No. 183 Squadron RAF

On 23 September the squadron bombed Poulmic twice missing two Messerschmitt Bf 110s but hitting the hangar and dispersals.

[2] In January 1944 the squadron carried out a variety of sweeps, but by the end of the month they had lost six pilots and the morale was poor.

[2] Following the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 the squadron moved to airstrips on the beachhead in France, before joining the Allied advance across Europe via the Netherlands, attacking targets of opportunity on the battlefield.

[3] After the Allied forces had crossed the Rhine River the squadron operated their aircraft with two 1000 lb bombs instead of the usual rockets and changed their role to attacking shipping around the Friesian Islands from a temporary airfield established at Lingen in Germany.

After the attacks, upon noticing that the main target was apparently undamaged, the squadron commander Jimmy Cullen and his number two returned and made a strafing run with cannon against the ship.

[6] The squadron returned to the UK after the end of hostilities in Europe and converted to Spitfires at RAF Chilbolton and then to Tempests in preparation for its deployment to the Asia theatre of operations.

At the end of World War 2 with the draw down from war-time strength the RAF started to disband and renumber squadrons.

King George VI and his entourage of senior RAF officers walk over to Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN454 'HF-S', of No. 183 Squadron RAF, while inspecting aircraft and equipment which will be used in the forthcoming invasion of Normandy at Northolt, Middlesex. MN454 was flown by F H Scarlett, the Commanding Officer of 183 Squadron.