No. 550 Squadron

Motto:
"Per ignem vincimus" ("Through fire we conquer").
Badge: In front of flames of fire a sword erect point upwards. The badge is symbolic of the squadron's power to force its way through barrage of fire and fighter opposition to drop its bombs. It can also be taken as symbolic of the squadron's raids with both incendiary and high-explosive bombs.
Authority: King George VI, July 1945.

No. 550 Squadron was formed at Waltham, near Grimsby, in November 1943, as a Lancaster heavy-bomber squadron in No. 1 Group and began operations that same month. Early in the New Year it moved to North Killingholme - also near Grimsby - and from there continued to play its part in the bomber offensive until late April 1945, when it switched to dropping food to the starving Dutch people.

The squadron had three Lancasters - all Mark IIIs - which passed the 100-sorties mark in wartime operations: EE139 "B-Baker" (named The Phantom of the Ruhr), ED9O5 "F-Fox", and PA995 "V-Victor" (ex-"K-King", and named The Vulture Strikes). Of these three aircraft "B-Baker" eventually logged the greatest number of sorties - 121; it was then sent to a training unit. Another Lancaster only failed to reach its century by a small margin. This was W5005 "N-Nan" (again a Mk. III) which had the misfortune to ditch in the Humber estuary on returning from its 94th sortie.

Bomber Command WWII Bases:
Formed 25.11.43 as No. 550 (Bomber) Squadron from "C" Flight of No. 100 (Bomber) Squadron at

• Waltham (Grimsby), Lincs : Nov 1943-Jan 1945
• North Killingholme, Lincs : Jan 1945 onwards

Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:

• Avro Lancaster B.I, B.III : Nov 1943 onwards

Code Letters:

• "BQ"

First Operational Mission in WWII:

• 26/27th November 1943 : 8 Lancasters despatched to bomb Berlin. Seven bombed target & returned to base and the other FTR.

First Bombing Mission in WWII:

Last Operational Mission in WWII:

• 25th April 1945 : 23 Lancasters bombed Berchtesgaden.

Last Mission before VE Day:

• 7th May 1945 : 30 Lancasters dropped supplies to Dutch at Rotterdam.

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