No. 248 Squadron

No. 248 Squadron reformed on 30 October 1939 at RAF Hendon, initially equipped with Bristol Blenheim fighters before transferring to Coastal Command in February 1940. The squadron spent much of the early war years flying reconnaissance and anti-shipping patrols from bases in Scotland and the Shetland Islands, operating over Norwegian coastal waters. Re-equipped with Bristol Beaufighters from mid-1941, it took on the demanding task of protecting Allied anti-submarine aircraft against German Ju 88 fighters over the Bay of Biscay, participating in repeated engagements throughout 1943 as part of No. 19 Group. From late 1943 the squadron transitioned to de Havilland Mosquitoes, including the rare Mk.XVIII “Tsetse” variant fitted with a 57mm Molins cannon for attacks on surfaced U-boats, scoring notable successes against U-976 in March 1944 and two further submarines before the war’s end. In support of the Normandy landings in June 1944, the squadron flew 274 sorties, and it subsequently joined the Banff Strike Wing in September 1944 for anti-shipping operations along the Norwegian coast. The squadron carried its motto “Il faut en finir” — meaning “it is necessary to make an end of it” — through to its renumbering as No. 36 Squadron on 30 September 1946.