No. 219 Squadron RAF
| No. 219 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 1918 – 7 February 1919 4 October 1939 – 1 September 1946 1 March 1951 – 1 September 1954 5 September 1955 – 31 July 1957 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Motto(s) | From dusk till dawn |
| Battle honours | Battle of Britain |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A Death's head Hawk Moth |
| Squadron code | FK |
No. 219 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was founded in 1918 and disbanded in 1957 after four separate periods of service. During the First World War it served as a coastal defence unit, and through most of the Second World War and the 1950s it operated as a night fighter air defence squadron. Three commanders of the squadron went on to be Chiefs of the Air Staff, two of the RAF and one of the Royal Pakistani Air Force.
The squadron was formed in August 1918, by merging No. 442, 555, 556 and 470 Flights. It operated a mixture of aircraft, including seaplanes, Airco DH.9 bombers, and Sopwith Camel fighters, and was responsible for the defence of the Thames Estuary. It was disbanded in early 1920, following the end of the war.
It reformed in October 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, operating Bristol Blenheims from RAF Catterick. Whilst it was intended to carry out shipping protection missions, it began to be used as a night fighter unit after becoming fully operational in February 1940; in October, it was moved to RAF Redhill, near London, and converted to the Bristol Beaufighter. In December, it moved to RAF Tangmere in Sussex, continuing in its operational role.
It moved back to north England in mid 1942, to RAF Acklington and later RAF Scorton; in May 1943, the squadron was transferred to North Africa, where it was dispersed between various ports to provide night fighter defence. In September 1943 it operated a number of aircraft from Sicily, but moved back to the UK in January 1944 to join the newly forming Second Tactical Air Force in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. It re-equipped with de Havilland Mosquito night fighters, first Mk. 17 and later Mk. 30 models, and flew intruder missions over north-western Europe from RAF Woodvale, RAF Honiley, RAF Bradwell Bay and RAF Hunsdon. It moved to bases in France in October 1944, returning to the UK after the end of hostilities in August 1945, and was disbanded in September 1946.
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