No. 124 Squadron RAF
| No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 March 1918 – 17 August 1918 10 May 1941 – 1 April 1946 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Motto(s) | "Danger is our opportunity" |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A mongoose passant. The mongoose is an inhabitant of India and is known for its speed and ferocity in killing its enemies. |
| Squadron Codes |
PK (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939) ON (May 1941 - Sep 1946) |
No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.
No. 124 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 February 1918 at RFC Old Sarum and became a unit of the Royal Air Force. After a move to RAF Fowlmere 124 Sqn disbanded on 17 August 1918 having only operated as a training squadron.
Around the outbreak of World War II, from April to September 1939, 124 Sqn was allocated a squadron code but the squadron was not stood up. The squadron eventually reformed on 10 May 1941 as a fighter unit equipped with Spitfire Mk I, stationed at RAF Castletown, to provide air defence for Scapa Flow from 29 June. In October 1941 it converted to Spitfire Mk IIBs. It was then moved to RAF Biggin Hill with Spitfire Mk V taking part in sorties against the German Channel Dash. In April 1942, it received new equipment in the form of the high altitude Spitfire Mk VI, which it took to RAF Drem for a month in December. Returning from Scotland in January 1943, it absorbed the Special Spitfire Flight from RAF Northolt and then to RAF Manston, where in early 1945 the Squadron was intercepting German reconnaissance aircraft at up to 50,000 ft, using Spitfire Mk VIIs with pressurised cockpits.
In early February 1945 the Squadron began re-equipping with Spitfire Mk IX.HF(e)’s primarily in order to carry out dive-bombing attacks on the mobile launch sites of the V2 rockets, mainly in the woodland area around The Hague in Holland. On 10 February, the unit moved to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, the nearest sea-crossing to the target, 120 miles. The V2 rockets had been developed by Wernher von Braun at the Peenemünde Army Research Center. The first rockets to hit London had been in early September 1944. 124 Squadron became the fifth of six squadrons of Spitfire dive-bombers deployed to attempt to take out the mobile launching sites, by flying sorties known in the RAF as ramrods (daylight bomber sorties on specific targets). Attacks were made in two ways.
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