No. 3 Squadron

One of the three founding squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps in 1912, No. 3 Squadron entered the Second World War as a Hurricane fighter unit based at RAF Biggin Hill. In May 1940 it deployed to France with the Air Component of the BEF, flying for ten days before the German offensive forced a withdrawal with heavy losses. Withdrawn to Scotland to defend the Scapa Flow naval base through early 1941, the squadron then moved south to begin ‘Rhubarb’ low-level strikes against targets in occupied France and Belgium, and later operated in the night-intruder role alongside Turbinlite Havocs. Re-equipped with the Typhoon in early 1943 for fighter-bomber and anti-shipping work, it transitioned to the Tempest in 1944, destroying 288 V-1 flying bombs over southern England before moving to the Continent with the 2nd Tactical Air Force, where it flew armed-reconnaissance sweeps until the German surrender.