No. 278 Squadron RAF

No. 278 Squadron RAF
Active	1 October 1941 – 15 October 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto(s)	Latin: Ex mare ad referiendum (From out of the sea to strike again)
Insignia
Squadron Badge	A seagull in front of a lifebelt
Squadron Code	MY (October 1942 – October 1945)

Military unit

No. 278 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an air-sea rescue unit in World War II.

History

Formation in World War II

The squadron formed at RAF Matlaske on 22 December 1941 equipped with the Lysander, Walrus and then the Anson. Spitfires were then supplied for spotting downed aircrew. The area of operations of the squadron was the coast of East Anglia and North East England. There were also detachments in Scotland.

The Warwick was operated from April 1944 and the Sea Otter from May 1945. The squadron was disbanded at Thorney Island on 15 October 1945.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 278 Squadron RAF^[1]
From	To	Aircraft	Variant
Oct 1941	Feb 1943	Westland Lysander	IIIA
Feb 1943	May 1944	Avro Anson	I
Apr 1944	May 1944	Supermarine Spitfire	IIA
Apr 1944	Jan 1945	Vickers Warwick	I
May 1944	Feb 1945	Supermarine Spitfire	VB
May 1945	Oct 1945	Supermarine Sea Otter	II

References

^ C.G.Jefford (1988). RAF Squadrons. UK Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

History of No.'s 276–280 Squadrons at RAF Web
278 Squadron history on the official RAF website

Royal Air Force flying squadrons

Currently active

Inactive

Australian Flying Corps units
attached to the RAF
during the First World War

67 (1 Sqn AFC)
68 (2 Sqn AFC)
69 (3 Sqn AFC)
71 (4 Sqn AFC)

Article XV (Commonwealth) air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)	400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)	450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)	485 486 487 488 489 490

Squadrons formed from
non-Commonwealth personnel
during the Second World War

Argentine	164
Belgian	349 350
Czechoslovak	310 311 312 313
Dutch	320 (Netherlands) 321 (Netherlands) 322 (Dutch)
French	326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347

Greek	13 335 336
Norwegian	330 331 332 333 334
Polish	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663
United States	71 121 133
Yugoslav	351 352

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Special Reserve	500 501 502 503 504
Auxiliary Air Force	600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 622

Fleet Air Arm of the RAF
(1924–1939)

Royal Air Force

Ministry of Defence

formations
and units

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