No. 212 Squadron RAF

No. 212 Squadron RAF
Active	June 1917–April 1918 August 1918–February 1920 February–June 1940 October 1942–July 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Photographic reconnaissance / Maritime patrol
Motto(s)	Amari ad Astra ("From the Sea to the Stars")
Aircraft	Airco DH.4 (1918–19) Airco DH.9 (1918–20) Airco DH.9A (1918–20) Sopwith Camel (1918–20) Supermarine Spitfire C (1940) Bristol Blenheim IV (1940) Lockheed Hudson I (1940) Consolidated Catalina IB (1942–45) Consolidated Catalina V (1944–45)
Insignia
Squadron Code	QB (April–September 1939)

No. 212 Squadron RAF is an inactive squadron of the British Royal Air Force.

First World War

The squadron was first formed as No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, a training unit of No. 1 Wing, founded at Hondschoote on 8 June 1917. However, unlike other RNAS units it was not absorbed into the RAF as No. 212 Squadron, and was disbanded on 1 April 1918.^[1]

On 20 August 1918 Flights 490, 557 and 558 of the former RNAS base at Great Yarmouth were formed into No. 212 Squadron RAF. Flying the DH4, DH9 and DH9A, it carried out anti-submarine patrols over the North Sea until the end of the war. In March 1919 it moved to Swingate Down near Dover, and was disbanded on 9 February 1920.^[1]

Second World War

In early 1940 a detachment from the Photographic Development Unit was sent to France,^[1] and was designated No. 212 Squadron on 10 February 1940.^[2] Operating the Spitfire and Blenheim it flew strategic reconnaissance sorties over Germany until being evacuated to Britain following the fall of France. It was disbanded on 18 June.^[1]

The squadron was reformed on 22 October 1942 to operate the Catalina in the air-sea rescue and anti-submarine warfare role over the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and along the coasts of India and Burma. It was based at Korangi Creek near Karachi, with detachments at Umm Rasays, Masirah, in Oman, and Calcutta in East India. It finally moved to Madras in May 1945, where it was re-numbered No. 240 Squadron on 1 July 1945.^[1][3][4]

References

Notes

1. "Squadron Histories 211-215". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
2. "Squadrons 2 to 268". The Royal Air Force & Commonwealth Photographic Reconnaissance Squadrons 1939-1946. 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
3. Gale, Tony (2012). "RAF Masirah". UK Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
4. Rickard, J. (15 February 2011). "No. 212 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". History of War. Retrieved 24 November 2014.

Bibliography

• Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
• Jefford, C.G. (2001) [1998]. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.