| No. LXX Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1916-1920 1920-1947 1948 - 2010 |
| Role | Air Transport |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Lyneham |
| Motto | "Usquam" (Everywhere) |
| Equipment | C-130 Hercules |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |
A demi-wing lion erased |
No. 70 Squadron (also known as No. LXX Squadron) of the Royal Air Force most recently operated the Lockheed Hercules from RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire until September 2010.[1]
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The squadron was formed on April 22, 1916 at Farnborough, and was equipped with the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. The squadron was posted to France, and in 1917 re-equipped with Sopwith Camels. The squadron briefly disbanded in January 1920, reforming nine days later at Heliopolis, Egypt via the renumbering of No. 58 Squadron. The squadron was equipped with the Vickers Vimy bomber.
During World War I, the squadron claimed 287 victories, and had as members nineteen aces, including Frank Granger Quigley, John Todd, Frank Hobson, Oscar Heron, Frank Gorringe, Walter M. Carlaw, George Robert Howsam, Clive Franklyn Collett, Alfred Michael Koch, Kenneth Bowman Watson, Noel Webb, Edward Gribben, and Frederic Laurence.[2]
The squadron briefly disbanded in January 1920, reforming nine days later at Heliopolis, Egypt, via the renumbering of No. 58 Squadron. The squadron was now a bomber-transport unit operating the Vickers Vimy bomber. After transferring to Hinaidi, Iraq in December 1921, the squadron was re-equipped with Vickers Vernon’s and subsequently by Vickers Victoria in 1926. In addition to providing heavy transport facilities to both air and ground units they were used as air ambulances and were responsible for maintaining the Cairo-Baghdad airmail route[3].
In December 1928, a coup against the Amir of Afghanistan by Habibullah Kalakani supported by Ghilzai peoples led to the first large scale air evacuation, the Kabul Airlift. Over two months Victoria troop-carriers of 70 squadron played central role in the airlift of 586 British and European officials and civilians flying over mountains at a height of up to 10,000ft (3,048m) often in severe weather. [4]
The Valentia replaced the Victorias in November 1934 and in August 1939, 70 squadron returned to Egypt.
After Italy entered the war the squadron converted to Wellingtons, and on 18 September it began operations over the Western Desert, with targets ranging from shipping and airfields to road convoys and supply dumps[5]
In 1940 A detachment was sent to Tatoi, in support of Allied forces defending Greece and in 1941 the squadron was involved in the campaign to conquer Vichy-occupied Syria and the Rashid Ali rebellion in Iraq[6] . 70 Squadron relocated frequently in support of the 8th Army’s westward advance , first into Libya then Tunisia. In November 1943 it relocated to Djedeida 20 miles west of Tunis putting industrial targets in the North of Italy, within easy reach.
Between December 1943 and October 1945 the squadron relocated to Foggia, Italy where the Wellington's were replaced by the long range Liberators.[7] The squadron was already active over the Balkans, but the Liberator gave it the range to drop mines in the Danube, as well as to continue bombing targets in northern Italy, Austria and Southern France.
The squadron disbanded in April 1947 and was reformed in May 1948, at Kabrit, Egypt when No. 215 Squadron was renumbered No. 70 Squadron. The squadron was equipped with Dakotas until 1950, when it re-equipped with Valettas. In 1955, the squadron moved to Cyprus and re-equipped with the [[Handley Page Hastings|Hastings, Vickers Valetta and later used the Pembroke twin engined communication aircraft.After a brief period operating Argosys, the squadron began conversion to the Hercules in 1970, and moved to RAF Lyneham in 1975, after 55 years overseas. After 35 years of operating the Hercules C1/C3 from Lyneham, the squadron disbanded in September 2010. It is expected to reform in 2014 as the first RAF Airbus A400M squadron.[1]
Western Front 1916-1918, Somme 1916, Arras, Ypres 1917, Somme 1918, Kurdistan 1922-1924, Iraq 1918-1929, Kurdistan 1930-1931, Northern Kurdistan 1932, North West Frontier 1937, Mediterranean 1940-1943, Egypt and Libya 1940-1943, Greece 1940-1941, Syria 1941, Iraq 1941, El Alamein, North Africa 1942-194, El Hamma, Sicily 1943, Italy 1943-1945, Salerno, Anzio and Nettuno, Gustav Line, Gothic Line, South East Europe 1944-1945, South Atlantic 1982, Gulf 1991.
| Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916–1917 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | Single-engined biplane fighter | |
| 1917–1919 | Sopwith Camel | Single-engined biplane fighter | |
| 1919 | Sopwith Snipe | Single-engined biplane fighter | |
| 1920 | Handley Page 0/400 | Twin-engined biplane bomber | |
| 1920–1922 | Vickers Vimy | Twin-engined biplane bomber | |
| 1922–1926 | Vickers Vernon | Twin-engined biplane transport | |
| 1924-1926 1926-1934 1928-1934 1930-1935 1931-1935 |
Vickers Victoria | I III IV V V |
Twin-engined biplane transport |
| 1935–1940 | Vickers Valentia | Twin-engined biplane transport | |
| 1940-1943 1943-1945 |
Vickers Wellington | III X |
Twin-engined medium bomber |
| 1945–1946 | Consolidated Liberator | VI | Four-engined bomber |
| 1946–1947 | Avro Lancaster | B1(FE) | Four-engined bomber |
| 1948–1950 | Douglas Dakota | Twin-engined transport | |
| 1950–1956 | Vickers Valetta | C1 | Twin-engined transport |
| 1956–1968 | Handley Page Hastings | C1 and C2 | Four-engined transport |
| 1967–1975 | Armstrong Whitworth Argosy | C1 | Four-engined transport |
| 1970–1980 | Lockheed Hercules | C1 | Four-engined transport |
| 1980–2010 | Lockeed Hercules | C3 | Four-engined transport |
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