No. 112 Squadron

No. 112 Squadron was re-formed on 16 May 1939 aboard HMS Argus and proceeded to Egypt, where it initially flew Gloster Gladiators from Helwan. After Italy entered the war in June 1940 the squadron engaged Italian bombers over the Western Desert, then deployed to Greece in early 1941 before being evacuated first to Crete and subsequently back to Egypt during the German invasions. In July 1941 it was among the first Allied units anywhere in the world to operate the Curtiss Tomahawk, and pilots adopted a shark’s-mouth insignia inspired by markings seen on captured Luftwaffe Bf 110s — an emblem that earned the unit its enduring nickname, “The Shark Squadron.” Flying Kittyhawks from 1941 onwards as part of No. 239 Wing of the Desert Air Force, the squadron undertook fighter-bomber operations in support of the Eighth Army throughout the North African campaign, then followed the advance through Sicily and onto the Italian mainland in late 1943. Mustangs replaced the Kittyhawks from mid-1944, and by the end of hostilities the squadron had accumulated approximately 206 aerial victories and a further 62 aircraft destroyed on the ground.