Smith, Steve C. No. 149 (East India) Squadron

Operations from RAF Methwold 1944 – 1945

No. 149 Squadron (East India), part of Group 3, RAF Bomber Command, played a crucial role in the Second World War and was active throughout the conflict in Europe. Founded in 1918, the squadron was initially deployed over the bloody battlefields of France and Belgium. It was disbanded in 1919 and remained inactive for the next 18 years. In response to the new threat posed by a resurgent Germany, the squadron was re-established in 1937. Initially equipped with H. P. Heyfords and later with Vickers Wellingtons, it was re-equipped in 1941 with Short Stirlings, which remained in service until August 1944, when it was converted to Avro Lancasters. No. 149 Squadron became one of Bomber Command's leading bomber squadrons during the Second World War. This book focuses on the period from August 1944 onwards, documenting the squadron's daily operations and highlighting its important work with the bomb sight known as G-H. It describes in detail how the squadron, through determination, bravery and sacrifice, played a key role in proving the effectiveness of this special equipment. G-H proved to be groundbreaking, as the Allies' growing air superiority enabled G-H squadrons to bomb important industrial targets in Germany around the clock through the prevailing cloud cover.