No. 134 Squadron RAF

{{Short description|Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force}}

{{Infobox military unit|

|unit_name= No. 134 Squadron RAF

|image=

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|dates= 1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918
31 July 1941 – 10 March 1946

|country= {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom

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|branch= 23px Royal Air Force

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|garrison_label= Base

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|motto= {{langx|la|Per ardua volabimus}}
("We shall fly through hardships"){{cite book|last1=Pine|first1=L G|title=A dictionary of mottoes|date=1983|publisher=Routledge and Kegan Paul|location=London|isbn=0-7100-9339-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmott00tion/page/134 134]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmott00tion/page/134}}

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|identification_symbol= A gauntlet closed.

|identification_symbol_label= Squadron Badge

|identification_symbol_2=G (August – November 1941)
GQ (1942 – June 1945)

|identification_symbol_2_label= Squadron Codes

}}

No. 134 Squadron RAF was a part of the Royal Air Force which was formed as a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter squadron in World War II.

History

=First World War=

No. 134 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 March 1918 and became a unit of the Royal Air Force a month later but disbanded on 17 August 1918.

=Second World War=

File:Hurricanes 134 Sqn RAF at Vaenga 1941.jpg

The squadron reformed from a nucleus provided by 17 Squadron in July 1941 as a fighter unit equipped with Hawker Hurricanes stationed at RAF Leconfield. It was then based near Murmansk to train Russian pilots until the Hurricanes were handed over to the Russian Navy. Back in the UK the squadron was re-assembled at RAF Catterick on 7 December 1941, reequipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters and moved to Northern Ireland for two months before it returned to RAF Baginton (in Warwickshire) to prepare to move overseas once again.

The squadron then operated in Egypt until November 1943 when it moved to India and Burma. It converted to the P-47 Thunderbolt and disbanded by being renumbered No. 131 Squadron.

Aircraft operated

class="wikitable" \|+Aircraft operated by No. 134 Squadron RAF{{sfn\|Jefford\|1988}} ! From !! To !! Aircraft !! Variant
Jun 1941	Mar 1942	Hawker Hurricane	IIB
Dec 1941	Feb 1942	Supermarine Spitfire	VA
Dec 1941	Feb 1942	Supermarine Spitfire	IIA
Jan 1942	Feb 1942	Hawker Hurricane	IIB
Jan 1942	Mar 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VB
Jan 1943	Oct 1943	Hawker Hurricane	IIB
Mar 1943	Apr 1943	Hawker Hurricane	IIC
Jun 1943	Aug 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VB & VC
Sep 1944	Jan 1945	Republic P-47 Thunderbolt	I
Sep 1944	Jan 1945	Republic P-47 Thunderbolt	II

Footnotes

References

{{cite book |first=C. G. |last=Jefford |title=RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 |year=1988 |publisher=UK Airlife |location=Shrewsbury |isbn=978-1-85310-053-6}}

External links

[http://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn131-135.htm History of 131–135 Squadrons at RAF Web]
[http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/134squadron.cfm 134 Squadron history on the official RAF website]

134

Category:Military units and formations established in 1918

Category:1918 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Military units and formations in Mandatory Palestine in World War II