No. 199 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War

No.199 Squadron was formed on 7 November 1942 as a standard night bomber squadron within Bomber Command. It flew its first raid on 6 December 1942, and remained part of the main bomber force until late in 1943. By that time its Stirlings were considered obsolescent, and the squadron was concentrating on minelaying and short-range attacks on coastal targets.

In May 1944 the squadron transferred to No.100 Group to become a counter-measures squadron. In the next month it was one of the squadrons used to convince the Germans that a second invasion fleet was heading for the Pas de Calais. No.199 Squadron's role was to fly on the path of the "ships", using its radar jamming equipment to match the similar jamming going on in Normandy. After D-Day the squadron used the same radar-jamming methods to help support the main bomber force, retaining its Stirlings almost to the end of the war.

Location
7 November 1942-3 February 1943: Blyton
3 February-20 June 1943: Ingham
20 June 1943-1 May 1944: Lakenheath
1 May-19 July 1945: North Creake

Duty
November 1942-May 1944: Bomber Command
May 1944-May 1945: ECM squadron with No.100 Group
July 1945: Disbanded

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.

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (23 March 2007), No. 199 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/199_wwII.html