No. 159 Squadron RAF
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| No. 159 Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Image:159Sqn.GIF | |
| Active | 1 June 1918 |
| Role | Bombing, mining, reconnaissance, transport |
| Equipment | B-24 Liberator, various others |
| Motto | "Quo non, quando non" ("Whither not, When not?"). |
| Battle honours | Far East 1942-45 |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | In Front of logs inflamed, a peacocks head erased, in the beak a woodmans axe. |
The original 159 Squadron was formed on June 1, 1918 during the First World War, but was disbanded on July 4, 1918 so that reinforcements could be sent to France.
No. 159 Squadron was reformed at Molesworth on July 2 1942 during the Second World War and its ground crew personnel were posted, without aircraft, to the Middle East on February 12, 1942 and then to India on May 18, 1942. Flying B-24 Liberators, the squadron was posted to Palestine in July 1942 and carried out bombing raids in North Africa, Italy and Greece. No. 159 then flew to India on September 30, 1942. The first operation against the Japanese was on November 17, 1942 and during the rest of the war, the squadron flew mining, bombing, and reconnaissance missions over Burma, Siam, Malaya, Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies. After the war, No.159 converted to transport and survey duties before disbanding on June 1, 1946.
| Image:Belkin1.jpg | Image:Belkin3.jpg |
| Clippings from Japanese propaganda newspaper "Greater Asia" discussing the destruction of a 159 Squadron B-24 Liberator on the night of 9/10 October 1943. Clippings courtesy Matt Poole, via canadiansoldiers.com. | |
