No. 71 Squadron RAF

No. 71 Squadron RAF
Official badge of No. 71 Squadron RAF
Active	27 March 1917 – 19 January 1918 19 September 1940 – 29 September 1942 16 September 1950 – 30 April 1957
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	United Kingdom  United States (September 1942)
Branch	Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)	Eagle
Motto(s)	First from the eyries
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A bald-headed eagle displayed charged with three stars of nine points
Post 1950 Squadron Roundel
Squadron Codes	XR (November 1940 – September 1942, also used initially on transfer to USAAF) L (September 1950 – October 1953)

No. 71 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron. The number has been used three times: once by the Royal Flying Corps for an Australian Flying Corps squadron; in the Second World War as an Eagle Squadron; and post-war as a fighter-bomber unit under the command of Royal Air Force Germany.

The first unit known by the British military as "No. 71 Squadron" was No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), during the First World War. The squadron was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia on 16 October 1916, after which it travelled to England. From 27 March 1917, while based at Castle Bromwich, it was designated "No. 71 Squadron" by the Royal Flying Corps, to avoid confusion with No. 4 Squadron, RFC. This name was never officially adopted by the Australian Imperial Force.

4 Sqn AFC arrived in France on 18 December 1917. With Sopwith Camels, it performed fighter sweeps, provided close air support and raided German airfields. In spite of its relatively short service during the First World War, 11 of its pilots became aces, including Captain Harry Cobby, the AFC's leading ace of the war, who was credited with destroying 29 aircraft and 13 observation balloons. Besides Cobby, Elwyn King, future Air Vice-Marshal Edgar McCloughry, Herbert Watson, Thomas Baker, Leonard Taplin, Thomas Barkell, future Air Marshal George Jones, Norman Trescowthick, and Garnet Malley served as aces in the unit.