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Once the bombing war started, the Whitley was soon in the thick of it. June 1940 saw No. 10 Squadron take part in the first raid on Italy, as part of a force of 36 Whitleys from five squadrons. Between then and the end of the war, No. 10 remained part of the main bomber force. A detachment was sent to Aqir in July 1942, to form the nucleus of No. 462 Squadron.
Location
25 January 1937-8 July 1940: Dishforth
8 July 1940-19 August 1942: Leeming
From July 1942-September 1942: Detachment at Aqir
August 1942-6 August 1945: Melbourne
6 August-10 September 1945: Broadwell
Aircraft
March 1937-May 1939: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley I
May 1939-May 1940: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley IV
March 1940-December 1941: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V
From December 1941: Handley Page Halifax B I (from Whitley)
August 1942-March 1944: Handley Page Halifax B II
March 1944-August 1945: Handley Page Halfiax B III
Squadron Codes: ZA
Group and Duty
On 26 September 1939: Bomber squadron with No. 4 Group
On December 1941: Bomber squadron with No. 4 Group
From 7 May 1945: Transferred to Transport Command
Known Raids
June 1940: Turin and Genoa
23 September 1940: Boulogne docks
13/14 March 1941: Rotterdam
Halifax Squadrons of World War II , Jon Lake. This is a very good book on the combat record of the Handley Page Halifax. It covers much more than just its role as a front line bomber, with chapters on the Halifax with Coastal Command, the Pathfinders and SOE, amongst others. [see more]
