No. 221 Squadron

No. 221 Squadron was reformed at RAF Bircham Newton on 21 November 1940 as a Wellington-equipped maritime patrol unit under Coastal Command, taking the motto “From sea to sea.” In its early months the squadron flew convoy escort and shipping reconnaissance sorties over the North Sea before relocating to Limavady in Northern Ireland and later to Iceland, where crews conducted long-range anti-submarine patrols across the North Atlantic. In January 1942 the squadron transferred to the Middle East, coming under No. 201 Group, and spent the remainder of the war operating across the Mediterranean theatre. Equipped with successive Wellington marks fitted with Leigh Lights, the squadron specialised in night anti-shipping and torpedo attacks against Axis vessels as well as continued anti-submarine duties. Later in the war the unit flew missions supporting operations in the Balkans, bombing ports and carrying out supply sorties. The squadron disbanded at Idku in Egypt on 25 August 1945, having served continuously from the North Atlantic to the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the conflict.