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| No. 106 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | No. 106 Squadron RAF |
| Dates | 1917–1919; 1939–1945 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Bomber squadron |
| Identification symbol label | Squadron badge heraldry |
| Identification symbol 2 label | Squadron codes |
No. 106 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force formed in 1917 that served as a strategic and tactical bomber squadron during both First World War and Second World War operations. The squadron flew a succession of aircraft types and participated in significant campaigns including the Strategic bombing campaign of World War II, supporting actions linked to operations against the Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine targets and continental Nazi Germany industry. Personnel included aircrew and ground staff drawn from the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and allied contingents engaged in missions coordinated with formations such as No. 1 Group RAF and commands like Bomber Command.
Formed amid the Battle of Passchendaele era in 1917, the squadron initially trained on types used by the Royal Flying Corps and prepared for deployment to the Western Front against German Empire forces and elements of the Imperial German Army. Disbanded after the Armistice of 11 November 1918 during postwar drawdowns overseen by figures such as Hugh Trenchard, it was reconstituted in the run-up to the Second World War as Britain expanded RAF Bomber Command under leaders like Arthur Harris. During the Battle of Britain period and subsequent strategic bombing campaigns, the squadron operated from bases in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, and other airfields administered by the Air Ministry. Engagements were conducted in coordination with operations involving the Eighth Air Force and effects on the Third Reich industrial network including targets in the Ruhr, Krupp steelworks, and Dortmund. The squadron’s wartime record intersected with events such as the Baedeker Blitz, Operation Chastise, and broader Allied strategic initiatives culminating in Operation Overlord and the final offensives into Western Europe.
Throughout its existence the unit transitioned through multiple bomber and transport types. Early equipment mirrored models used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. In the interwar and WWII era the squadron flew types including models derived from Handley Page, designs by Avro, and bombers comparable to the Vickers Wellington, Avro Manchester, and Avro Lancaster families operated across Bomber Command squadrons. Crews were trained on navigation aids such as the Gee and systems like H2S radar while maintaining engines and airframes designed by manufacturers including Rolls-Royce and Napier. Later adaptations reflected evolving tactics and technologies adopted by formations like No. 5 Group RAF and procurement influenced by the Air Ministry and wartime research by institutions such as the Royal Aircraft Establishment.
The squadron’s principal role was night and area bombing within the strategic framework set by Bomber Command and directives from the Air Ministry. Deployments were staged from RAF stations in East Anglia and Lincolnshire to forward operating locations supporting raids on Berlin, industrial complexes in the Ruhr, ports such as Hamburg and Bremen, and maritime targets linked to the Kriegsmarine. Missions supported combined operations with Royal Navy and United States Army Air Forces elements during joint campaigns, and provided tactical interdiction in advance of Operation Overlord and during the Battle of the Atlantic supply interdiction efforts. Squadron tasks also encompassed precision attacks, minelaying sorties associated with Operation Gymnast-type efforts, and electronic countermeasures developed in coordination with units experimenting with Window (countermeasure).
Noteworthy operations included participation in sustained raids impacting the Ruhr campaign, contributions to the raid patterns that targeted armament centers like the Krupp works and Focke-Wulf production, and sorties that disrupted transport hubs such as Duisburg and Dortmund-Ems Canal targets. Crew actions garnered recognition through awards instituted by the United Kingdom and Allied governments, including mentions in despatches and decorations such as the Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Service Order reflected across RAF personnel lists. Operational innovation included adoption of night navigation techniques refined at establishments like Scampton and incorporation of intelligence from Ultra decrypts managed at Bletchley Park. The unit’s missions contributed to the cumulative pressure that facilitated Operation Plunder and the penultimate defeats of Nazi Germany.
Organised into flights commanded by flight leaders drawn from the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and regular RAF officer corps, the squadron formed part of the hierarchical structure beneath groups and commands such as No. 1 Group RAF and Bomber Command. It operated from multiple bases including airfields typical of RAF Bomber Command infrastructure in Lincolnshire and Suffolk and from satellite fields administered by the Air Ministry for dispersal and maintenance. Support units included ground maintenance sections, armament and bomb-assembly crews trained in munitions handling rules governed by the Explosives Act 1875 statutory framework, and specialist radar and signals detachments integrated with signals units modeled on wartime RAF organisation.
Commanding officers were drawn from career officers and wartime-promoted leaders within the RAF officer cadre, with staff compositions including navigators, pilots, wireless operators, flight engineers, and gunners sourced from the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and other allied contingents. Personnel training and leadership development intersected with institutions like the Central Flying School, RAF College Cranwell, and operational training units patterned after No. 28 Operational Training Unit RAF structures. Honours awarded to members paralleled those conferred across RAF units, including the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal where applicable and campaign medals issued under statutes of the United Kingdom.
The squadron adopted insignia and standards consistent with RAF heraldic practices approved by the College of Arms and reflected in squadron codes used on aircraft fuselages, similar to systems catalogued by the Air Ministry. Traditions included annual commemorations of wartime operations, memorial links with wartime aircrew memorials at sites such as the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme and ceremonies connected to RAF Museum commemorative events. Unit customs mirrored wider RAF ceremonial practices overseen by authorities including the Ministry of Defence and perpetuated through veterans’ associations and regimental histories archived in institutions like the Imperial War Museums.