No. 143 Squadron RAF
No. 143 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a fighter unit in the First World War and reformed as an RAF Coastal Command fighter and anti-submarine unit in Second World War.
| No. 143 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 February 1918 – 31 October 1919 15 June 1941 – 25 May 1945 |
| Country |  |
| Branch |  |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Vincere est vivere ("To conquer is to live")[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A gamecock. |
| Squadron Codes | HO (Jun 1941 - Aug 1943, Jul 1944 - Oct 1944) ) NE (Oct 1944 - Jul 1945) |
History
Formation and the First World War
Squadron De Havilland Mosquito
No. 143 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 March 1918 and became a unit of the Royal Air Force a month later, but it disbanded on 31 October 1919 having operated the Sopwith Camel and Sopwith Snipe.
Reformation in the Second World War
The squadron reformed in June 1941 as a coastal command long range fighter unit based at RAF Aldergrove unit and equipped with the Bristol Beaufighter. It was then stationed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and East Anglia and employed on anti-shipping missions. It re-equipped with the de Havilland Mosquito and was disbanded on 25 May 1945.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1918 | Mar 1918 | Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 | |
| Mar 1918 | Aug 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | A |
| Aug 1918 | Oct 1919 | Sopwith Camel | |
| Jun 1919 | Oct 1919 | Sopwith Snipe | |
| Jun 1941 | Nov 1941 | Bristol Beaufighter | IC |
| Nov 1941 | Nov 1941 | Bristol Blenheim | IV |
| Feb 1942 | Oct 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | IIB |
| Aug 1942 | Sep 1942 | Bristol Beaufighter | IC |
| Sep 1942 | Mar 1943 | Bristol Beaufighter | IIF |
| Mar 1943 | May 1944 | Bristol Beaufighter | XI |
| Sep 1943 | Oct 1944 | Bristol Beaufighter | X |
| Sep 1944 | Oct 1944 | de Havilland Mosquito | II |
| Oct 1944 | May 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito | VI |
References
- Pine, L G (1983). A dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 253. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 143 Squadron RAF. |
- History of No.'s 141–145 Squadrons at RAF Web
- 143 Squadron history on the official RAF website
- Squadron history and information on the 143 Squadron, Air Training Corps website
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