No. 6 Squadron

No. 6 Squadron RAF holds the distinction of being one of the longest continuously serving squadrons in the world, having been formed on 31 January 1914 at Farnborough as part of the Royal Flying Corps. At the outbreak of the Second World War it was stationed in Palestine, carrying out army co-operation duties with a mixed fleet of Hawker Hardys, Gloster Gauntlets and Westland Lysanders. The squadron moved into the Western Desert from September 1940, flying tactical reconnaissance in support of ground forces across Egypt and Libya. It gained its famous nickname “The Flying Tin Openers” during the North African campaign, when it operated the Hurricane Mk.IID armed with two 40mm Vickers S-guns for low-level anti-tank strikes against Axis armour, notably during the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942 and the Battle of the Mareth Line in March 1943. Converting to rocket-armed Hurricane Mk.IVs in late 1943, the squadron transferred to Italy and flew ground-attack operations across Italy and into the Balkans until the end of the war in Europe. Its motto, Oculi Exercitus — “The eyes of the army” — reflects the army co-operation role the squadron has maintained across more than a century of service.