No. 158 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War

No.158 Squadron was formed during the great wartime expansion of Bomber Command, from the home echelon of No.104 Squadron (after the air echelon moved to the Mediterranean). It would later play its own role in that expansion when C Flight was used to form No.640 Squadron.

After a short period operating the Vickers Wellington, in June 1942 No.158 converted to the Handley Page Halifax, retaining that aircraft for the rest of the war. Other than a short break to support the Normandy invasions in 1944 the squadron spent the entire war as part of the strategic bomber force. In June 1945 the squadron was transfered to Transport Command, and began to convert to the Stirling V transport. The squadron survived for long enough to begin flying troops out to India and the Middle East, before disbanding on the last day of 1945.

Location
14 February-4 June 1942: Driffield
4 June-6 November 1942: East Moor
6 November 1942-28 February 1943: Rufforth
28 February 1943-17 August 1945: Lissett
17 August-31 December 1945: Stradishall

Duty
By June 1942 to 7 May 1945: Bomber squadron with No.4 Group
From 7 May 1945: To Transport Command

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.

Review of Halifax Squadrons by John lake

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]

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (22 March 2007), No. 158 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/158_wwII.html