No. 619 Squadron RAF
619 Squadron Crest
Active18 April 1943 – 18 July 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeInactive
RoleHeavy Bomber Squadron
Part ofNo. 5 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1]
Motto(s)Latin: Ad Altoria
(Translation: "To higher things")[2]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA heron vigilant, holding before him a battle axe with its right paw (unofficial)[3]
Squadron CodesKV (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939
allocated, but never used)[4]
PG (Apr 1943 – Jul 1945)[5][6]
Aircraft flown
BomberAvro Lancaster
Four-engined heavy bomber
TrainerAirspeed Oxford
Twin-engined trainer[7]

No. 619 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, flying Lancaster bombers from bases in Lincolnshire.

History

Flying Officer P Ingleby, the navigator of a Lancaster of 619 Squadron based at RAF Coningsby, seated at his table in the aircraft

The squadron was formed out of elements of 97 Squadron[7][8] at RAF Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire on 18 April 1943, equipped with Lancaster Mk.III bombers, as part of 5 Group in Bomber Command. It also flew Lancaster Mk.I bombers. Their first mission was flown in the night of 11 June 1943, when 12 Lancasters were sent to bomb targets in Düsseldorf, and the last bombing mission was flown on 25 April 1945, when 6 Lancasters tried to bomb Obersalzberg. The last operational mission was flown a day later, when 2 Lancasters laid mines in the Oslo Fjord near Horten. After that mission the squadron ferried ex-prisoners of war back to the United Kingdom from Belgium (Operation Exodus).[9] The squadron operated out of various Lincolnshire stations, before being disbanded at RAF Skellingthorpe on 18 July 1945.

Members of the squadron were awarded 1 DSO, 76 DFCs and 37 DFMs. The squadron was mentioned 10 times in despatches.[10]

Aircraft operated

Lancaster LM446 of no. 619 Squadron, coded PG-H
Aircraft operated by no. 619 Squadron RAF, data from[2][8][11][12]
From To Aircraft Version
18 April 1943 18 September 1943 Airspeed Oxford Mks.I, II
18 April 1943 18 July 1945 Avro Lancaster Mks.I, III

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 619 Squadron RAF, data from[2][8][11]
From To Base
18 April 1943 9 January 1944 RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
9 January 1944 17 April 1944 RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
17 April 1944 28 September 1944 RAF Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire
28 September 1944 30 June 1945 RAF Strubby, Lincolnshire
30 June 1945 18 July 1945 RAF Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire

Notable people

Commanding officers

Officers commanding no. 619 Squadron RAF, data from[13]
From To Name
20 April 1943 17 August 1943 W/Cdr. I.J. McGhie, DFC
20 August 1943 4 December 1943 W/Cdr. W. Abercromby, DFC
4 December 1943 23 May 1944 W/Cdr. J.R. Jeudwine, OBE, DFC
23 May 1944 26 July 1944 W/Cdr. J.R. Maling, AFC
28 July 1944 21 February 1945 W/Cdr. A.R. Millward, DFC
21 February 1945 14 June 1945 W/Cdr. S.G. Birch, DFC
14 June 1945 18 July 1945 W/Cdr. Flett

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ Delve 1994, pp. 69, 77.
  2. ^ a b c Moyes 1976, p. 285.
  3. ^ Rew 1988, pp. coverpage.
  4. ^ Squadron Codes on RafWeb Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 82.
  6. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 97.
  7. ^ a b Lake 1999, p. 272.
  8. ^ a b c Jefford 2001, p. 102.
  9. ^ Moyes 1976, p. 286.
  10. ^ Rew 1988, pp. 62–63.
  11. ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 436.
  12. ^ Hamlin 2001, p. 56.
  13. ^ Rew 1988, p. 64.
Bibliography
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Charpentier, Alain; Lacey-Johnson, Lionel; Jeudwine, Geoffrey (1999). Global Warrior. Southport: Lionel Lacey-Johnson. ISBN 0-9536418-0-5.
  • Clark, Bryan (2004). 619: The History of a Forgotten Squadron. Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK: Woodfield Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-903953-51-0.
  • Clarke, Charles (1988). Squadron 619, Royal Air Force: "Ad Altiora". UK: Privately Printed.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Hamlin, John F. (2001). The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-289-0.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF: The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Rew, Steve (1988). 619 Squadron History (2nd ed.). Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK: Self-published manuscript.
  • Ward, Chris (1996). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles no. 117: 619 Squadron. Sudbury, Suffolk, UK: Ward Publishing.

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