No.164 Squadron
- Badge
- In front of a rising sun a lion passant guardant
- Motto
- Firmes volamos - Firmly we fly (Spanish)
- Formed
- 01 June 1918
- Disbanded
- 31 August 1946
No 163 Squadron formed on 1 June 1918 but disbanded almost immediately on 4 July 1918.
On 6 April 1942 the squadron reformed at RAF Peterhead as a fighter unit. In January 1943 it moved to Wales, re-equipped, and was re-designated a fighter bomber squadron. It began operations against German shipping and coastal targets but with the arrival of Typhoons in March 1944 it widened its attacks to include communication, radar and transport targets. The squadron provided air to ground support during the June 1944 Normandy landings. In July it moved to France and during the Normandy battles and breakout used its rocket firing aircraft to great effect. It moved to Belgium in October and continued to provide support for the Allied armies until the end of the war. In June 1945 it moved back to the UK and re-equipped. On 31 August 1946 it was renumbered No 63 Squadron.
AIRCRAFT
Spitfire V 1942 – 1943
Hurricane II/IV 1943 – 1944
Typhoon 1944 – 1945
Spitfire IX/XVI 1945 – 1946
Reference Sources
The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force
James J Halley Air Britain (Historians) Ltd 1988
RAF Squadrons
Wg Cdr C G Jefford Airlife 2001
Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their aircraft
John D R Rawlings Crecy Books 1993
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