No. 121 Squadron — Eagle

No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron was the second of three RAF squadrons manned entirely by American volunteers who crossed the Atlantic to fight before the United States entered the war. Formed at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 14 May 1941, it worked up on Hurricanes before converting to Spitfires that November. Moving to RAF North Weald in December 1941, it joined 11 Group’s offensive programme — flying Rhubarb low-level strikes and fighter sweeps across northern France. During the Channel Dash of February 1942 the squadron engaged Luftwaffe escort fighters after arriving too late to protect the Fleet Air Arm Swordfish attacking the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. At the Dieppe raid of August 1942 all three Eagle Squadrons flew together for the only time, with 121 operating from Southend. On 29 September 1942 the squadron was transferred to the USAAF, becoming the 335th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force.