Unit Name: | No. 127 Squadron RAF |
Dates: | (RFC) 1 March 1918 – 4 July 1918 (RAF) 29 June 1941 - 30 April 1945 |
Branch: | Royal Air Force |
Command Structure: | RAF Fighter Command |
Garrison Label: | Base |
Motto: | Eothen (Latin: Out of the east)[1] |
Equipment: | Gloster Gladiator Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire |
Equipment Label: | Aircraft |
Battle Honours: | •World War II • Home Defence • Middle East • Italy • Western Desert • Invasion of Europe |
Identification Symbol: | A tarantula. |
Identification Symbol Label: | Squadron Badge heraldry |
Identification Symbol 2: | HF allocated April 1939 - September 1939 EJ June 1942 - January 1943 9N April 1944 - April 1945 |
Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Squadron Codes |
No. 127 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the United Kingdom's Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.
It was first formed as a day bomber unit in February 1918, but was disbanded on 4 July of that year without seeing service. From 29 June to 12 July 1941, the designation was assigned to a detachment of Hawker Hurricanes and Gloster Gladiators in service in Iraq before they were renumbered No. 261 Squadron. After that, the designation was taken up again and the squadron who served in Egypt.
It returned to the UK for Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy) when it was equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire IX HF operating from RAF Lympne in Air Defence of Great Britain, though under the operational control of RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF).[2]
The squadron disbanded on 30 April 1945.