. destroying four balloons (and damaging four more) in a low-level attack on 2 May, and seven more on 7 May. The squadron also flew in support of the
Battle of Passchendaele. In October 1917, the squadron re-equipped with
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5s, operating this type through the rest of the war. The squadron became part of the new
Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. It remained active for the remainder of the year, supporting the
Hundred Days Offensive.
Edward Mannock gained 16 of his 61 victories while with 40 Squadron, 15 of which he shot down while flying a
Nieuport Scout. Highest scoring ace of the unit in World War I was Irish-born pilot
George McElroy, having scored 30 of his total 47 aerial victories with the unit while flying an
S.E.5a single seater scout. Others among the two dozen aces who served were
Roderic Dallas,
Albert Earl Godfrey,
Arthur Keen,
Reed G. Landis,
Ian Napier,
William Leeming Harrison,
Gwilym Hugh Lewis,
Indra Lal Roy,
John Henry Tudhope,
Edwin Benbow,
Herbert Ellis,
William Bond,
Gerard Crole,
Robert Hall,
John Wallwork,
William MacLanachan and
Arthur Thomas Drinkwater.
Reformation of 40 Squadron 40 Squadron reformed at
RAF Upper Heyford on 1 April 1931, as a day bomber squadron equipped with
Fairey Gordons, being the first squadron equipped with that type. It moved to
RAF Abingdon in October 1932 and in November 1935, re-equipped with the
Hawker Hart. In March 1936, the squadron re-equipped with the
Hawker Hind, On 1 May 1936,
No. 1 Group RAF was formed, consisting of ten bomber squadrons, including 40 Squadron, and on 14 July 1936, 1 Group joined the newly established
RAF Bomber Command. From July 1938, the squadron replaced its Hind
biplanes with
Fairey Battle monoplanes, with the last of its Hinds leaving in September that year. Experience showed that the Battle was obsolete, and the squadrons of the Advanced Air Striking Force were mainly employed on training duties. In December 1939, the squadron was withdrawn from France for re-equipping with twin-engined
Bristol Blenheim Mk IV Mk IV light bombers, The squadron was non-operational for many weeks after receiving Blenheims, and in February 1940, several of its Blenheims were withdrawn and transferred to Finland during the
Winter War. On 14 April 1940 one of the squadron's Blenheims was taken on an unauthorized flight by AC2 JFB Lewis and crashed in the Thames Estuary. His body was not found and he is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial. On 10 May 1940,
Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, with two of the squadron's Blenheims (one of which was lost) flying a reconnaissance mission over
the Hague in the morning, which resulted in a series attacks by squadrons of 2 Group against airfields in the Netherlands being used to land German paratroops, with 40 Squadron attacking
Ypenburg Airport in the squadron's first bombing attack of the war. The squadron continued to launch raids against the advancing German forces, Late in the month, 40 Squadron, along with the rest of 2 Group, was employed in attacks against German forces advancing on the troops of the
British Expeditionary Force trapped at Dunkirk. Operations included attacks on enemy motor transport, bridges and attempting to block roads by bombing houses by the sides of the roads. After the fall of France, attacks switched to barges waiting at Channel ports for the
planned German invasion of Britain. The squadron carried out its first operations using the Wellington on the night of 21/22 December 1940, when three aircraft attacked
Antwerp docks. On 1 February 1941, the remainder of the squadron joined up with 'B' Flight at Alconbury. In October 1941, most of the squadron was detached to operate from Malta, with a skeleton remaining at Alconbury. The Malta-based detachment was employed in attacks on Italian airfields, and ports in
Sicily and
Tripolitania to disrupt supplies to North Africa, as well as nuisance raids by single aircraft, spending hours over the target, forcing the target's anti-aircraft guns to keep firing, denying sleep to workers at the target and damaging enemy morale. Meanwhile, the British-based remnant was gradually rebuilt, although this was disrupted by the posting away of New Zealand and Canadian aircrew to
75 and
419 Squadrons. On 14 February 1942, the Alconbury-based part of the squadron was renumbered
No. 156 Squadron RAF, while the Mediterranean-based detachment, which retained the 40 Squadron number, moved to Egypt, spending several months non-operational as it was rebuilt back to full squadron strength after its losses while based at Malta. During the
Second Battle of El Alamein, the British bomber force, including 40 Squadron, attacked the key port of
Tobruk as a priority, while also attacking enemy airfields and concentrations of troops and vehicles on the El Alamein battlefield. After the Allied victory in the battle, the squadron was moved westwards to aid attacks on the supply lines of the retreating German and Italian forces. From November 1942 to January 1943, the squadron's aircraft were deployed to Malta, with the role of disrupting Axis supply routes to North Africa during the
Anglo-American invasion of French North-West Africa. By the end of February 1943, the squadron was based at
Gardabia in Tunisia. While based here it replaced its worn out Wellington Mk Ic aircraft with newer and more capable Wellington Mk IIIs. On 18 February, 40 Squadron, together with most of the rest of the RAF's night bomber force in the Mediterranean and American day bombers, joined the newly established
Northwest African Strategic Air Force. While designated as a Strategic force, the distance to strategic targets from the airfields in North Africa meant that they were at first mainly employed on tactical operations. The squadron flew operations against targets in
Sicily during the
Allied invasion of that island in July–August 1943. The squadron moved to Southern Italy in December 1943, bringing it closer to its intended targets in Northern Italy and the Balkans, operating from
Foggia Main airfield for the rest of the war in Europe. From June 1948, the Soviet Union
blockaded surface transport routes to Berlin, and as a response, the
Western Allies launched the Berlin Airlift to resupply the city. The Yorks of 40 Squadron were deployed to
RAF Wunstorf in
West Germany as a result, with its aircraft and aircrew being operated as part of a pool of RAF Yorks taking part in the airlift. The Yorks were normally used to carry
flour or
coal. The Soviets lifted the blockade in May 1949, with 40 Squadron withdrawn from the airlift in July 1949, operating from
RAF Bassingbourn from its return to Britain until it was disbanded on 15 March 1950. On 28 October 1953, the squadron reformed as a light bomber squadron equipped with the
English Electric Canberra B.2s, one of five Canberra squadrons based at
RAF Coningsby as part of the Main Force of Bomber Command. In 1954, the Coningsby Wing was broken up to allow the airfield to be redeveloped to accommodate
V-bombers, and as a result, 40 Squadron moved to
RAF Wittering in February 1954. The squadron moved to
RAF Upwood in November 1956, but on 15 December that year, the squadron merged with
50 Squadron, with the resulting unit being designated 50/40 Squadron on 1 February 1957, this marking the effective disbanding of 40 Squadron for the last time. No. 40 Squadron was later planned to be reformed as the first operational
BAC TSR.2 squadron, and after the cancellation of the TSR.2, may have also been proposed to reform with the
General Dynamics F-111K, before the RAF's purchase of that type was also cancelled. ==See also==