Country United Kingdom Size Squadron | Branch Royal Air Force Motto(s) From sea to sea | |
 | ||
Active 1 April 1918 - 1 September 1919
21 November 1940 – 25 August 1945 Role Reconnaissance
Anti-Shipping | ||
No. 221 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. Its motto was "From sea to sea".
History
The Squadron was formed in Greece on 1 April 1918, from 'D' Squadron of No. 2 Wing RNAS. Initially engaged in anti-submarine warfare in the Aegean, it was sent to Russia in December 1918 to support White forces against the Bolsheviks. The unit was based at Petrovsk from January to 1 September 1919 when it was disbanded.
On 21 November 1940, No. 221 Squadron was reformed as part of Coastal Command. It flew Vickers Wellingtons on reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols in the Atlantic, first out of England, then Northern Ireland and later Iceland. The squadron relocated to the Middle East in January 1942 and operated in the Mediterranean for the rest of the war, disbanding in Egypt on 25 August 1945.