| No. 692 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 January 1944 – 20 September 1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | Light Bomber Squadron |
| Part of | No. 8 Group RAF, Bomber Command |
| Nickname(s) | Fellowship of the Bellows |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Polus Dum Sidera Pascet (Translation: "So long as the sky shall feed the stars") |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | S/Ldr. (then) S.D. Watts, the first pilot to drop a 4,000 lbs "Cookie". |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In front of a pair of wings conjoined in base, a dagger, point downwards |
| Squadron Codes | P3 (Jan 1944 – Jun 1945) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | de Havilland Mosquito |
No. 692 Squadron RAF was a light bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
History
The squadron was formed on 1 January 1944 at RAF Graveley, Huntingdonshire as a light bomber unit, equipped with Mosquito Mk.IV bombers, as part of the Light Night Striking Force of No. 8 Group RAF in Bomber Command. It re-equipped with Mosquito Mk.XVI bombers from March 1944 and by June 1944 the squadron had completely switched over to the newer variant.
It was the first squadron to carry 4,000 lb bombs in Mosquitos, used in an attack on Düsseldorf. The squadron was also the first Mosquito unit to carry out minelaying operations. Most operations were at low level, including one mission when the squadron dropped 4,000 lb bombs into the mouth of tunnels in the Ardennes. At the end of the war the squadron was disbanded on 20 September 1945 at RAF Gransden Lodge, Cambridgeshire. The squadron had carried out 3,237 operational sorties (though one source claims a far lower number of sorties, 1,457) for the loss of 17 aircraft.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1944 | June 1944 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.IV |
| March 1944 | September 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.XVI |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| January 1944 | March 1944 | W/Cdr. W.G. Lockhart, DSO, DFC |
| March 1944 | July 1944 | W/Cdr. S.D. Watts, DFC (RNZAF) |
| July 1944 | September 1945 | W/Cdr. J. Northrop, DFC, AFC |
Squadron Airfields
| From | To | Name | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1944 | 4 June 1944 | RAF Graveley, Huntingdonshire | Formed here |
| 4 June 1944 | 20 September 1945 | RAF Gransden Lodge, Cambridgeshire | Disbanded here |
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Moyes 1976, p. 291.
- ^ Halley 1988, p. 457.
- Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 84.
- Bowyer 1984, p. 142.
- Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 96.
- ^ Moyes 1976, p. 292.
- ^ Bowyer 1984, p. 132.
- ^ Jefford 2001, p. 106.
- ^ Bowyer 1984, p. 135.
- Falconer 2003, p. 257.
Bibliography
- Bowman, Martin (1997). Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units, 1942–45. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-690-3.
- Bowyer, Chaz (1984). Mosquito Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1425-6.
- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Falconer, Jonathan (2003). Bomber Command Handbook, 1939–1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3171-X.
- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
External links
- No. 692 Squadron RAF movement and equipment history Archived 22 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- History of No. 692 Squadron
- Nos. 671–1435 Squadron Histories Archived 30 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Remembrance to two fallen squadron members
| Royal Air Force | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Defence | |||||||
| formations and units |
| ||||||
| branches and components | |||||||
| reserve forces | |||||||
| equipment | |||||||
| personnel | |||||||
| appointments | |||||||
| symbols and uniform | |||||||
| associated civil organisations | |||||||
