No. 82 Squadron RAF
| No. 82 (United Provinces) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 7 January 1917 - 30 June 1919 14 June 1937 - 15 March 1946 1 October 1946 - 1 September 1956 22 July 1959 – 10 July 1963 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Nickname(s) | Coventry's 'own' Squadron |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Super omnia ubique ("Over all things everywhere") |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | In front of a sun in splendour a weathercock |
| Squadron codes |
OZ (Nov 1938 - Sep 1939) UX (Sep 1939 - Mar 1946) |
No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) unit
No.82 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at RAF Doncaster, Yorkshire as an army co-operation unit on 7 January 1917. It deployed to France flying Armstrong Whitworth FK8 aircraft on 20 November 1917, It was declared operational in January 1918, flying artillery spotting and photo-reconnaissance over the Western Front, flying heavily in response to the German spring offensive. It continued to fly army co-operation missions until the Armistice ended the fighting on the Western Front. The squadron was disbanded on 30 June 1919.
No. 82 Squadron was reformed as a light-bomber squadron equipped with the Hawker Hind at RAF Andover on 14 June 1937, re-equipping with Blenheim Mk Is during 1938, and receiving the more advanced Blenheim Mk.IV in August 1938. The squadron started the Second World War flying anti-shipping missions over the North Sea, one of its aircraft sinking the German submarine U-31 on 11 March 1940 though U-31 was subsequently raised, and returned to service being sunk by a destroyer in November. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, and 82 Squadron was deployed in attacks against the German forces. On 17 May, 12 unescorted Blenheims were sent to attack German forces near Gembloux, Belgium, but were intercepted by Messerschmitt Bf 109s, with eleven aircraft being lost. Despite these losses, it continued to fly missions in support of the BEF, and after the evacuation from Dunkirk, against German held airfields and invasion barges in the Channel ports. On 13 August, a raid on an airfield at Aalborg Denmark again suffered catastrophic losses to German fighters, losing eleven out of twelve. From early 1941, the squadron played a prominent part in No. 2 Group's offensive against shipping in the English Channel and North Sea. Losses continued both to fighters and to flak defences.
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