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Aircraft - Location - Group and Duty - Books
No. 50 Squadron began the Second World War equipped with the Handley Page Hampden. Like most of Bomber Command the squadron had a quiet start to the war, but bombing operations began on 19 March 1940. From then until the end of the war the squadron was part of Bomber Command's main bomber force. After a short period operating the Avro Manchester, the squadron converted to the Lancaster in May 1942 and retained that aircraft until the summer of 1946.
Aircraft
December 1938-May 1942: Handley Page Hampden I
April-June 1942: Avro Manchester I
May 1942-November 1946: Avro Lancaster I and Lancaster III
Location
3 May 1937-10 July 1940: Waddington
10 July 1940-19 July 1941: Lindholme
19 July-26 November 1941: Swinderby
26 November 1941-20 June 1942: Skellingthorpe
20 June 1942-17 October 1942: Swinderby
16 October 1942-15 June 1945: Skellingthorpe
Squadron Codes:
Group and Duty
26 September 1939: Bomber squadron with No. 5 Group
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)
Lancaster Squadron 1942-43, Jon Lake. This book looks at the early career of the Avro Lancaster. During this period the Lancaster was just one of a number of aircraft used by Bomber Command, important amongst them the Wellington, the Stirling and the Halifax. Only by the end of this period do we see the Lancaster begin to emerge as the most important aircraft in Bomber Command. Lake covers the wide range of activities performed by the Lancaster squadrons during this squadron, including the famous Dam Busters raid. [see more]
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]
