No.99 Squadron
- Badge
- A puma salient
- Motto
- Quisque tenax - Each tenacious
- Formed
- 15 August 1917
- Disbanded
- Current
No 99 Squadron formed at Yatesbury on 15 August 1917 as a day bomber unit. It moved to France in April 1918 where it joined the Independent Force. It made bombing attacks on German industrial targets until the end of the war. In May 1919 it moved to India where it was renumbered No 20 Squadron on 1 April 1920.
On 1 April 1924 the unit reformed at RAF Netheravon. The unit flew a series of heavy bomber types throughout the remainder of the inter war years. At the beginning of World War Two the squadron undertook a number of leaflet-dropping raids. In April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway, it began bombing missions. In January 1942 the unit moved to India where it began night bombing raids against Japanese targets in Burma from November 1942. In September 1944 the squadron converted to long-range Liberators and moved to the Cocos Islands in July 1945. Intended for the invasion of Malaya the surrender of the Japanese frustrated this mission. The unit disbanded on 15 November 1945.
On 17 November 1945 the unit reformed at RAF Lynham as a transport squadron. In 1948 the squadron became heavily committed to the Berlin Airlift. In 1956 it was involved in the Sues operations dropping paratroopers onto Gamil airfield in Egypt. In June 1959 it was the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the Britannia. Besides its normal duties No 99 Squadron was involved with the evacuation of civilians from the Congo in 1960 Kuwait in 1961 and Belize in the same year. During the 1965-66 Southern Rhodesian confrontation is flew oil into Zambia. In 1967 it help evacuate British troops from Aden. On 6 January 1976 it disbanded.
The squadron reformed in May 2001 to operate the leased Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
During 2003 men and machines from this unit participated in Operation Telic. Coalition forces, led by the United States overthrew the Iraqi regime led by Saddam Hussein in a short campaign.
AIRCRAFT
Various types 1917 - 1918
DH9 1918 - 1918
DH9A 1918 - 1920
Vimy 1924 - 1924
Aldershot 1924 - 1925
Hyderabad 1925 - 1931
Andover 1026 - 1926
Hinaidi 1929 - 1934
Heyford 1933 - 1938
Wellington I/III/X/XI 1938 - 1943
Liberator VI 1944 - 1945
York 1947 - 1949
Hastings 1949 - 1959
Britannia 1959 - 1976
Globemaster III 2001 - current (1 July 2003)
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
Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their aircraft Phillip J R Moyes Macdonald & Jane’s 1976
Coastal Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their aircraft John D R Rawlings Jane’s Publishing 1982
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