No. 118 Squadron RAF
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| No. 118 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | January 1, 1918 - September 7, 1918 February 20, 1941 - March 10, 1946 May 10, 1951 - August 22, 1957 September 1, 1959 - August 31, 1962 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Motto | Occido redeoque Latin: "I kill and return" |
Formed at Catterick, North Yorkshire, on January 1, 1918 as a heavy night bomber unit, No. 118 Squadron never saw service in World War I and was disbanded again on September 7, 1918.
On February 20, 1941, No. 118 reformed at RAF Filton, near Bristol, as a No. 10 Group fighter squadron equipped with Spitfires. On March 28, convoy patrols began and in June the Squadron began to provide bomber escorts and took part in fighter sweeps over northern France. In January 1943, it moved to East Anglia and began sweeps over the Netherlands, moving in September to northern Scotland on defensive duties. In January 1944 the Squadron came south again to join Second TAF but returned to the Orkneys in March for four months. Sweeps and bomber escort missions were resumed in July 1944 and in January 1945, the Squadron converted to Mustangs for long-range escort duties. These began on February 1 and continued to May 3, 1945. On March 10, 1946, the Squadron was disbanded.
On May 10, 1951, No. 118 reformed at RAF Fassberg as a Vampire fighter-bomber Squadron, re-equipping with Venoms in November 1953, and then becoming a day fighter unit when it was equipped with Hunters in May 1955, disbanding on August 22, 1957. On September 1, 1959, the Sycamore Flight of No. 228 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove became No. 118 Squadron in Transport Command. On August 31, 1962, the Squadron was disbanded.
