No. 12 Squadron RFC
| No. 12 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
Squadron badge
|
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| Active | 14 February 1915 – 31 March 2014 9 January 2015 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Air Interdiction, Ground Attack, Close Air Support, Reconnaissance, Suppression of Enemy Air Defences |
| Home station | RAF Marham |
| Motto(s) | "Leads the Field" |
| Equipment | Panavia Tornado GR4 |
| Battle honours |
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| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Wing Commander Nikki Thomas |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge | A fox's mask |
| Squadron badge heraldry | Based on a suggestion when the squadron was equipped with the Fairey Fox, an aircraft of which they were the sole operators. |
| Squadron roundel |  |
No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Marham, having been re-formed on 9 January 2015.
No. 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No. 1 Squadron RFC based at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire. The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft on operations over the Western Front during the First World War. In March 1918, the squadron was re-equipped with the Bristol F.2b Fighter just before becoming part of the newly formed Royal Air Force. The squadron, by then based at Bickendorf in Germany, was disbanded in 1922.
The squadron re-formed at RAF Northolt in West London on 1 April 1923, operating the de Havilland DH.9A. In 1924, it moved to RAF Andover in Hampshire and converted to the Fairey Fawn, a single-engined biplane bomber. The Fawns were replaced in 1926 with the Fairey Fox, which influenced the adoption of the fox's head as part of the squadron badge and the squadron's motto. The squadron was the only RAF user of the Fairey Fox and its performance was superior to other types, resulting in the motto of 'Leads the Field'. In 1931, the squadron re-equipped with the Sydney Camm designed Hawker Hart. In October 1935 the squadron moved to the Middle East, but returned to Andover in August 1936. The Harts were replaced by the Hawker Hind in 1936 and in 1938 the squadron was equipped with Fairey Battles.
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