| No. 226 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 Three North American Mitchell Mark IIs of No. 226 Squadron about to bomb railway yards in northern France on the evening of 12 May 1944 | |
| Active | 1 April–18 December 1918 15 March 1937–20 September 1945 1 August 1959 – 9 March 1963 |
| Disbanded | 1963 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Strategic Missile Force |
| Garrison/HQ |
|
| Mottos | Non sibi sed patriœ ("For country not for self")[2] |
| Aircraft | Airco D.H.4 Airco D.H.9 Sopwith Camel Hawker Audax Fairey Battle Bristol Blenheim de Havilland Mosquito Douglas Havoc Douglas Boston North American Mitchell Airspeed Oxford Thor(IRBM)[1] |
| Engagements | World War IICuban Missile Crisis |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Codes | KP, MQ |
No. 226 Squadron RAF was a unit of the BritishRoyal Air Force that existed as a bomber squadron during the First and Second World Wars, and as part of the UK's nuclear ballistic missile force in the early 1960s.
First formed on 1 April 1918 atPizzone, Italy, by re-designating theBombing School Pizzone, No. 226 Squadron operated fast bombers and fighter aircraft and formed No. 472, 473 and 474 (Fighter) Flights within it in September 1918. Afterthe Armistice the squadron was disbanded atTaranto, Italy.
As part of the re-armament plan No. 226 Squadron was reformed atRAF Upper Heyford, as a light bomber squadron, on 15 March 1937, flyingFairey Battle light bombers. Deployed to France as part of theAdvanced Air Striking Force, No. 226 Squadron suffered heavy losses during theBattle of France, retreating westwards and evacuating fromBrest in mid-June 1940.
The squadron was re-assembled atRAF Sydenham, moving toEast Anglia and re-equipping withDouglas Havoc,Douglas Boston andNorth American Mitchell medium bombers, whilst carrying out attacks on German ports and anti-shipping strikes.
Operation Overlord in 1944 saw No. 226 Squadron become part of the2nd Tactical Air Force, supporting the invasion inNormandy and the Allied advance to Germany. The squadron was disbanded shortly after hostilities ceased, atGilze-Rijen airfield, on 20 September 1945.
The squadron was reformed in 1959 as one of twenty Strategic Missile (SM) squadrons associated withProject Emily equipped with threeDouglas PGM-17 ThorIntermediate range ballistic missiles, based atRAF Catfoss in Yorkshire as part of the Driffield group of Thor launch sites.[3]
During the 1962Cuban Missile Crisis, the squadron was kept at full readiness, with the missiles aimed at strategic targets in theUSSR. Resolution of the missile crisis included the de-activation of the Thor andJupiter IRBMs in the United Kingdom,Italy andTurkey. The squadron was disbanded with the termination of Project Emily in 1963.
