Reference

74 SQUADRON - Fighter, Supermarine Spitfire Mk I History | Operations and losses | Sources | Links | Books | Questions and/or remarks The outbreak of the Second World War found No. 74 Sqdn. Sources 74 Squadron Association Commonwealth War Graves Commission RAF Battle of Britain - 74 Squadron RAF - Campaign Diary - The Battle of France (May-June 1940) RAF Museum: British Military Aviation in 1940 RAF Order of Battle, France, 10th May 1940 Royal Air Force History Section The Royal Air Force, 1939-1945 The Second World War - a day by day account War over Holland back up Books R Cossey 'Tigers: the story of 74 Squadron' (A&A 1992) A Deere 'Nine Lives' (Autobiographical; Gauntlets) (Wingham Press 1991) I Jones 'Tiger Squadron - 74 Sqn RAF' (White Lion 1972) Anthony Robinson 'RAF fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain' R Spurdle 'The blue arena' (Crecy 1995) D Tidy 'I fear no man: history of 74 Sqn' (MacDonald 1972)

After a dormancy of 13 years, No. 74 (Fighter) Squadron was reformed at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, on 19 October 1984, with ex-US Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom IIs (designated as the F-4J(UK) in RAF service).[13] These were purchased by the RAF as a stop-gap measure to replace those of No. 23 (F) Squadron that had been sent to the Falklands after the war.[30] The 15 F-4Js cost $125 million, and underwent a full rework at the Naval Air Rework Facility at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.[30] Here they received the ability to use the Skyflash air-to-air missile, their radar was upgraded, and were brought up to a spec similar to the more definitive F-4S; they were also sprayed in a distinct duck egg blue colour.[30] The F-4J(UK)s were then ferried across the Atlantic in three different batches supported by Vickers VC10s, with the last group arriving on 5 January 1985.[6] Late April and early May 1985 saw 'the Tigers' participate in their first major exercise; Exercise Priory, which sought to test UK air defences.[31][32][33] July 1985 saw a deployment out to RAF Akrotiri to undergo an Armament Practice Camp (APC); which also saw them carry out dissimilar air combat training (DACT) with Grumman F-14A Tomcats of VF-41 and VF-84 (from USS Nimitz).[34] The squadron's operational capability was declared on 31 December 1985.[35]

No.74 Squadron took part in these sweeps until July 1941, when it was moved north for a mix of a rest and defensive duties. The squadron later moved on to Wales, and then Northern Island, before in April 1942 departing for Egypt. Although the squadron reached Egypt in June 1942 no aircraft were available until December, when the squadron was ...