| No. 269 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 The official No. 269Squadron badge | |
| Active | 6 October 1918 – 15 November 1919 7 December 1936 – 10 March 1946 1 January 1952 – 24 May 1963 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying squadron |
| Part of | RAF Coastal Command |
| Mottos | Latin:Omnia videmus ("We see all things")[1] |
| Engagements | World War I World War II Battle of the Atlantic Cold War |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | An ancient ship in full sail[2] |
| Squadron Codes | KL (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939) UA (Sep 1939 - Jan 1944) HK (Oct 1944 - Mar 1946) |
No. 269 Squadron RAF was amaritime patrol unit of theRoyal Air Force that saw service inWorld War I,World War II, and theCold War.
On 6 October 1918, No. 269 Squadron was formed from Nos. 431 and 432 Flights at the seaplane station based atPort Said which had been established there since January 1916, under the command ofMajor P.L Holmes,RAF. No. 269 was part 64th Wing, and it operated seaplanes from the harbor, plus land-based flight ofB.E.2e andAirco DH.9 aircraft.[3] The squadron conducted maritime patrols until theArmistice, and on 15 September 1919, its seaplanes were moved toRAF Alexandria and merged with No. 270 Squadron as its landplane flight had been disbanded in March 1919. The squadron continued as No. 269 until it was disbanded on 15 November 1919.[3]
On 7 December 1936, C Flight ofNo. 206 Squadron atRAF Bircham Newton was redesignated 269 Squadron. The squadron was moved toRAF Abbotsinch, nearGlasgow, later that month, and itsAvro Anson aircraft undertook coastal reconnaissance patrols. On 9 March 1939, the squadron moved toRAF Montrose and began flying maritime patrols off the east coast ofScotland.[4]
No. 269 Squadron was transferred toRAF Wick on 10 October 1939, and executed aerial attacks against surfaced GermanU-boats on 15 September, 18 October, 28 October, 3 November, 19 November, and 3 December. Postwar examination ofKriegsmarine records showed that these attacks either did little damage or a U-boat was not on patrol in the area of attack.[5]
Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron made six separate attacks on GermanU-boats during February 1940, plus attacks on 8 August. No. 269 Squadron also carried out a number of missions in addition to its maritime patrol duties:
The squadron also began receiving newLockheed Hudson patrol bombers starting in March 1940, completing the transition on 15 April, while it ceased operatingAvro Anson aircraft as of 1 June. By 15 July, No, 269 Squadron was fully operational with 18 Hudson Mk1 aircraft.[5]
After a year of operations against enemy shipping fromRAF Wick, No. 269 Squadron began transferring toIceland starting on 12 April 1941, with the last Hudson aircraft arriving on 30 May. The squadron completed its re-deployment to Iceland on 10 July. A detachment of No. 269 Squadron deployed to RAF Reykjavik on 12 December.[6]
On 9 April, six aircraft from RAF Wick bombed the aluminium factory atHoyanger,Norway. Also during late May, the squadron participated in the hunt for theGerman battleshipBismarck. Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron also made four attacks on surfaced U-boats during June. On 6 August, Hudson patrol bombers from No. 269 Squadron escortedUSAF fighter aircraft of the33rd Pursuit Squadron to theReykjavik airfield after beingcatapulted off the aircraft carrierUSS Wasp. On 16 August, No. 269 Squadron flew twelve sorties escorting the battleshipHMS Prince of Wales, with thePrime Minister,Winston Churchill, aboard for the secretconference withU.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.[6] Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron made separate attacks on surfaced U-boats during June. Aircraft of the No. 269 Squadron also attackedU-432 on 29 August,U-85 on 2 September,U-439 andU-552 on 14 September and they were also present during theGreer Incident.[6]
On 27 August 1941,Squadron Leader J.H. Thompson of the No. 269 Squadron made RAF history by becoming the only aircraft captain to have a U-boat (U-570) surrender to him.[7] Thompson and his navigator/bomb-aimer—Flying Officer John Coleman—were awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross on 23 September 1941.[8]
Aircraft of the No. 269 Squadron attackedU-510 on 14 July,U-609 on 23 July,U-164 andU-210 on 26 July, andU-595 on 30 July and 31 July. No. 269 aircraft made eight separate U-boat attacks during August. Six U-boats were attacked during September.U-183 was attacked on 3 October. No. 269 Squadron scored its first confirmed U-boat kill by sinkingU-619 on 5 October.[9]
No. 269 Squadron attacked four U-boats during January, and Four Hudson aircraft were deployed to the Bluie West One airfield inGreenland on 29 January. No. 269 Squadron attacked three U-boats in April and eight in May, as well as sinkingU-646 andU-273 on 17 May and 19 May, respectively. Six U-boats were attacked in June, and No. 269 aircraft sankU-535 on 5 July. Three U-boats were attacked in August.U-336 was sunk on 27 September, andU-539 was attacked.U-275 was attacked on 3 October,U-641 was severely damaged, and sankU-389 on 5 October.[10]
On 13 December, No. 269 Squadron began its temporary transfer from RAF Reykjavik toRAF Davidstow Moor prior to its 1944 deployment to theAzores. The squadron was re-equipped withSupermarine Walrus I andVickers Warwick I ASRI aircraft, as well as retaining its extant Hudson Mk III patrol aircraft. The squadron also receivedMiles Martinet I aircraft for target-towing purposes. This transfer was completed on 8 January 1944,[11]
No. 269 Squadron completed its deployment toRAF Lagens in theAzores with its Hudson Mk IIIA, Martinet, Walrus and Spitfire Mk V aircraft. The short-range aircraft were launched off the escort aircraft carrierHMS Premier. Later in October, some Warwick aircraft were added to the squadron. For the rest of the war it flewair-sea rescue missions, as well as meteorological and target towing sorties. Following the end of World War II, No. 269 Squadron was disbanded on 10 March 1946.[12]
No. 269 Squadron was reformed at North Front,Gibraltar, on 1 January 1952 from part ofNo. 224 Squadron and moved on 24 March toRAF Ballykelly,Ulster, as a maritime reconnaissance unit equipped withAvro Shackleton patrol bombers.[13] No. 269 Squadron participated in a number of military exercises, including Exercise Encompass in January 1956 andOperation Mosaic in February 1956, as well asNATO'sOperation Strikeback in September 1957. On 1 December 1958 the squadron was re-numbered asNo. 210 Squadron.[13] On 22 July 1959, No 269 Squadron reformed atRAF Caistor as aThor Missile Squadron inBomber Command as part of the Thor Missile Force based atRAF Hemswell.[13] No. 269 Squadron was disbanded on 24 May 1963.[13]
The following aircraft were assigned to No. 269 Squadron during its operation service arranged in chronological order:[14]
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The bandSod's Opera references to this unit in their songAin't the air Force fucking awful when they say "And Two Six Nine will be there 'til they're fucking well forgotten"[15][16]
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