No. 134 Squadron RAF

No. 134 Squadron RAF was a part of the Royal Air Force which was formed as a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter squadron in World War II.

No. 134 Squadron RAF
Active1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918
31 July 1941 – 10 March 1946
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Motto(s)Latin: Per ardua volabimus
("We shall fly through hardships")[1]
Insignia
Squadron BadgeA gauntlet closed.
Squadron CodesG (August–November 1941)
GQ (1942 – June 1945)

History

First World War

No. 134 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 March 1918 and became a unit of the Royal Air Force a month later but disbanded on 17 August 1918.

Second World War

The squadron reformed from a nucleus provided by 17 Squadron in July 1941 as a fighter unit equipped with Hawker Hurricanes stationed at RAF Leconfield. It was then based near Murmansk to train Russian pilots until the Hurricanes were handed over to the Russian Navy. Back in the UK the squadron was re-assembled at RAF Catterick on 7 December 1941, moved to Northern Ireland for two months and returned to RAF Baginton (in Warwickshire) to prepare to move overseas once again. It then operated in Egypt until November 1943 when it moved to India and Burma. The squadron converted to the P-47 Thunderbolt and disbanded by being renumbered 131 Squadron.

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by No. 134 Squadron RAF[2]
FromToAircraftVariant
Jun 1941Mar 1942Hawker HurricaneIIB
Dec 1941Feb 1942Supermarine SpitfireVA
Dec 1941Feb 1942Supermarine SpitfireIIA
Jan 1942Feb 1942Hawker HurricaneIIB
Jan 1942Mar 1943Supermarine SpitfireVB
Jan 1943Oct 1943Hawker HurricaneIIB
Mar 1943Apr 1943Hawker HurricaneIIC
Jun 1943Aug 1943Supermarine SpitfireVB & VC
Sep 1944Jan 1945Republic P-47 ThunderboltI
Sep 1944Jan 1945Republic P-47 ThunderboltII

Footnotes
  1. Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 134. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. Jefford 1988.

References
  • Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: UK Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-053-6.
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