No. 70 Squadron

No. 70 Squadron is one of the RAF’s oldest units, originally formed on 22 April 1916 at Farnborough and continuously active in the Middle East through the interwar years. At the outbreak of the Second World War it was stationed at Helwan in Egypt, operating the obsolete Vickers Valentia transport biplane, but converted to Vickers Wellingtons in September 1940 and flew its first bombing sortie on 18 September that year against targets in the Western Desert. Flying as a night bomber under No. 205 Group, the squadron ranged widely across the theatre — supporting the 8th Army’s campaigns in Libya and Tunisia, participating in operations against the pro-Axis revolt in Iraq in 1941, and flying detachments to Greece and Syria. After the Axis defeat in North Africa the squadron moved to the Foggia plain in Italy in December 1943, continuing night operations against targets in northern Italy and the Balkans. In early 1945 the Wellingtons were replaced by Consolidated Liberators, which gave sufficient range to lay mines in the Danube and strike at targets deep into central Europe. The squadron’s motto, “Usquam” — Latin for “Anywhere” — reflects the extraordinary breadth of its wartime deployment across three continents.