No. 182 Squadron

No. 182 Squadron was formed on 25 August 1942 at RAF Martlesham Heath, initially receiving Hawker Hurricanes before converting to the Hawker Typhoon IB, which it operated for the remainder of the war. The squadron began offensive operations in January 1943, attacking targets in Belgium, and thereafter flew low-level intruder missions over occupied France. In the summer of 1943 it joined the Second Tactical Air Force as part of No. 83 Group, and from late 1943 added V-1 launch sites to its target list alongside German communications infrastructure. The squadron played an active part in supporting the Normandy landings in June 1944, including a notable strike against the Panzer Group West headquarters at the Château de La Caine on 10 June. Eight days after D-Day it began operating from forward airstrips within the Normandy beachhead, moving permanently to France in early July 1944, and subsequently advanced through Belgium and the Netherlands into Germany. The squadron flew armed reconnaissance missions over Germany for the final months of the war before disbanding at Lüneburg on 30 September 1945.