No. 70 Squadron RAF

No. 70 Squadron (also known as No. LXX Squadron) of the Royal Air Force most recently operated the Lockheed Hercules from RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire until September 2010.

World War I
The squadron was formed on April 22, 1916 at Farnborough, and was equipped with the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. The squadron was posted to France, and in 1917 re-equipped with Sopwith Camels. The squadron briefly disbanded in January 1920, reforming nine days later at Heliopolis, Egypt via the renumbering of No. 58 Squadron. The squadron was equipped with the Vickers Vimy bomber. During World War I, the squadron claimed 287 victories, and had as members nineteen aces, including Frank Granger Quigley, John Todd, Frank Hobson, Oscar Heron, Frank Gorringe, Walter M. Carlaw, George Robert Howsam, Clive Franklyn Collett, Alfred Michael Koch, Kenneth Bowman Watson, Noel Webb, Edward Gribben, and Frederic Laurence.

Inter-war Years
The squadron briefly disbanded in January 1920, reforming nine days later at Heliopolis, Egypt, via the renumbering of No. 58 Squadron. The squadron was now a bomber-transport unit operating the Vickers Vimy bomber. After transferring to  Hinaidi, Iraq in December 1921, the squadron was re-equipped with Vickers Vernon’s and subsequently by Vickers Victoria in  1926. In  addition to  providing heavy transport facilities to both air and ground units  they were used as air ambulances and were responsible for maintaining the Cairo-Baghdad airmail route. The squadron was commanded by Group Captain Eric Murray DSO MC. In 1929, he flew the first route to the Cape on behalf of Imperial Airways who were seeking routes for the civil flights.

In December 1928, a coup against the Amir of Afghanistan by Habibullah Kalakani supported  by Ghilzai peoples led to the first large scale air evacuation, the Kabul Airlift. Over two months Victoria troop-carriers of 70 squadron played central role in the airlift of 586 British and European officials and civilians  flying over mountains at a height of up to 10,000 ft (3,048m) often in  severe weather.

The Valentia replaced the Victorias in November 1934 and in August 1939, 70 squadron returned to Egypt.

World War II
After Italy entered the war the squadron converted to Wellingtons, and on 18 September it began operations over the Western Desert, with targets ranging from shipping and airfields to road convoys and supply dumps

In 1940 A detachment was sent to Tatoi, in support of Allied forces defending Greece and in 1941 the squadron was involved in the campaign to conquer Vichy-occupied Syria and the Rashid Ali rebellion in Iraq . 70 Squadron relocated frequently in support of the 8th Army’s westward advance, first into Libya then Tunisia. In November 1943 it  relocated to Djedeida 20 miles west of Tunis putting  industrial targets in the North of Italy, within easy reach.

Between December 1943 and October 1945 the squadron relocated to Foggia, Italy where the Wellington's were replaced by the long range Liberators. The squadron was already active over the Balkans, but the Liberator gave it the range to drop mines in the Danube, as well as to continue bombing targets in northern Italy, Austria and Southern France.

Post World War II
The squadron disbanded in April 1947 and was reformed in May 1948, at Kabrit, Egypt when No. 215 Squadron was renumbered No. 70 Squadron. The squadron was equipped with Dakotas until 1950, when it re-equipped with Valettas. In 1955, the squadron moved to Cyprus and re-equipped with the Hastings, Vickers Valetta and later used the Pembroke twin engined communication aircraft.After a brief period operating Argosys, the squadron began conversion to the Hercules in 1970, and moved to RAF Lyneham in 1975, after 55 years overseas. After 35 years of operating the Hercules C1/C3 from Lyneham, the squadron disbanded in September 2010. It is expected to reform in 2014 as the first RAF Airbus A400M squadron.

Battle Honours
Western Front 1916–1918, Somme 1916, Arras, Ypres 1917, Somme 1918, Kurdistan 1922–1924, Iraq 1918–1929, Kurdistan 1930–1931, Northern Kurdistan 1932, North West Frontier 1937, Mediterranean 1940–1943, Egypt and Libya 1940–1943, Greece 1940–1941, Syria 1941, Iraq 1941, El Alamein, North Africa 1942-194, El Hamma, Sicily 1943, Italy 1943–1945, Salerno, Anzio and Nettuno, Gustav Line, Gothic Line, South East Europe 1944–1945, South Atlantic 1982, Gulf 1991.