No. 117 Squadron RAF

No. 117 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a transport and communications unit in World War II.

Formation and World War I
No. 117 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed as a bomber squadron on 31 January 1918 and was based at Wyton where it was equipped with the DH9. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force and was stationed in Ireland for a time before it was merged with other squadrons on 31 January 1920.

Reformation in World War II
No. 117 reformed as a communications squadron on 30 April 1941 at Khartoum, Sudan and also operated a captured Italian Caproni Ca.133 aircraft that had been impressed into service with the Khartoum Communications Flight in 1940. Some of the squadron aircraft then moved to Egypt in November 1941 to provide freight services operating the Dakota. From November 1941 the whole squadron was equipped with the Lockheed Hudson. In 1943 it was involved in Operation Husky as part of No. 216 Group RAF and switched to Dakotas based at Castel Benito, Libya. In October 1943 the squadron moved to India and in 1944 it provided transport and supplies for the Chindits who operated behind the Japanese lines.

Post War
The squadron was disbanded on 17 December 1945 shortly after the war with Japan ended.