No. 226 Squadron

Formed as a light-bomber unit in 1937, No. 226 Squadron went to France in September 1939 with the Advanced Air Striking Force, flying Fairey Battles and suffering severe losses during the Battle of France before evacuating from Brest in June 1940. Rebuilding in Northern Ireland with Blenheims, it moved to East Anglia in 1941 and joined No. 2 Group, flying daylight anti-shipping strikes and raids on occupied ports. Douglas Bostons replaced the Blenheims in late 1941, and North American Mitchells arrived in mid-1943, with RAF Swanton Morley serving as the squadron’s home for the longest stretch of the war. Transferred to the 2nd Tactical Air Force in 1943, the squadron supported Operation Overlord and the Allied advance through France and the Low Countries, operating from continental airfields until its disbandment at Gilze-Rijen on 20 September 1945.