No. 133 Squadron RAF

No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF
Official badge of No. 133 squadron RAF
Active	1 March 1918 - 4 July 1918 1 August 1941 – 29 September 1942
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	United Kingdom  United States (September 1942)
Branch	Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)	Eagle
Motto(s)	Let us to the battle
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	On a hurt a semée of mullets, an eagle deployed
Squadron Codes	MD (July 1941 - September 1942)

133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

133 Squadron was first formed in 1918 at RAF Ternhill. It was a training unit for the Handley Page O/400, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, that was expected to move to France, but was disbanded on 4 July 1918. Various attempts to reform as both a bomber and fighter squadron were all abandoned as the end of the First World War approached.

It was reformed at RAF Coltishall in July 1941 as the third of the Eagle squadrons, equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIB fighters. It transferred to RAF Duxford in August, and by October was at RAF Eglinton, County Londonderry in Northern Ireland, where it was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire IIAs. It then transferred back to the south-east England including time at RAF Biggin Hill. The squadron ran fighter sweeps over France until September 1942 when it was transferred to the USAAF and became the 336th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group.

In November 1941, while on patrol from RAF Eglinton in Northern Ireland, Roland 'Bud' Wolfe bailed out over the neutral Republic of Ireland. Patrolling near the Inishowen peninsula, Wolfe's coolant overheated. As his Spitfire began to lose altitude, he bailed out. Wolfe landed around Inishowen, in County Donegal and his Spitfire crashed in the heather covered area of Moneydarragh, Gleneely.