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| No. 104 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 4 September 1917 - 31 June 1919 7 January 1936 – 8 April 1940 1 April 1941 – 1 April 1947 15 March 1955 – 1 August 1956 22 July 1959 - 24 May 1963 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Motto | Strike hard[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | A winged thunderbolt.[2]The device in conjunction with the motto implies the unit's formidable intentions and power. |
| Squadron codes | 104 Jan 1936 - Apr 1939 PO Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 EP Sep 1939 - Apr 1940, Mar 1941 - Apr 1947 |
No. 104 Squadron RAF is a former squadron of the BritishRoyal Air Force.
The squadron was formed atWyton, England on 4 September 1917 equipped with theDH 9. It then moved toAndover, prior to being posted to France in May 1918 to form part of theIndependent Air Force. The squadron later began re-equipping with theAirco DH.10 Amiens, however thearmistice arrived before this was completed and the squadron returned home, first toTurnhouse and then to Crail where it disbanded on 30 June 1919.[3] Eightflying aces served within its ranks, including futureRear AdmiralArthur Rullion Rattray,Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay,William Bottrill,Richard Gammon andW. Harrop.
On 7 January 1936, the squadron was reformed atAbingdon from the 'C' Flight ofNo. 40 Squadron. The squadron was equipped with theHawker Hind. In August 1936 the squadron moved toRAF Hucknall, followed by a move toBassingbourn in May 1938, and conversion to theBristol Blenheim.[3]
The squadron disbanded when it was absorbed intoNo. 13 Operational Training Unit in April 1940.[3]
The squadron reformed again on 1 April 1941 atRAF Driffield, equipped with theVickers Wellington and began night bombing operations in May as part ofNo. 4 Group RAF until February 1942. A squadron detachment was sent toMalta in October 1941, moving to Egypt in January 1942, shortly afterwards the home contingent of the squadron at Driffield was renumberedNo. 158, whilst the remainder of the squadron in the Middle East remained No. 104. The squadron later moved first to captured airfields inTunisia, followed by a move to theItalian mainland in December 1943.[3]
In February 1945 the squadron was re-equipped with theConsolidated Liberator, and then returned toEgypt in November 1945 where it converted to theAvro Lancaster. The squadron disbanded on 1 April 1947.[3]
In March 1955 the squadron reformed atGutersloh equipped with theEnglish Electric Canberra. Appointed as CO by April 1955 was Squadron Leader Edward Stephenson, an experienced flying instructor.[4] The squadron became part ofNo. 551 Wing RAF, the Bomber Command Element of 2TAF: this consisted of Nos 102, 103, 104 and 149 Squadrons - each equipped with ten Canberra B2s. The squadron disbanded again in August 1956.[3]
The squadron was again reformed - as No. 104 (Strategic Missile) Squadron - on 22 July 1959, one of 20 squadrons associated withProject Emily. The squadron was equipped with threePGM-17 ThorIntermediate range ballistic missiles. and based atRAF Ludford Magna.[3]
In October 1962, during theCuban Missile Crisis, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in theUSSR. The squadron was disbanded on 24 May 1963, with the termination of the Thor Program in Britain.
