83 Squadron

83 Squadron began the Second World War as one of six front-line units representing 5 Group, and, together with 49 Squadron, occupied the well-established station at Scampton, four miles north of Lincoln. RAF Scampton was destined, later, to become part of the folklore of Bomber Command through the exploits of another squadron. The future leader of that squadron, 617, had joined 83 Squadron in 1937 in the rank of pilot officer, and, at the outbreak of war, had not progressed a single step up the commission totem pole. P/O Guy Gibson was among a group of dashing young men, who faced the impending conflict with courage, determination, and, in most cases, the conviction that they were destined to die. The squadron operated on the first day of the war, the 3rd of September 1939, and, when Gibson was posted out in September 1940, with almost forty operations behind him, he was the last of the originals, most of his closest friends and mentors having sacrificed their lives, or, at the very least, their freedom. With Gibson and his contemporaries departed, a new squadron arose, with a spirit of its own, bolstered from time to time by the return of some of the originals for a second tour. Equipped with the trusty twin-engine Hampden medium bomber, the squadron continued to play a magnificent part during the dark days of 1940 and 1941, roaming deep into Germany to attack economic and industrial targets, albeit, to little effect. Mining operations from south-western France to the Baltic kept the squadron gainfully employed when not engaged in bombing, and the loss of brothers-in-arms was a constant theme. With 1942 came the passing of the Hampden and the brief interlude with the ill-fated Manchester, but then came the Lancaster, and from May to August of that year, 83 Squadron was at the tip of the 5 Group spear. When the Pathfinder Force was formed in August 1942, 83 Squadron was selected as a founder member, representing 5 Group, and drawing fresh crews from its squadrons. It continued proudly to serve the Pathfinders, or 8 Group, as it became, through the campaigns against Italy, the Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin. Its commanding officers were renowned for leading from the front; three lost their lives on operations, two of them during the Berlin offensive. In April 1944, advances in bombing tactics led to the effective independence of 5 Group, and 83 Squadron returned to its former family to perform a marking and illuminating role on permanent loan from 8 Group until war's end. There was never a time when the influence of 83 Squadron was not felt within the ranks of Bomber Command. It distinguished itself with outstanding performances and below average losses from the first day of the war to the last. Its achievements will live forever in the annals of RAF Bomber Command in WWII.