No. 582 Squadron

Motto: "Provolanius designantes" ("We fly before marking").
Badge: On a hurt three mullets in bend fimbriated. A hurt represents the night sky while the three mullets, in the colours of flares used, symbolise the squadron's target-marking role.
Authority: King George VI, October 1945.

No 582 Squadron was formed at Little Staughton, near St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, on 1st April 1944, from personnel mainly drawn from Nos. 7 and 156 Squadrons. Equipped with Lancasters it formed part of the Pathfinder Force (No 8 Group), and during the period 9/10th April 1944 to 25th April 1945, flew 2,157 sorties against the enemy. Following its final bombing mission it took part in Operation Manna (the dropping of food to the starving Dutch) and Operation Exodus (the ferrying home from the Continent of British ex-POWs).

During its comparatively short existence, No 582's members earned the following awards: 1 VC (awarded posthumously to Captain EE Swales, SAAF, for his "most conspicuous bravery" during a raid on Pforzheim on 23rd/24th February 1945, 4 DSOs, 69 DFCs, 20 bars to DFCs, and 29 DFMs.

Bomber Command WWII Bases: Formed 1.4.44 as No 582(B) Sqn from "C" Flt. of No. 7(B) Sqn & "C" Flt of No 156(B) Sqn.

• Little Staughton : Apr 1944 onwards

Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:

• Avro Lancaster B.I, B.III : Apr 1944 onwards

Code Letters:

• "6O"

First Operational Mission in WWII:

• 9/10th April 1944 : 7 Lancasters bombed marshalling yards at Lille.

Last Operational Mission in WWII:

• 25th April 1945 : 16 Lancasters bombed gun batteries on island of Wangerooge.

Last Mission before VE Day:

• 7th May 1945 : 4 Lancasters dropped supplies to Dutch.

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