No. 607 Squadron — County of Durham

No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron was formed on 17 March 1930 at RAF Usworth, a new airfield in County Durham, as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. In 1936 the squadron converted to the fighter role, and by the outbreak of war it was equipped with Gloster Gladiators, deploying to France as part of the Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force in late 1939 before retreating when French airfields were overrun in May 1940. Re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes, the squadron served under No. 13 Group, Fighter Command, defending north-east England and later participated in the Battle of Britain after moving south. Operating from RAF Manston in 1941–42, the squadron pioneered the Hurricane in the fighter-bomber role and struck at German warships during the Channel Dash of February 1942. Deployed to the Far East from 1942, the unit fought under Third Tactical Air Force and Air Command South-East Asia, supporting the Fourteenth Army through the Imphal and Kohima battles after becoming the first squadron in South-East Asia Command to re-equip with Supermarine Spitfires in September 1943. The squadron was disbanded at Mingaladon, Burma, on 19 August 1945, having served continuously from France and the home front through to the final campaigns in Burma.