No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron active in World War II.

World War I

Like a number of others, No. 129 was first created in the latter months of the First World War as a day bomber unit based at

RAF Duxford Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area. History The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of t ...

. It never became operational due to the Armistice.

World War II

No. 129 Squadron was reformed on 16 June 1941 at

RAF Leconfield Royal Air Force Leconfield or more simply RAF Leconfield is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located in Leconfield (near Beverley), East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site is now used by the Ministry ...

equipped with

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

. As a result of the Indian government raising large sums of money through its sale of War Bonds a number of squadrons within the RAF were given names of Indian cities and provinces in recognition of this. No. 129 became No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron being named after

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

province in southwest India. The squadron's badge, the Ghunda Berunda of Mysore, also reflects this association. After spending August 1942 providing bomber escort and undertaking offensive sweeps over France the squadron moved to

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

in Northern Scotland to provide local air defence. The squadron returned south in February 1943 undertaking anti-shipping and escort missions. 129 Squadron became part of the

2nd Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, an ...

in June 1943 converting to the

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

in April 1944 in time for

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

. After forming part of the 133 (Polish) Wing for D-Day the squadron returned to RAF Brenzett where it undertook anti V-1 activities. With a move to East Anglia in late 1944 the squadron provided long range fighter cover for

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

s daylight raids. The squadron spent from June to December 1945 in Norway converting back to Spitfires. At

RAF Church Fenton Royal Air Force Church Fenton or more simply RAF Church Fenton is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located south-east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and north-west of Selby, North Yorkshire, ne ...

on 1 September 1946 the squadron was renumbered to No. 257 Squadron. After the war, it was turned into 129

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

squadron air cadets

References

External links

No. 129 Squadron (RAF): Second World War
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 129 Squadron Raf 129 129