No. 121 Squadron was a
Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft squadron that during the
Second World War was one of the three
Eagle Squadrons manned by
American volunteers. There is a Royal Air Force Air Cadets squadron, based in Nuneaton, which shares its number.
First World War
No. 121 Squadron
Royal Flying Corps (Royal Air Force from 1 April 1918) was formed at
Narborough on 1 January 1918 as a day bomber squadron to operate the
Airco DH.9. The squadron was equipped with
Airco DH.4s for training, but due to delays with the DH.9 and the end of the war approaching, the squadron was disbanded on 17 August 1918 without becoming operational.
Second World War
RAF Service
The squadron was reformed on 14 May 1941 as No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron at
RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, the second of three
Eagle Squadrons manned by American volunteers. Equipped with the
Hawker Hurricane, the squadron then converted to the
Supermarine Spitfire and moved south to
RAF North Weald to begin operations on channel sweeps and Rhubarb operations. On 15 November 1941 the squadron claimed its first enemy aircraft destroyed. The squadron then upgraded to cannon-armed Spitfire VBs and carried out offensive operations over the channel and providing bomber escorts.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988.
ISBN0-85130-164-9.
Haughland, Vern. The Eagle Squadrons: Yanks in the RAF, 1940-1942. Ziff-Davis Flying Books, 1979.
Republished by TAB Books in 1992,
ISBN0-8306-2146-6, with all the photos different from the 1st edition.
Haughland, Vern. The Eagles' War: The Saga of the Eagle Squadron Pilots, 1940-1945. Jason Aronson, Inc., 1982.
ISBN0-87668-495-9.
Republished by TAB Books in 1992,
ISBN0-8306-2145-8, with all the photos different from the 1st edition.
Holmes, Tony. American Eagles: American Volunteers in the R.A.F., 1937-1943. Classic Publications, 2001.
ISBN1-903223-16-4.
Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2001.
ISBN1-84037-141-2.
Morris, John T. The Lives of an American Eagle. Mulberry River Press, 1999.
ISBN0-9636529-9-0.
Nelson, Kenneth James, CD. Spitfire RCW: The Wartime Exploits of Wing Commander Royce Clifford Wilkinson
OBE,
DFM & Bar,
C.de G.(France). Hignall Printing Ltd., 1994.
Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978).
ISBN0-354-01028-X.
Sweeny, Charles and Colonel James A. Goodson. Sweeny: The autobiography of Charles Sweeny. Harrop Press Ltd., 1990.
ISBN1-872809-00-6.