No. 127 Squadron RAF | |
---|---|
Active | (RFC) 1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918 (RAF) 29 June 1941 - 30 April 1945 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Role | Fighter Command. |
Motto(s) | Eothen (Out of the East) |
Aircraft |
Gladiator Hurricane Spitfire |
Battle honours | •World War II • Home Defence • Middle East • Italy • Western Desert • Invasion of Europe |
Insignia | |
Squadron Badge heraldry | A tarantula. |
Squadron Codes |
HF allocated April 1939 - September 1939 EJ June 1942 - January 1943 9N April 1944 - April 1945 |
No. 127 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the United Kingdom's Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.
No. 127 Squadron was formed on 1 February 1918 as a day bomber unit but was disbanded on 4 July 1918 before becoming operational.
On 29 June 1941, a detachment of four Hurricanes and four Gladiators to be based at Haditha in Iraq was re-designated No. 127 Squadron. During the occupation of Syria in July it flew fighter and reconnaissance missions until it was renumbered No. 261 Squadron on 12 July 1941. No. 127 reformed at Kasfareet from a detachment of ground personnel from No. 249 Squadron and acted as a servicing echelon until receiving Hurricanes in March 1942. In June the Squadron moved to the Western Desert for fighter operations before being placed on air defence duties in Egypt in September. In April 1944 the Squadron moved back to the UK and re-assembled at North Weald on 23 April. Operations with Spitfire fighter-bomber missions began on 19 May and in August 1944 the Squadron moved to France where it flew fighter-bomber sweeps until disbanding on 30 April 1945.