514 Squadron

by Chris Ward, Simon Hepworth

Formed as part of the expansion of Bomber Command, 514 Squadron served in the RAF’s No. 3 Group between September 1943 and August 1945. After a short period of operations from RAF Foulsham, the squadron transferred to its permanent home at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, in December 1943, some aircraft travelling from the old base to the new via a raid on Berlin. The squadron only operated Avro Lancasters, initially the Bristol Hercules-powered MkII and then the more usual Merlin-powered Mks I and III. After its baptism of fire in the Battle of Berlin through the winter of 1943/4, 514 Squadron went on to play a pivotal role in softening up strategic targets ahead of D-Day, then supporting the Allied bridgehead in Normandy, before reverting to attacks on German infrastructure, including transport facilities and oil production plants. The unit specialised in blind bombing techniques in the drawn out and bloody campaign against Nazi Germany, culminating in deploying the highly accurate Gee-H equipment.Its aircrew members were drawn not just from Britain but also Canada, Australia, and New Zealand amongst others. The heroism of their crews was every bit as prevalent as the exploits in more celebrated squadrons and tales abound of unbelievable courage, ingenuity, and sheer guts. The squadron’s service life was only eighteen months but its contribution, and the sacrifice of its crews, was considerable. Over the course of 222 operations 514 Squadron's Lancasters dropped nearly fifteen thousand tons of bombs at a cost of 90 aircraft lost due to enemy action or crashes. Some 437 members of the squadron gave their lives in the cause of our freedom with many others suffering serious injuries.A welcome addition to the Bomber Command Squadron Profiles series, this volume has been written by Chris Ward, along with 514 Squadron researcher and historian Simon Hepworth. It benefits from access to the archive of documents and photographs collated in conjunction with veterans, families, and the Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum.

228 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2020