20 Squadron was part of the Royal Flying Corps’ 2nd Brigade, working with the British 2nd Army, whose area of operations was around Ypres.

[8] One of the combat victories that was most notable was that accredited to Second Lieutenant Woodbridge on 6 July 1917, who was the first British airman to wound Manfred von Richthofen when a 20 Squadron patrol was attacked by Richttofen's Jagdgeschwader 1.

[11] The squadron continued to operate from the St Omer area in support of the British Army around Ypres for most of the war, at airfields such as Boisdinghem and Saint Marie Cappel.

Two Wapitis, on trial in India and flown by 20 Squadron crews, escorted the RAF Victoria and DH9s conducting the Kabul airlift of 1929.

[16] It responded to the large earthquake which hit Quetta on 31 May 1935; the squadron deployed 9 aircraft to ferry medical personnel and supplies to and around the area.

[17][18] In August 1928, the famous archaeologist, diplomat, army officer and writer T. E. Lawrence was posted to 20 Squadron, having joined the RAF as a non-commissioned airman.

He served as a clerk at the squadron forward airfield at Miranshah until press stories emerged in London that he was conducting diplomacy and espionage in Afghanistan.

Often unescorted, 20 Squadron Lysanders conducted armed reconnaissance and attack missions in Arakan, and in support of Chindit raiding activities in the Chindwin River Valley;[22] they would fly at or below treetop height to avoid detection when Japanese fighters were nearby.

As the only squadron equipped with Hurricane IIDs in country, its primary targets were enemy armour, although most attacks were carried out against lines of communication, such as river boats and trucks.

[24] In December 1944, A Flt converted to the Rocket-Projectile-armed Hurricane IV, before the squadron moved to a series of airfields in the central lowlands as Allied armies advanced rapidly through Mandalay, Meiktila and on to Rangoon, again attacking Lines of Communication and enemy strongpoints, such as bunkers.

By April 1946, the squadron had moved to RAF Agra and re-equipped with Tempest FBII, which it retained until its disbandment on 1 August 1947, two weeks before Indian independence.

[31] In 1960 the SEATO organisation's concerns about the situation in South-East Asia led to the Royal Air Force bolstering its presence in the area.

Routine training in Singapore and Malaysia maintained proficiency in its various roles, while detachments took place at various times to Hong Kong, Don Muang, Korat and Butterworth.

[35][36]  This update introduced laser ranging and target marking equipment in the nose of the aircraft and a Radar Warning Receiver.

[37] It reformed the following day at RAF Brüggen, equipped with the twelve Jaguar GR1, again providing offensive support to NATO forces in West Germany.

The apparent mismatch between eight nuclear bombs and twelve aircraft was because RAF staff planners expected up to one third attrition in the initial conventional phase, with sufficient aircraft held back in reserve to deliver the full stock of nuclear weapons to targets beyond the forward edge of the battlefield, deep into the enemy's rear areas.

The squadron was assigned to NATO for operational and targeting purposes, although political control over release of the British-owned WE.177 weapons was retained by the British government in London.

The squadron was responsible for attacks on Iraqi airfields at low- and medium-levels, and also introduced the new ALARM anti-radiation missile into operational service.

[47][48] Joint Force Harrier's disbandment unexpectedly followed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review which was published on 19 October 2010.

The ASACS OCU provides basic and advanced air battle management training to British Armed Forces personnel whose role it is to monitor, detect and identify all aircraft in and around UK airspace; and coordinate Quick Reaction Alert aircraft tasked by the UK or NATO.