No. 244 Squadron RAF

No. 244 Squadron RAF
Active	25 July 1918 – 22 January 1919 1 November 1940 – 1 May 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto(s)	None
Insignia
Squadron Badge	None
Squadron Codes	VM (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)

Military unit

No. 244 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti–submarine unit in World War I and a bomber and anti-submarine unit in the Middle East in World War II.

History

Formation and World War I

No. 244 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 25 July 1918 as part of the reorganization of 255 Squadron and operated DH.6s from Bangor, Wales on anti-submarine patrols and disbanded on 22 January 1919.^[1]

Reformation in World War II

'S' Squadron was reformed at RAF Habbaniya in Iraq on 21 August 1939 by re-designating the Communication Flight, Iraq & Persia. When 'S' squadron moved to RAF Shaibah on 1 November 1940 it was redesignated No. 244 Squadron RAF.^[2] It was equipped with Vincents and was involved in quelling the Iraqi uprising in May 1941. It re-equipped in April 1942 with Blenheims for anti-submarine patrols and in May 1942 moved to RAF Sharjah in Sharjah. Whilst based at RAF Sharjah there were detachment to airfields at Jask, Ras al Hadd and Masirah. Wellingtons were delivered in February 1944 and the squadron moved to RAF Masirah on Masirah Island where it continued anti-submarine patrols. The Squadron was disbanded there on 1 May 1945.^[3]

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 244 Squadron RAF
From	To	Aircraft	Variant
Jul 1918	Jan 1919	Airco DH.6
Nov 1940	Jan 1943	Vickers Vincent	IIB
Apr 1942	Dec 1942	Bristol Blenheim	IV
Oct 1942	Apr 1944	Bristol Blenheim	V
Feb 1944	May 1945	Vickers Wellington	XIII

References

Notes

^ Jefford (2001) p. 79
^ Lake (1999) p. 247
^ Jefford (2001) p. 79

Bibliography

Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF, The ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.

External links

RAF Habbaniya Association
244 Squadron Association Newsletters
History of No.'s 241–245 Squadrons at RAF Web
244 Squadron history on the official RAF website

Royal Air Force flying squadrons

Currently active

Inactive

Australian Flying Corps units
attached to the RAF
during the First World War

67 (1 Sqn AFC)
68 (2 Sqn AFC)
69 (3 Sqn AFC)
71 (4 Sqn AFC)

Article XV (Commonwealth) air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)	400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)	450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)	485 486 487 488 489 490

Squadrons formed from
non-Commonwealth personnel
during the Second World War

Argentine	164
Belgian	349 350
Czechoslovak	310 311 312 313
Dutch	320 (Netherlands) 321 (Netherlands) 322 (Dutch)
French	326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347

Greek	13 335 336
Norwegian	330 331 332 333 334
Polish	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663
United States	71 121 133
Yugoslav	351 352

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Special Reserve	500 501 502 503 504
Auxiliary Air Force	600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 622

Fleet Air Arm of the RAF
(1924–1939)

Royal Air Force

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