No. 150 Squadron

No. 150 Squadron RAF reformed at Boscombe Down on 8 August 1938 and went to France with the Advanced Air Striking Force in September 1939, flying Fairey Battle light bombers. The squadron suffered severe losses during the German invasion of France in May 1940 and was evacuated to England, where it converted to the Vickers Wellington in October 1940 and joined Bomber Command’s night offensive. In December 1942 the squadron moved to Algeria and subsequently advanced with Allied forces through Tunisia and into Italy, flying Wellingtons from bases including Blida and Amendola before disbanding on 5 October 1944. A second formation was raised on 1 November 1944 from C Flight of No. 550 Squadron, this time equipped with Avro Lancasters and assigned to No. 1 Group, Bomber Command, operating first from RAF Fiskerton and then RAF Hemswell. During this final phase the squadron flew 827 operational sorties and delivered approximately 3,827 tons of bombs against targets in Germany before flying its last operational sortie against Berchtesgaden on 25 April 1945. After the war it participated in Operation Manna — food drops to Dutch civilians — and POW repatriation flights before disbanding on 7 November 1945. The squadron’s motto, Αιει Φθανομεν, translates from the Greek as “Always Ahead.”