Bomber Command No.77 Squadron

No. 77 Squadron

77 squadron badge Motto: "Esse potius quam videri" ("To be, rather than seem").
Badge: A thistle. The thistle commemorates the fact that the squadron was formed in Scotland.
Authority: King George VI, April 1938.

No. 77 Squadron was formed at Edinburgh on 1st October 1916, and its work during the First World War was Home Defence against enemy airships, co-operation with the Forth garrison batteries and the Scottish Command in case of enemy landings, and the training of night-flying pilots for overseas. It was disbanded in 1919.

In June 1937, No. 77 Squadron was re-formed at Finningley, Yorkshire, as a bomber unit. When war came again it was flying Whitleys from Driffield and during the early months of the war was employed on dropping Nickels, or propaganda leaflets, over enemy territory. Leaflets were dropped on the Ruhr, Vienna, Prague and Warsaw and, usually, the Whitleys operated from an advanced base in France. It was during the operation to Warsaw (Bomber Command's second visit to Poland but No. 77's first visit), on the night of 15/16th March 1940, that one of the squadron's crews performed a feat which probably remained unparalleled for the rest of the war. Having dropped their Nickels on Warsaw they returned safely across Germany and then, because the weather was bad, put down as soon as possible after crossing - as they thought - the Franco-German frontier. A few words with the local peasantry quickly disillusioned them, but by that time German troops were approaching on cycles. The quick-witted crew promptly dashed back into the aircraft, took off under rifle fire, and landed safely, but rather shaken, at a French airfield!¹.

In addition to Nickelling, No. 77 was employed on reconnaissance and Security Patrols during the early months of the war and in the course of some of its Security Patrols dropped bombs on what appeared to be harbour and seaplane base landing lights at or near Borkum, Sylt and Nordeney. The spring of 1940 saw the squadron start bombing in earnest and during the period March to June it figured in several notable Bomber Command "firsts". On 19/2Oth March it took part in the first attack on an enemy land target (Hornum, on the island of Sylt); on 11/12th May it took part in the first big attack on the German mainland (the exits of Munchen-Gladbach); and on 11/12th June it took part in the first attack on Italy (primary target the Fiat works at Turin).

No. 77 Squadron continued its offensive against enemy land targets until April 1941, and then, early in May, was posted to Chivenor, North Devon, for temporary duty with No. 19 Group, Coastal Command. From Chivenor the Whitleys were mainly employed on flying anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay and on 3rd September one of them attacked and sank with depth charges U-705.

Back in Yorkshire with its old parent Group (No. 4) No. 77 Squadron began to convert to Halifaxes in October 1942, and was ready in plenty of time for the Battle of the Ruhr which opened in the following spring. The, squadron continued with Halifaxes for the rest of the European war and, in addition to playing a prominent part in the bomber offensive, also participated in Bomber Command's highly-successful Gardening, or minelaying, campaign. It also shared - in September/October 1944 - in the task of flying nearly half a million gallons of petrol to an airfield near Brussels for the Second Army which was then desperately short of petrol for its lorries and tanks.

On 7th May 1945, No. 77 Squadron was transferred to Transport Command.

1. The aircraft involved in this incident was Whitley VN1387, "L-Love" captained by Flight Lieutenant Tomlin. A WW1 parallel to this story will be found in the history of No. 100 Squadron.

Bomber Command WWII Bases: