No. 207 Squadron RAF
| No. 207 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 31 December 1916 (RNAS) – 20 January 1920 1 February 1920 – 19 April 1940 1 November 1940 – 1 March 1950 4 June 1951 – 27 March 1956 1 April 1956 – 1 May 1965 3 February 1969 – 30 June 1984 12 July 2002 – 13 January 2012 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Role | Bomber Communications Training |
| Nickname(s) | "Black Cat Squadron" (WW1) "City of Leicester" (After 1939) |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Semper paratus ("Always prepared") |
| Battle honours | Western Front, 1916–1918 Ypres, 1917* Somme, 1918* Amiens Hindenburg Line* Biscay Ports, 1941–1945 German Ports, 1941–1945* Berlin, 1941–1945* Ruhr, 1941–1945* Baltic 1941–1945 Fortress Europe 1941–1944 France & Germany, 1944–1945* Normandy, 1944* Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
S/Ldr. A.W. Tedder Wg Cdr V.J. Wheeler |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A winged lion statant |
| Squadron roundel |  |
| Squadron Codes |
207 (Apr 1938 – Apr 1939) NJ (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) EM (Nov 1939 – Mar 1950) D (1983–1984) |
No. 207 Squadron Royal Air Force was a former bomber, communications and training squadron of the Royal Air Force, most recently based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire, operating Short Tucano T.1 trainer aircraft. Before the RAF was formed it was part of the Royal Naval Air Service as No. 7 Squadron.
No. 7 Squadron RNAS was formed from "B" Squadron of No. 4 Wing RNAS on 31 December 1916 at Petite-Synthe, France. Note that another No. 7 Squadron RNAS had been sent to East Africa in May 1916, flying Voisins and BE.2cs for seven months on reconnaissance and bombing duties until disbanding there in January 1917, when the other 7 Squadron RNAS had already been formed in France. Thus, formed as a specialist night bomber squadron in France in December 1916, No. 7 RNAS flew its first mission there on 3 February 1917, with four Short Bombers setting out against the Brugge (Bruges) docks. In April that year it re-equipped with Handley Page O/100s, using them for night raids, including attacks against rail targets and ammunition dumps during the Second Battle of Ypres. The squadron split into two in July 1917, with eight O/100s forming the initial equipment of 7A Squadron, which later became 14 Squadron RNAS, while 7 Squadron continued with 10 O/100s.
On the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 it became No. 207 Squadron, RAF, moving back to Netheravon in England for re-equipping with the more advanced version of the O/100, the Handley Page O/400, returning to France in July as part of 54 Wing and continuing to fly night raids against railway targets. It moved to Germany as part of the Army of Occupation in January 1919, serving there until August, when it handed its aircraft to No. 100 Squadron RAF and returned to England where it disbanded on 20 January 1920 at RAF Uxbridge.
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