No. 134 Squadron RAF was a part of the Royal Air Force which was formed as a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter squadron in World War II.
| No. 134 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918 31 July 1941 – 10 March 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Per ardua volabimus ("We shall fly through hardships")[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A gauntlet closed. |
| Squadron Codes | G (August – November 1941) GQ (1942 – June 1945) |
History
editFirst World War
editNo. 134 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 March 1918 and became a unit of the Royal Air Force a month later but disbanded on 17 August 1918.
Second World War
editThe squadron reformed from a nucleus provided by 17 Squadron in July 1941 as a fighter unit equipped with Hawker Hurricanes stationed at RAF Leconfield. It was then based near Murmansk to train Russian pilots until the Hurricanes were handed over to the Russian Navy. Back in the UK the squadron was re-assembled at RAF Catterick on 7 December 1941, reequipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters and moved to Northern Ireland for two months before it returned to RAF Baginton (in Warwickshire) to prepare to move overseas once again.
The squadron then operated in Egypt until November 1943 when it moved to India and Burma. It converted to the P-47 Thunderbolt and disbanded by being renumbered No. 131 Squadron.
Aircraft operated
edit| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1941 | Mar 1942 | Hawker Hurricane | IIB |
| Dec 1941 | Feb 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | VA |
| Dec 1941 | Feb 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA |
| Jan 1942 | Feb 1942 | Hawker Hurricane | IIB |
| Jan 1942 | Mar 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VB |
| Jan 1943 | Oct 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | IIB |
| Mar 1943 | Apr 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | IIC |
| Jun 1943 | Aug 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VB & VC |
| Sep 1944 | Jan 1945 | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | I |
| Sep 1944 | Jan 1945 | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | II |
Footnotes
edit- ^ Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 134. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ Jefford 1988.
References
edit- Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: UK Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-053-6.