BREMEN
28 Wellingtons; haze and cloud prevented accurate bombing. 1 aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 6 Wellingtons to Emden and 5 to Rotterdam. 1 aircraft each from 9 and 149 Squadrons dropped the first 4,000-lb bombs of the war on Emden. These 'high-capacity' blast bombs, called 'blockbusters' or 'cookies' by the British and 'Luftminen' by the Germans were due to become one of Bomber Command's main weapons. No aircraft lost.
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12 Blenheims to Belgian coast; several ships were attacked. No losses. 11 Hampdens to Brest turned back; 1 lost.
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and flew operations from Driffield until February 1942, by which time most of the squadron had been posted to the Middle East.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
104 Squadron flew 373 Wellington sorties and lost 13 aircraft (3.5 percent) in 60 bombing raids.
105 SQUADRON
SERVICE
Returned from the Advanced Air Striking Force in France in June 1940 and posted to 2 Group. While with 2 Group, flew Blenheims at first and then Mosquitoes in the day-bomber role, sometimes suffering heavy losses. Based at Honington, Watton, Swanton Morley, Horsham St Faith and Marham. The squadron was detached to Malta from July to October 1941 while still equipped with Blenheims.
105 Squadron was retained in Bomber Command when 2 Group left in May 1943 and flew Oboe Mosquito night-bomber operations with 8 Group until the end of the war. It was based at Marham and Bourn during this period.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
2
Group Blenheims - 99 bombing, 10 reconnaissance
2
Group Mosquitoes - 127 bombing
8
Group Mosquitoes - 487 bombing, mostly using Oboe
Total - 713 bombing, 10 reconnaissance = 723 raids
Sorties and Losses
2
Group Blenheims - 692 sorties, 22 aircraft lost (3.2 percent)
2 Group Mosquitoes - 548 sorties, 26 aircraft lost (4.7 percent)
8
Group Mosquitoes - 4,947 sorties, 10 aircraft lost (0.2 percent)
Total - 6,187 sorties, 58 aircraft lost (0.9 percent)
10 Blenheims were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Continuous duty as a bomber squadron throughout the war, counting the Advanced Air Striking Force and Malta periods.
Carried out more bombing raids than any other squadron in Bomber Command (though many of the raids with 8 Group were with small numbers of aircraft and incurred very light casualties).
Introduced the Mosquito to Bomber Command service and pioneered the Mosquito in the daylight-bombing role; carried out the first daylight raid to Berlin on
