No. 19 Squadron
Possunt quia posse videntur
- Group
- No. 12 Group
- Command
- Fighter Command
- Home station
- RAF Duxford
In the database: 19 aircraft · 10 service members · 10 sorties.
History
No. 19 Squadron holds the distinction of being the first RAF unit to receive the Supermarine Spitfire, taking delivery of its initial aircraft at Duxford in August 1938. When war came it flew cover over the Dunkirk beaches in May and June 1940, then fought through the Battle of Britain as part of No. 12 Group’s Duxford Wing. Among those posted to the squadron in early 1940 was Douglas Bader. An early trial of cannon-armed Spitfires proved technically premature and the aircraft were withdrawn. The squadron moved through successive Spitfire marks before re-equipping with North American Mustangs in early 1944, supporting the Normandy landings and advancing with Allied forces into France and Belgium. In February 1945 it relocated to Scotland to conduct anti-shipping strikes against German vessels off the Norwegian coast, ending the war in that demanding maritime role.