No. 626 Squadron RAF
Active	7 November 1943 – 14 October 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Inactive
Role	Bomber Squadron
Base	RAF Wickenby
Mottos	To Strive and not to Yield[1]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	On the waves of the sea, an ancient ship, sails furled, charged on the bow with an eye[1][2]
Squadron Codes	UM (Nov 1943 – Oct 1945)[3][4]
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Avro Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber

No. 626 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of theRoyal Air Force from 1943 to 1945.

The squadron was formed on 7 November 1943 atRAF Wickenby fromC Flight ofNo. 12 Squadron.^[1][2] It operated in the strategic bombing role with theAvro Lancaster. It was disbanded on 14 October 1945, having spent the last months of the war on food droppings (Operation Manna) and transport duties (Operation Exodus), repatriating former prisoners of war and bringing British troops home from Italy.^[1]

10/11 November 1943

• 7 Lancasters bombedModane^[1]

25 April 1945

• 14 Lancastersbombed Obersalzberg^[1]

7 May 1945

• 19 Lancasters dropped supplies to the Dutch inRotterdam^[1]

The squadron flew 2,728 sorties during the Second World War for the loss of 49 aircraft.^[5]

• Michael Bentine – Intelligence Officer^[7]
• Colin Tapley – Flying Control Officer^[7]
• Eric Simms – bomb-aimer^[7]
• Jack Currie, Lancaster (later Mosquito) pilot, writer, broadcaster and artist

• Stewart Jacques - Flight Sergeant

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

• Currie, Jack.Lancaster Target: The Story of a Crew Who Flew from Wickenby. Goodall Publications Ltd., 1997.ISBN 0-907579-32-9.
• Smith, Ron.Rear Gunner Pathfinder. Manchester, UK: Goodall Publications Ltd./Crécy, 1998.ISBN 0-907579-27-2.
• Ward, Cris.Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles, Number 122: 626 Squadron, "To Strive and Not to Yield". Berkshire, UK: Ward Publishing, 1998.
• West, Dennis.To Strive and Not to Yield: No. 626 Squadron and the Battle of Berlin. Woodfield Publishing, 2002.ISBN 1-873203-95-0.

• Tom Bint – 626 Squadron & RAF Wickenby
• 626 Squadron on RAF website
• History of No.'s 621–650 Squadrons at RAF Web

• Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II
• Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• Military units and formations established in 1943
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1945

• Use dmy dates from August 2015
• Use British English from August 2015
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata