Landmark anniversary celebrated at York aviation museum (From York Press)

77 Squadron anniversary celebrated at Yorkshire Air Museum

8:20am Monday 8th October 2012 in News By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk

SEVENTY years have passed since RAF Elvington became established as a wartime Bomber Command base.

Today marks the anniversary of the arrival of 77 Squadron at the newly opened RAF Elvington – from which airmen joined the bombing missions on the German industrial heartland of the Ruhr. Hundreds of aircrew lost their lives.

To mark the anniversary, Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum has opened an exhibition to remember and honour the squadron.

Ian Richardson, of the air museum, said: “The fascinating 77 Squadron Memorial Room and exhibition can be seen at the Yorkshire Air Museum within the original wartime buildings, where the brave young aircrews and operations staff once trod.”

At the outbreak of the Second World War, 77 Squadron was based at RAF Driffield, tasked with dropping propaganda leaflets over Germany and was involved in the first attack on the German mainland at Munchen-Gladbach in 1940.

After flying anti-submarine patrols from Devon, the squadron moved to RAF Elvington, where it began flying the four-engine Halifax, joining missions on the Ruhr in February 1943.

During the squadron’s time of flying the Halifax, 3,954 sorties took off and 72 aircraft were lost, with 529 airmen either killed or taken as prisoners of war.