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Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books
No.163 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World War, first as a transport squadron in East Africa and second as a Mosquito night bomber squadron.
The squadron reformed on 10 July 1942 at Suez as a transport squadron, and on the same day embarked for Massawa in Eritrea, arriving on 15 July. The squadron then moved to Asmara, where it received its Lockheed Hudsons one week later. Transport flights began at the end of July and from 1 September the squadron operated a mail service between Asmara and Khartoum. It also provided communication flights in Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia and some longer range trips to Nigeria and Madagascar. The squadron was reduced to a cadre on 18 December 1942 and disbanded on 16 June 1943.
The squadron reformed on 25 January 1945 at Wyton as a Mosquito squadron in No.8 Group. Night raids over Germany began on 28 January and continued for the last few months of the war. The Squadron was disbanded on 10 August 1945.
Aircraft
July-December 1942: Lockheed Hudson IIIA and Hudson VI
January-May 1945: de Havilland Mosquito 25
May-August 1945: de Havilland Mosquito XVI
Location
July 1942-June 1943: Asmara
January-August 1945: Wyton
Squadron Codes: B
Duty
1942-1943: Transport Squadron, East Africa
1945: Mosquito Night Bomber Squadron
Part of:
27 October 1942: No.283 Wing; No.216 Group; HQ RAF Middle East
Mosquito Bomber/ Fighter-Bomber Units of World War 2, Martin Bowman. The first of three books looking at the RAF career of this most versatile of British aircraft of the Second World War, this volume looks at the squadrons that used the Mosquito as a daylight bomber, over occupied Europe and Germany, against shipping and over Burma. [see more]
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