No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.
| No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 March 1918 – 17 August 1918 28 June 1941 – 10 June 1945 26 June 1945 – 31 December 1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Nickname(s) | County of Kent |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Invicta ("Unconquered")[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | In front of an estoile of sixteen points, a horse forcene. |
| Squadron Codes | NX (Jun 1941 - Dec 1945) |
History
editFormation and World War I
editNo. 131 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 March 1918 and became a unit of the Royal Air Force, but it disbanded on 17 August 1918 without becoming operational.
Reformation in World War II
editThe squadron reformed in 1941 at RAF Ouston as a fighter unit equipped with Spitfires and then provided air defence for convoys from RAF Atcham and Llanbedr in Wales. It moved to India in October 1944. The squadron re-assembled at Amarda Road on 5 February 1945 but its Spitfires were re-allocated to the Royal Indian Air Force and the squadron was disbanded on 10 June 1945. Sixteen days later, 134 Squadron was renumbered to 131 and was equipped with Thunderbolts to begin training to support the invasion of Malaya. It was disbanded on 31 December 1945 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Aircraft operated
edit
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1941 | Nov 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | IA |
| Sep 1941 | Jan 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA |
| Dec 1941 | Sep 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VB |
| Dec 1942 | Sep 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VC |
| Sep 1943 | Mar 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | IX |
| Mar 1944 | Oct 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | VII |
| Feb 1945 | Jun 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | VIII |
| Jun 1945 | Dec 1945 | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | II |
References
edit- ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ C.G.Jefford (1988). RAF Squadrons. UK Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
External links
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