No. 15 Squadron

Group
3 Group
Home station
RAF Mildenhall

About

No. 15 Squadron passed through almost the whole range of RAF bomber types during the Second World War. It began the war on the Fairey Battle, flying to France in 1939, and after returning home re-equipped in turn with the Bristol Blenheim and the Vickers Wellington before becoming one of the early Short Stirling squadrons. In December 1943 it converted to the Avro Lancaster, which it flew for the rest of the war. Serving in No. 3 Group, it operated from stations including RAF Wyton, RAF Bourn and RAF Mildenhall.

One of its aircraft became quietly famous. In 1941 Lady Rachel MacRobert, who had lost three sons to flying, gave £25,000 to buy a Stirling for the squadron; named “MacRobert’s Reply” and carrying the family crest, it flew on operations as a personal answer to the enemy. In the closing weeks of the war the squadron took part in Operation Manna, dropping food to starving Dutch civilians, and later in flights bringing home released prisoners of war.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including History of War — No. 15 Squadron (RAF) in the Second World War and Wikipedia: No. 15 Squadron RAF. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Photographs

A Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 takes off from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, USA during Exercise Red Flag. The RAF fast jet is among 150 aircraft taking part in the exercise, the largest of it's nature made possible by the vast expanse of the Nevada desert. The United States Air Force hosted the exercise and the Royal Australian Air Force also took part. *Organization: RAF *Object Name: RED FLAG_20140128_U_004_309 *Category: MOD *Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Aircraft, Offensive, Operations, Exercises, Tornado *Keywords: Red Flag, RAF, Nellis AFB, Royal Air Force, Equipment, Aircraft, Jet, Fighter, Taking Off, Takeoff, Exercise, Offensive, Tornado, GR4 *Country: USA
ⓘ licence & creditSgt Paul Oldfield / OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Tornado_Jet_Taking_Off_During_Ex_Red_Flag_in_the_USA_MOD_45157014.jpgView source & full licence →
An Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4 fighter, No. XV (Reserve) Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth (Scotland, UK), over Iraq during a combat mission in support of Operation "Iraqi Freedom", on 16 August 2004.
ⓘ licence & creditSSgt. Lee O. Tucker / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Tornado_GR4_Iraq.JPEGView source & full licence →
A Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft takes off from Gioia Del Colle airbase, Italy on 3 April 11 during the early stages of Operation Unified Protector, the UN backed mission to secure the skies over Libya. The Tornado's ability to make precise attacks on ground targets enabled them to act very effectively against Libyan regime forces threatening civilians. *Organization: RAF *Object Name: 04a_Ellamy_Tornado *Category: MOD *Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Aircraft, Offensive, Tornado, Operations, Theatres, Libya *Keywords: royal air force, tornado, gr4, gioia del colle, unified protector, libya, RAF, Equipment, Aircraft, Jet, Fighter, Offensive, Operation, Op , Ellamy *Country: Italy
ⓘ licence & creditSgt Pete Mobbs / OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Tornado_GR4_Aircraft_MOD_45153868.jpgView source & full licence →
Panavia Tornado GR4 06
ⓘ licence & creditRonnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panavia_Tornado_GR4_06_(4828616034).jpgView source & full licence →
Panavia Tornado GR4 03
ⓘ licence & creditRonnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panavia_Tornado_GR4_03_(4828595588).jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. The crew of the Short Stirling Mark I, N3669 'LS-H', of No. 15 Squadron RAF watch as the scoreboard tally on their aircraft is chalked up with their 62nd raid, at Bourn, Cambridgeshire. N3669 went on to complete 67 operations, a record for the Stirling, before she was reduced to an instructional airframe in February 1943.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer, Kark (Flt/Lt) / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1942-1945._CH7747.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Short Stirling Mark I, W7429 'LS-J', of No. 15 Squadron RAF based at Wyton, Huntingdonshire, photographed while in flight from another aircraft of the Squadron.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer, Woodbine G (Mr) / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short_Stirling_-_Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1939-1941._CH3295.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Percival Q.6 “Petrel”, P5634, of the RAF Northolt Station Flight, parked at the head of a line of Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group at Wyton, Huntingdonshire. R3741 'VE-A' of No. 110 Squadron RAF has been modified by the addition of gun mountings in the rear of the engine nacelles, while T1947 'LS' of No. 15 Squadron RAF has been fitted with a long gun tray beneath the nose.
ⓘ licence & creditDaventry B J (Mr), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1939-1941._CH776.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Damaged hangars and buildings in the north-east corner of the airfield at Waalhaven, Holland, after an raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 15 Squadron RAF, No. 2 Group, despatched from Wyton, Huntingdonshire, in the afternoon of 10 May 1940 to bomb German paratroops and aircraft which had landed there. The aircraft on the concrete apron is a Fokker G.1 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waalhaven,_Holland,_Royal_Air_Force_Bomber_Command,_1939-1941_C1477.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Bomber Command Flight Sergeant A M Halkett DFM (third from right) and his crew pose by the tail of Stirling I N3669/LS-H of No. 15 Squadron, after completing the aircraft's 62nd operation, November 1942.
ⓘ licence & creditKark (Flt/Lt), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Bomber_Command_CH7746.jpgView source & full licence →
Panavia Tornado GR4 01
ⓘ licence & creditRonnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panavia_Tornado_GR4_01_(4828625350).jpgView source & full licence →
c/n 150, l/n BT028 / 3076. Built 1982. Operated by XV(R)sqn Royal Air Force, based at RAF Marham. On static display at the 2016 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), Fairford, UK. Friday 8th July 2016
ⓘ licence & creditAlan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panavia_Tornado_GR.4_%E2%80%98ZA612_-_074%E2%80%99_(35724583425).jpgView source & full licence →
Kinloss departure Taking off from the western end of RAF Kinloss' main runway This Tornado is actually an RAF Lossiemouth resident.
ⓘ licence & creditPatrick De Jode / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinloss_departure_-_geograph.org.uk_-_728886.jpgView source & full licence →
Image of a 15 Squadron Tornado GR4, seen here with training munitions attached. *Organization: RAF *Object Name: Break Left *Keywords: RAF, Squadron, Sqn, Operational Conversion Unit, 15 Sqn, RAF Lossiemouth, Equipment, Aircraft, Jet, Fighter, Offensive, Tornado, GR4, Weapon, Bomb, Paveway, Enhanced, Reconnaisance, Pod, Litening, Air to air, Training *Country: Moyayshire
ⓘ licence & creditSAC Scott Ferguson / OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_of_a_15_Squadron_GR4_taken_over_Royal_Air_Force_Lossiemouth,_and_surrounding_countryside._MOD_45155748.jpgView source & full licence →
1964 - Avro 'Vulcan' & Handley Page 'Victor' nuclear bombers at Richmond Air Show, NSW
ⓘ licence & creditaussiejeff / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avro_Vulcan_%26_Handley_Page_Victor_nuclear_bombers_at_the_1964_Richmond_Air_Show,_NSW.jpgView source & full licence →

Operations flown

Aircraft (4)

SerialCodeTypeFate
BF378 LS-T Short Stirling Lost on operations
BF411 LS-A Short Stirling Lost on operations
BF457 LS-B Short Stirling Lost on operations
N6086 LS-F Short Stirling Written off (non-op)

No service records linked to this squadron yet. Aircraft, crews and sorties will appear here soon.

Further reading & sources

External sites — facts only are reused here; their text and images remain their authors'.