No. 55 Squadron

No. 55 Squadron RAF was formed on 27 April 1916 at Castle Bromwich and went on to serve as a day bomber unit throughout the Second World War in the Middle East and Mediterranean theatres. When war broke out in 1939 the squadron was already stationed in Egypt, flying Bristol Blenheims, and it entered combat in June 1940 following Italy’s declaration of war, participating in the very first RAF strike against the Italian airbase at El Adem. The squadron spent the bulk of the desert campaign conducting day bombing raids against Axis targets in Libya and Egypt, later converting to the Martin Baltimore and subsequently the Douglas Boston. Following the Allied victory in North Africa in 1943, the squadron moved to Sicily in August of that year and then advanced to mainland Italy in September, supporting the Allied armies for the remainder of the war. Its motto, “Nil nos tremefacit” — Nothing shakes us — aptly reflected its sustained operational record across five years of continuous theatre service, before final disbandment on 1 November 1946.