RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary

No. 104 Squadron
Motto: "Strike hard."
Badge: A thunderbolt. The device in conjunction with the motto implies the unit's formidable intentions and power.
Authority: King George VI, December 1936.

No 104 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Wyton, Huntingdonshire, on 4th September 1917, from a nucleus provided by No. 20 Training Squadron, and went to France in May 1918, equipped with DH9 aircraft. The squadron was posted to the bombing force which, on 6th June, became known as the Independent Force and from 8th June until the Armistice was engaged on long-distance day-bombing raids into Germany. On nearly all its raids - and it made a good many - it met the most strenuous opposition from large formations of enemy fighters, but it succeeded in destroying thirty and shooting down another 27 out of control. More than 41 tons of bombs were dropped, the greater proportion on German towns far behind the lines. The squadron had to re-form three times owing to heavy casualties.

Disbanded in June 1919, the squadron did not re-appear in the order of battle until January 1936, when it was re-formed as No 104 (Bomber) Squadron at Abingdon. On the day before the outbreak of the Second World War it became a No. 6 Group training squadron and in April 1940, was absorbed into No 13 OTU.

In April 1941, the squadron was re-formed at Driffield as a Wellington medium-bomber unit of No. 4 Group and began to take part in the night-bombing offensive against Fortress Europe. Towards the end of 1941 it moved to the Middle East and subsequently to Italy attacking targets in Germany from Germany's "soft underbelly".

Bomber Command WWII Bases:

Bassingbourn : May 1938-Sep 1939

Became a No. 6 Group training sqdn 2.9.39 and later in month moved to

Bicester : Sep 1939-Apr 1940

On 8.4.40 merged with No 108 (B) Sqdn & SHQ Bicester to form No 13 0TU. Re-formed 1.4.41 as No 104 (B) Sqdn at

Driffield : Apr 1941-Feb 1942

15 a/c and crews plus some ground crew were sent to Malta (Luqa) in mid-Oct 1941. The home echelon continued to operate from Driffield for a while and then, on 14th Feb 1942, was re-numbered No 158 (B) Sqdn.

Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:

Bristol Blenheim I and IV : May 1938-Apr 1940
Vickers Wellington II : Apr 1941 onwards

104 Squadron Blenheim IV

Code Letters:

During the 1938 Munich crisis No 104 was allotted the code letters "P0". From Apr 1941 its codes were "EP".

First Operational Mission in WWII:

8/9th May 1941 : 4 Wellingtons bombed Bremen (primary), another bombed Wilhelmshaven instead & another completely aborted.

Date Last Updated : Wednesday, April 6, 2005 2:40 AM

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