No. 80 Squadron RAF facts for kids

Quick facts for kids No. 80 Squadron RAF
Active	1 September 1917 – 1 February 1920 8 March 1937 – 1 May 1955 1 August 1955 – 28 September 1969
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Flying Corps (1917–1918) Royal Air Force (1918–1920, 1937–1969)
Role	Fighter aircraft (1917–1920, 1937–1955) Reconnaissance (1955–1969)
Motto(s)	"Strike True"
Battle honours	Lys; Western Front, 1918*; Marne, 1918; Somme, 1918*; Egypt & Libya, 1940–43*; Greece, 1940–41*; Syria 1941; El Alamein*: Mediterranean, 1940–43; Italy, 1944*; South-East Europe, 1944; Normandy, 1944*; Home Defence 1944; Fortress Europe, 1944; France & Germany, 1944–45*; Arnhem; Rhine Honours marked with an asterisk* are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A Bell The badge is in commemoration of one of No. 80 Squadrons early commanders, Maj. V.D. Bell
Squadron Roundel
Squadron Codes	GK (Oct 1938 – May 1939, 1940 – Jun 1940) OD (May 1939 – 1940) YK (Jun 1940 – Jan 1941) EY (Jul 1942 – Apr 1944) W2 (Apr 1944 – 1952)

No. 80 Squadron RAF was a famous flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and its earlier version, the Royal Flying Corps. It was active for many years, from 1917 until 1969. This squadron played important roles in both World War I and World War II.

The Squadron's Early Days and World War I

No. 80 Squadron was first formed on August 1, 1917, at RAF Montrose in Scotland. It was set up as a fighter squadron, meaning its main job was to fight enemy aircraft. The squadron first used the Sopwith Camel, a well-known fighter plane of that time.

In January 1918, the squadron moved to France to join the fighting on the Western Front during World War I. At first, they flew as fighters. However, a big German attack in March 1918 changed their role. No. 80 Squadron was then used for "ground-attack" missions. This meant they flew low to attack enemy soldiers and equipment on the ground, still using their Sopwith Camels. They continued this job until the war ended.

Even though they mostly did ground attacks, the squadron still had one "ace" pilot, Harold Whistler. An ace is a pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. The squadron claimed about 60 aerial victories in total.

After the war, in December 1918, the Sopwith Camels were replaced with newer Sopwith Snipe planes. In May 1919, the squadron moved to Egypt. They served there for a short time before becoming part of another squadron, No. 56 Squadron RAF.

Reforming and World War II Service

Hurricanes of 80 Squadron in Palestine, June 1941.

No. 80 Squadron was brought back to life, or "reformed," in March 1937. This time, they were equipped with Gloster Gauntlet fighter planes. However, these planes were quickly becoming old-fashioned. So, just two months later, they received the more modern Gloster Gladiator.

In 1938, the squadron returned to Egypt to act as an "air defence unit." This meant they protected the skies from enemy planes. When Italy declared war on Britain in June 1940, No. 80 Squadron moved to the border between Egypt and Libya.

• Fighting in Greece: The squadron was then sent to help Greece during the Greco-Italian War. They first flew Gladiators, but from February 1941, they started using the faster Hawker Hurricane. The squadron lost many of its aircraft during the tough battles in Greece and Crete.
• Rebuilding and Moving Around: After these losses, the squadron reformed at RAF Aqir in Palestine in May 1941. They sent small groups of planes to Nicosia in Cyprus and Haifa. By July 1941, the whole squadron moved to Cyprus. The next month, they returned to Syria.
• North Africa and El Alamein: Two months later, they joined the fighting in North Africa. During the important Second Battle of El Alamein, No. 80 Squadron was responsible for protecting communication lines. They stayed in North Africa until early 1944.
• Return to Britain and D-Day: In 1944, the squadron returned to Britain to get ready for Operation Overlord, which was the huge Allied invasion of Europe (also known as D-Day). They were equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX F planes and flew from RAF Detling. Their job was to defend Britain.
• Fighting V-1 Bombs: After D-Day, the squadron stayed in Britain and changed to Hawker Tempest aircraft. Their new mission was to stop V-1 flying bombs, which were unmanned bombs launched by Germany towards Britain. This mission was called Operation Diver.
• End of the War: Once the threat from the V-1 bombs lessened, No. 80 Squadron moved to mainland Europe. They went back to their fighter role and continued fighting until World War II ended in Europe.

After World War II and Disbandment

After World War II, No. 80 Squadron became part of the British Air Forces of Occupation in Europe. They continued to fly patrol and reconnaissance missions (looking for information) from Wunstorf in Germany. In 1948, their Tempests were replaced by Supermarine Spitfire F.24s.

In July 1949, the squadron moved to Hong Kong. During the Chinese Civil War, their main job was to protect Hong Kong from any threats. In 1951, the Spitfires were replaced by de Havilland Hornet planes. The squadron remained in Hong Kong until it was officially closed down on May 1, 1955.

However, just two months later, No. 80 Squadron was reformed again! This time, it was a reconnaissance unit based at RAF Laarbruch. They were equipped with English Electric Canberra PR.7 planes. In June 1957, they moved to Brüggen and continued their reconnaissance work until September 28, 1969, when the squadron was finally disbanded for good.

Notable Members

Some famous people who were part of No. 80 Squadron include:

• David Coke
• Nigel Cullen
• Roald Dahl (yes, the famous author!)
• William Vale
• Pat Pattle
• Tap Jones
• Robert (Peter) Spurdle
• John Urwin-Mann

Aircraft Used by the Squadron

Here is a list of the different aircraft types No. 80 Squadron operated over the years:

See also

• Cathay Pacific VR-HEU