By the time of the last operational sortie on 4 April 1945, a total of 164 aircraft had been lost, either from the squadrons based at Bourn or from others trying, and failing, to land on the field.
22.
Flight Sergeant St . Germain a bomb aimer, had just returned from an operational sortie and Corporal Marquet was in charge of the night ground crew, whilst leading Aircraftmen McKenzie and Wolfe were members of the crew of the crash tender.
23.
On 7 April the squadron moved to RAF Hawkinge and carried out its last operational sortie on 25 April, following the liberation of Holland by the Allies, and on 27 April the Squadron moved to RAF Hutton Cranswick for squadron training.
24.
Although the German fighters should have been an even match for the Mustangs, in this particular engagement they were heavily defeated, because the aircraft were mainly flown by young, inexperienced pilots, many of whom were on their first operational sortie.
25.
This however gave him the opportunity to fly with numerous crews in the squadron, his first operational sortie being a raid on Gdynia in Poland on 27 August 1942, forming part of the crew under the command of Squadron Leader Elmer Cotton.
26.
*1939 Canadian Pilot Officer S . R . Henderson serving in No . 206 Squadron, became the first Canadian to participate in an operational sortie during the Second World War when he served as the lead navigator in a bomber force attacking German targets.
27.
The RAF Roll of Honour recognises 574 pilots, from countries other than the United Kingdom, as flying at least one authorized, operational sortie with an eligible unit during the period between 10 July to 31 October 1940, alongside 2, 353 British pilots.
28.
No . 141 Squadron transferred to Battle of Berlin on the night of 16 / 17 December, a Mosquito crewed by Squadron Leader F . F . Lambert and Flying Officer K . Dear made Bomber Command's first successful Serrate-guided operational sortie when they damaged a Bf 110 with cannon fire.
29.
The last operational sortie by a Mk 19 was in 1963 when one was used in battle trials against an English Electric Lightning to determine how best a Lightning should engage piston-engined aircraft . This information was needed in case RAF Lightnings might have to engage P-51 Mustangs in the Indonesian conflict of the time.
30.
On 12 May 1940, the first operational sortie occurred as a flight of six Defiants flew with six Spitfires of 66 Squadron over the English Channel to the coastline in the vicinity of The Hague, Netherlands; during this flight, a single Ju 88 was shot down which had been in the process of attacking a destroyer.
