No. 254 Squadron

No. 254 Squadron RAF was re-formed in October 1939 for Coastal Command service. It began the war on maritime patrol and convoy-protection duties, later becoming a strike squadron with Bristol Beaufighters. From Scottish and northern bases it covered the sea approaches around Britain before moving into more offensive anti-shipping work. The squadron’s Beaufighters attacked enemy shipping and coastal targets, a role that combined navigation over difficult waters with low-level attack against heavily defended vessels. By the end of the war No. 254 had served as part of the RAF’s wider effort to protect Allied sea lanes and reduce Axis coastal traffic.