No. 635 Squadron
- Group
- No. 8 Group (Pathfinder Force)
- Command
- Bomber Command
- Home station
- RAF Downham Market
In the database: 2 aircraft · 1 service member.
History
No. 635 Squadron was formed in March 1944 at RAF Downham Market in Norfolk, drawing its first crews from No. 35 and No. 97 Squadrons, and flew the Avro Lancaster as a Pathfinder squadron in No. 8 Group. From its first operation against Frankfurt it served in the target-marking role for the rest of the war.
The squadron’s name is bound up with the Victoria Cross won by Squadron Leader Ian Bazalgette. On 4 August 1944, attacking a flying-bomb site, his Lancaster was set ablaze on the approach; he pressed on to drop his markers, held the aircraft level for part of the crew to bail out, and then attempted a crash landing to save two wounded men. The aircraft exploded, killing him and them, and he was awarded a posthumous VC. The squadron’s motto was Nos ducimus, ceteri secuntur — “we lead, others follow”.