No. 116 Squadron (RAF): Second World War

Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty

No.116 Squadron was a support squadron, providing aircraft to help anti-aircraft batteries calibrate their predictors and radar sets. The squadron was formed from No.1 Anti-Aircraft Calibration Flight on 17 February 1941 and operated the Westland Lysander. Its job was to fly its aircraft around any of the hundreds of anti-aircraft batteries in the UK to allow them to make sure that their equipment was properly calibrated, and thus accurate. As a result the squadron was dispersed around an unusually large number of airfields. Hurricanes were added in November 1941 and were used to simulate dive-bombing and low level attacks, while Tiger Moths arrived in June 1942 to supplement the Lysanders. The Lysanders were replaced by Oxfords and then by Avro Ansons, which remained in use until the end of the war. The squadron was disbanded on 26 May 1945.

Aircraft
February 1941-January 1943: Westland Lysander II and III
November 1941-May 1945: Hawker Hurricane I and IIA
June 1942-May 1945: Tiger Moth II
June 1942-January 1943: Hornet Moth
November 1942-May 1945: Oxford I and II
March 1945-May 1945: Avro Anson I and XII

Location
February-April 1941: Hatfield
April 1941-April 1942: Hendon
April 1942-December 1943: Heston
December 1943-July 1944: Croydon
July-August 1944: North Weald
August-September 1944: Gatwick
September 1944-May 1945: Redhill
May 1945: Hornchurch

Squadron Codes: II

Duty
Radar Calibration Squadron

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (2 December 2010), No. 116 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/116_wwII.html

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