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Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books
No. 157 Squadron was the first squadron to use the Mosquito as a night fighter, reforming on 13 December 1941 specifically to operate the type (after a short incarnation towards the end of the First World War).
The first patrols were flow on the night of 27-28 April 1942 over East Anglia but the first confirmed kill did not come until 22/23 August 1942.
As the threat from German bombers faded, No. 157 squadron received a number of Mosquito FB.Mk VIs, and began to fly intruder missions over occupied Europe. In November 1943 the squadron moved to Cornwall and increasingly concentrated on the intruder role. After a brief interlude flying defensive patrols over the Irish Sea, in May 1944 the squadron moved to East Anglia, where it joined No.100 Group and carried out intruder missions to support the heavy bombers.
Aircraft
17 January 1942: Arrival of first de Havilland Mosquito T.Mk III
March 1942-July 1944: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk II
July 1943-April 1944: de Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk VI
May 1944-August 1945: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk XIX
February 1945-August 1945: de Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk 30
Location
13-17 December 1941: Debden, Essex
17 December 1941-15 March 1943: Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire
15 March-13 May 1943: Bradwell Bay
13 May-9 November 1943: Hunsdon
9 November 1943-26 March 1944: Predannack
26 March-7 May 1944: Valley
7 May-21 July 1944: West Malling
28 August 1944-16 August 1945: Swannington
Commander
From 3 December 1941: Wg Cdr Gordon Slade
Squadron Codes: RS
Duty
December 1941-November 1943: Defensive Night Fighter
November 1943-March 1944: Night fighter intruder
March 1944-May 1944: Night fighter defensive
May 1944-August 1945: No.100 Group Bomber Support
Mosquito Fighter/ Fighter-Bomber Units of World War 2, Martin Bowman. The second of three books looking the RAF career of the Mosquito covers its use as a night fighter, first on the defensive in the skies over Britain, and then as an intruder over Occupied Europe and Germany, and finishing with a look at the "Mosquito Panic" [see more]
Known Operations
27/28 April 1942: Flew first Mosquito operation
29/30 May 1942: Scored its first probable victory with the Mosquito, claiming a Dornier Do 217
22/23 August 1942: Squadron achieves its first confirmed kill with the Mosquito
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