No. 285 Squadron RAF


No. 285 Squadron RAF was a non-operational Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated a variety of aircraft to provide targets for anti-aircraft gun practice initially in the North Midlands and North Wales area.

History

The squadron was formed at RAF Wrexham on 1 December 1941 from No. 9 Group AAC Flight. In 1944 the squadron moved to RAF Andover and then RAF North Weald before finally moving to RAF Weston Zoyland where it was disbanded on 26 June 1945.

Aircraft operated

FromToAircraftVariantNotes
Dec 1941Mar 1942Bristol BlenheimMk.I
Dec 1941Mar 1942Lockheed HudsonMk.III
Dec 1941Jun 1942Westland LysanderMks.II, III, IIIa
Mar 1942Jun 1945Airspeed OxfordMks.I, II
Mar 1942Jan 1944Boulton-Paul DefiantMks.I, III
Sep 1943Nov 1944Bristol BeaufighterMk.If
Jan 1944Jun 1945Hawker HurricaneMk.IIc
Mar 1944Apr 1944Hawker HurricaneMk.IV
Mar 1945Jun 1945North American MustangMK.I