No. 25 Squadron

No. 25 Squadron was formed at Montrose on 25 September 1915 as a Royal Flying Corps unit, and carried its fighter heritage into the Second World War as one of Fighter Command’s dedicated night-fighter squadrons. Equipped with radar-fitted Bristol Blenheim IFs from late 1938, it was among the first RAF units to receive airborne-intercept radar sets, beginning trials in the summer of 1939. The Blenheim’s modest performance limited its effectiveness against fast German bombers during the night Blitz, and Bristol Beaufighters began to arrive in October 1940, completing the re-equipment by January 1941. From February 1943 the squadron transitioned to the de Havilland Mosquito, using it for a widening range of tasks including defensive patrols, intruder sorties over occupied Europe, and bomber-support operations. The squadron was particularly successful during Operation Steinbock — the Luftwaffe’s retaliatory bombing campaign against Britain from January to May 1944 — claiming a notable score of German raiders. Its motto, Feriens tego (“Striking I defend”), neatly summarised its double duty as both an offensive intruder force and a shield over British cities.