Sixty Squadron RAF: A History of the Squadron from Its Formation

by A.J.L. Scott

In the autumn of 1915, the Germans began producing the Fokker monoplane and in the following months would prove themselves a nuisance for the artillery observation machines.

As a result, General Trenchard decided to form some new scout squadrons to counter the new threat: one of them was No. 60 Squadron.

Formed from No. 1 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron and organised in April 1916, No. 60 Squadron would be in France within a month, equipped with the French Morane Type N.

Following the Somme campaign, No. 60 Squadron re-equipped with the Nieuport Scout; they went on to participate at Arras, Passchendaele and in the March 1918 offensive.

By war’s end the squadron’s members had been awarded 1 Victoria Cross, 5 Distinguished Service Orders, 1 Bar to DSO, 37 Military Crosses and 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and claimed over three hundred aerial victories.

‘Sixty Squadron R.A.F.’ is a classic squadron history of World War I.

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jon Huegli]

A compilation of letters, diary entries and reports gathered from and about the characters. The choice of them makes for a well-developed image of life as a flyer of the machines in World War I. The reader gets an insider's perspective, from inside the hearts and minds of the main characters rather than simply as a crew member.