No. 15 Squadron RAF
| No. XV (Reserve) Squadron | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1 March 1915 (RFC) - 31 March 2017 |
| Role | Strike/attack |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Lossiemouth |
| Motto(s) | "Aim Sure" |
| Equipment | Tornado GR4 |
| Battle honours | Western Front 1915–1918, Somme 1916, Arras, Cambrai 1917, Some 1918, Hindenburg Line, France and Low Countries 1939–1940, Meuse Bridges, Dunkirk, Invasion Ports 1940, Fortress Europe 1941–1944, Ruhr 1941–1945, Berlin 1941–1945, Biscay Ports 1941–1945, France and Germany 1944–1945, Normandy 1944, Gulf 1991. |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Wing Commander Paul Froome |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | A hind's head affrontee erased at the neck between wings elevated and conjoined in base |
XV (Reserve) Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth. Currently XV (Reserve) Squadron is the RAF's Operational Conversion Unit for the Tornado GR4. The OCU teaches pilots how to fly the aircraft and what tactics to use to best exploit the performance of their aircraft and its weapons.
No. 15 Squadron was first formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 March 1915 as a Royal Flying Corps training unit, commanded by Major Philip Joubert de la Ferté. It was mainly equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2cs, supplemented with a few Bristol Scouts, and moved to France on 22 December 1915, undertaking a reconnaissance role in support of the Army. It operated in support of IV Corps during the Battle of the Somme in summer 1916, suffering heavy losses from both ground fire and German fighter aircraft. It was praised by Douglas Haig for its work in support of the Fifth Army in the Ancre salient in January 1917.
It was again heavily committed to action in support of the offensive at Arras in Spring 1917. It re-equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 in June 1917, retaining the "Harry Tate" (a rhyming-slang term for the aircraft) until the end of the First World War. For the great tank attack at the Battle of Cambrai, No.15 Squadron was specially tasked with checking the camouflaging of the troops, guns and dumps assembled before the attack.
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