No. 150 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War

No.150 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World War, starting as a Fairey Battle Squadron, which later converted to the Wellington and was posted to the Mediterranean, before being reformed late in 1944 as a Lancaster bomber squadron.

At the start of the Second World War No.150 Squadron moved to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force. Like the other Battle squadrons in the AASF No.150 suffered heavy loses during the German invasion of France in May 1940, and had to evacuated back to Britain in mid-June.

In October 1940 the squadron converted to the Vickers Wellington, and became a night bomber squadron, at first with Bomber Command in Britain, before moving to Algeria in December 1942. The squadron moved forward with the advancing armies, eventually reaching the mainland of Italy (December 1943). On 5 October 1944, still equipped with the Wellington, the squadron was disbanded.

A second incarnation of the squadron was formed on 1 November 1944 from C Flight of No.550 Squadron. This time No.150 Squadron was equipped with the Avro Lancaster, and took part in the strategic bombing campaign over Germany.

Aircraft
August 1938-October 1940: Fairey Battle I
October 1940-June 1942: Vickers Wellington IC
April 1942-August 1943: Vickers Wellington III
June 1943-October 1944: Vickers Wellington X
November 1944-November 1945: Avro Lancaster I and III

Location
3 April-2 September 1939: Benson
2-11 September 1939: Challerange (France)
11 September 1939-15 May 1940: Ecury-sur-Coole
15 May-3 June 1940: Pouan
3-15 June 1940: Houssay
15-19 June 1940: Abingdon (UK)
19 June-3 July 1940: Stradishall
3 July 1940-10 July 1941: Newton
10 July 1941-October 1942: Snaith
October 1942: Kirmington
19 December 1942-17 May 1943: Blida (Algeria)
17-26 May 1943: Fontaine Chaude
26 May-14 November 1943: Kairouan West
14 November-21 December 1943: Oudna No.1 (Tunisia)
21 December 1943-14 February 1944: Cerignola No.3 (Italy)
14 February-3 July 1944: Amendola
3 July-5 October 1944: Regina

Group and Duty
26 September 1939-June 1940: Bomber squadron with No.1 Group, 74 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force
June 1940- December 1942: Bomber Command
December 1942-October 1944: Bomber squadron, North Africa and Italy
November 1944-November 1945: Bomber Command, UK

Bomber Offensive, Sir Arthur Harris. The autobiography of Bomber Harris, giving his view of the strategic bombing campaign in its immediate aftermath. Invaluable for the insights it provides into Harris’s approach to the war, what he was trying to achieve and the problems he faced. Harris perhaps overstates his case, not entirely surprisingly given how soon after the end of the war this book was written (Read Full Review)

Wellington in Action, Ron Mackay. A well illustrated guide to the development and service career of this classic British bomber. Mackay looks at the early development of the Wellington and the unusual geodetic frame that gave it great strength, the period when the Wellington was the mainstay of Bomber Command and the many uses found for the aircraft after it was replaced in the main bomber stream.

Lancaster Squadrons 1944-45, Jon Lake. A well balanced look at the career of the Avro Lancaster in 1944-45, the period most famous for the systematic night bombardment of German cities. This was also the period that saw the Lancaster used to support the invasion of France, and the period that saw 617 Squadron drop Barnes Wallis's huge streamlined bombs with great precision. [see more]

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (18 April 2008), No. 150 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/150_wwII.html