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List of Battle of Britain squadrons

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German propaganda image: A Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire trails smoke after attacking a German Heinkel He 111 bomber during the Battle of Britain.

This is a list of the officially accredited Battle of Britain units with their aircraft types, code letters, call signs and casualties.

On 9 November 1960, the Air Ministry published Air Ministry Order N850 which officially defined the qualifications for aircrew to be classified as having participated in the Battle of Britain. The AMO also defined the squadrons that were deemed to have fought in the battle under the control of RAF Fighter Command between 0001 hours on 10 July and 2359 hours on 31 October 1940; the official beginning and end of the battle.

A total of 71 squadrons and other units from Fighter Command, Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm are listed.[1]

Accredited squadrons

Squadron Squadron Code Radio call sign Aircraft Type Number of Casualties
No. 1 (Cawnpore) Squadron RAF JX ACORN Hurricane 7
No. 3 Squadron RAF QO Hurricane 1
No. 17 Squadron RAF YB EDEY Hurricane 5
No. 19 Squadron RAF QV LUTON Spitfire 6
No. 23 Squadron RAF YP LUTON Blenheim 8
No. 25 Squadron RAF ZK LUTON Blenheim, Beaufighter 5
No. 29 Squadron RAF RO Blenheim 8
No. 32 Squadron RAF GZ JACKO Hurricane 2
No. 41 Squadron RAF EB MITOR Spitfire 11[2]
No. 43 (China-British) Squadron RAF FT Hurricane 14
No. 46 (Uganda) Squadron RAF PO ANGEL Hurricane 14
No. 54 Squadron RAF KL RABBIT Spitfire 6
No. 56 (Punjab) Squadron RAF US BAFFIN Hurricane 8
No. 64 Squadron RAF SH FREEMA Spitfire 7
No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF YT Spitfire 8
No. 66 Squadron RAF LZ FIBIUS Spitfire 8
No. 72 (Basutoland) Squadron RAF RN TENNIS Spitfire 9
No. 73 Squadron RAF TP Hurricane 4
No. 74 Squadron RAF ZP DYSOE Spitfire 12
No. 79 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF NV PANSY Hurricane 4
No. 85 Squadron RAF VY HYDRO Hurricane 7
No. 87 (United Provinces) Squadron RAF LK SUNCUP Hurricane 7
No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF QJ GANNIC Spitfire 14
No. 111 Squadron RAF JU WAGON Hurricane 11
No. 141 Squadron RAF TW Boulton Paul Defiant 10
No. 145 Squadron RAF SO PATIN Hurricane 13
No. 151 Squadron RAF DZ Hurricane 11
No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF UM MAIDA Spitfire 14
No. 213 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF AK BEARSKIN Hurricane 15
No. 219 (Mysore) Squadron RAF FK Blenheim, Beaufighter 6
No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF ZD KOTEL Spitfire 9
No. 229 Squadron RAF RE KETA Hurricane 5
No. 232 Squadron RAF EF Hurricane
No. 234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF AZ CRESSY Spitfire 5
No. 238 Squadron RAF VK Hurricane 17
No. 242 (Canadian) Squadron RAF LE LORAG Hurricane 5
No. 245 (Northern Rhodesia) Squadron RAF DX Hurricane 2
No. 247 (China – British) Squadron RAF HP Gloster Gladiator
No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF GN GANER Hurricane 8
No. 253 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF SW VICEROY Hurricane 11
No. 257 (Burma) Squadron RAF DT ALERT Hurricane 11
No. 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Squadron RAF HE Hurricane, Westland Whirlwind 1
No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF PS Boulton Paul Defiant 18
No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF UO Spitfire 7
No. 421 Flight RAF L-Z Hurricane, Spitfire 1
No. 422 Flight RAF Hurricane
Fighter Interception Unit Hurricane, Blenheim, Beaufighter
Auxiliary Squadrons
No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron AuxAF SD MANDREL Hurricane 19
No. 504 (City of Nottingham) Squadron AuxAF TM Hurricane 6
No. 600 (City of London) Squadron AuxAF BQ Blenheim, Beaufighter 9
No. 601 (County of London) Squadron AuxAF UF WEAPON Hurricane, Spitfire 14
No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AuxAF LO VILLA Spitfire 5
No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron AuxAF XT VIKEN Spitfire 13
No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron AuxAF NG TALLYHO Blenheim, Beaufighter 3
No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron AuxAF UP TURKEY Hurricane 8
No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron AuxAF AF Hurricane 9
No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron AuxAF PR SORBO Spitfire 7
No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron AuxAF DW DOGROSE Spitfire 11
No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron AuxAF FY CHARLIE Spitfire 2
No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron AuxAF KW PANTA Hurricane 6
No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron AuxAF QJ[3] RADPOE Spitfire 6
Commonwealth and Allied squadrons
No. 1 Squadron RCAF (Canadian) YO CARIBOU Hurricane 3
302 (City of Poznan) Squadron (Polish)[4] WX CALEB Hurricane 6
303 (Warsaw – Kosciuszko) Squadron (Polish) [5] RF APANY Hurricane 7
No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron (Czech) NN CALLA Hurricane 4
No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron (Czech) DU SILVO Hurricane 1
Coastal Command Squadrons
No. 235 Squadron RAF QY Blenheim 9
No. 236 Squadron RAF FA Blenheim 10
No. 248 Squadron RAF WR Blenheim 16
Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Squadrons
No. 804 Squadron FAA 5- Gloster Sea Gladiator/Grumman Martlet
No. 808 Squadron FAA 5- Fairey Fulmar [6]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ Ramsay, 1989, pp.252–255
  2. ^ 41 Squadron’s Battle of Britain pilots comprised 49 men aged from 18 to 32. Forty-two were British, three Irish, two were Canadian and two were New Zealanders. Casualties were sustained by almost half the men: eleven (22.5%) were killed and twelve (24.5%) were wounded, and one of the squadron’s ground crew was killed in the Blitz.
  3. ^ Note: The squadron code letters QJ were the same as those of 92 Squadron. The codes changed to YQ in 1941
  4. ^ Poznański
  5. ^ Warszawski im. Tadeusza Kościuszki
  6. ^ in normal naval use flown with a navigator, these were flown solo
Bibliography
  • Ramsay, Winston (editor). The Battle of Britain Then and Now Mk V. London: Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-900913-46-0