No. 109 Squadron

Motto: "Primi hastati" ("The first of the legion").
Badge: A panther rampant, incensed. The black panther indicates night hunting and the attitude of the animal symbolises attack.
Authority: King George VI, January 1944.

No. 109 Squadron was first formed in 1918 and the only other information available concerning its early history is that its role was bomber training and that it disbanded in 1919. On 10th December 1940, the squadron was re-born from the Wireless Intelligence Development Unit (WIDU) whose headquarters were at Boscombe Down, Wilts. Using Anson and Wellington aircraft it was engaged during the next two years in development of radio counter-measures and also new radar aids, notably the blind bombing system known as Oboe. In August, 1942, No. 109 moved to Wyton to become one of the original units of the Pathfinder Force.¹ In December it converted to Oboe Mosquitoes and on 2Oth/21st made World War 2 history by flying the first Oboe sorties over enemy territory - on a calibration raid against a power station at Lutterade in Holland. Eight nights later, on 31st December/1st January 1943, it made history again when it pioneered Oboe target marking for a following force of heavy bombers; the target was Düsseldorf.

The squadron remained an Oboe Mosquito marker unit for the rest of the war and from mid-1943 had a friendly PFF rival in No. 105 Squadron. One of No. 109's most outstanding successes was on 5/6th March, 1943, when eight of its Mosquitoes led Bomber Command's devastating assault on Essen which laid waste more than 160 acres of that city and heralded the Battle of the Ruhr. Included among the squadron's many other wartime claims to fame is the claim that the last bombs to be dropped on Berlin were dropped by one of its Mosquitos at 2.14am on 21st April, 1945.

Among the scores of decorations won by No. 109 Squadron personnel was a Victoria Cross. It was awarded posthumously to Squadron Leader BAM Palmer, "in recognition of most conspicuous bravery" while flying a Lancaster of No. 582 Squadron (mainly with a 582 Squadron crew) and acting as Oboe leader of a Lancaster force against Cologne on 23rd December 1944.

1. Initially No. 109, although associated with the PFF, was established independently of it.

Bomber Command WWII Bases: Originally a "special duties" (wireless) sqdn. On 6.8.42 moved from Stradishall to Wyton & in Dec converted to Mosquitos & bomber role. (It had begun to receive Mosquitos in Aug but did not finish special duty ops with Wellingtons until Nov.)

• Wyton : Dec 1942-Jul 1943
• Marham : Jul 1943-Apr 1944
• Little Staughton : Apr 1944 onwards

Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:

• de Havilland Mosquito B.IV, B.IX and B.XVI : Dec 1942 onwards

Code Letters:

• "HS"

First Operational Mission (as Bombing Squadron) in WWII:

• 20th/21st December 1942 : 6 Mosquitoes despatched to make Oboe-bombing attack on power station at Lutterade; 3 bombed primary, 2 bombed Duisburg as an alternative & the other bombed last-resort target (un-named). Reason for the 3 failures against primary was that a/c developed technical faults in Oboe equipment.

Last Operational Mission in WWII:

• 2nd/3rd May 1945 : 10 Mosquitos operated over Kiel, Husum and Eggebeck.

Last Mission before VE Day:

• 7th May 1945 : 10 Mosquitos marked 5 different aiming points for a/c detailed to drop supplies to Dutch.

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