This document was published by the Air Ministry to celebrate the first year of operations carried out by No.120 Squadron RAF Coastal Command. The squadron was re-formed on 1 June 1941. Air Ministry Service. 28.7.42 Air Ministry Bulletin No.7637 Liberator Squadron 725,000 Miles Of Flying. The Consolidated Liberator a fast four-engined heavily armed American bomber has just completed its first year of active service with Coastal Command. Little over a year ago the first of these giants flew practically right off the blueprint across the Atlantic. It had a great task ahead of it – one of the biggest since the war began. At the end of its year it is fulfilling that task in a magnificent manner. Out of the arrival of the Liberators grew a new squadron of Coast Command – the “Liberator Squadron”, which in less than a full operational year has flown close to three-quarters of a million miles, ranging from the Arctic to the tropics and further than half-way across the Atlantic on patrols, convoy escorts and submarine attacks. It is a new squadron only in the sense that it was re-created a year ago to fly the Liberator. For it is a squadron with a noble history, a squadron of the last war which carried on the “pigeon post” service over the battle area between England and France. The nucleus of the squadron came from the old campaigners in the Battle of the Atlantic – men of experience and youngsters with dash. Among them was a Squadron Leader D.F.C. who had taken part in the earlier daylight raids on the Frisian Islands, who had ferried aircraft across the Atlantic and carried out many shipping attacks. Now, with the Liberator squadron he has added to his laurels by his attacks on submarines. He it was, who some months ago, drove off two F.W. Condors away from an important convoy and although his aircraft was damaged and his rear-gunner seriously injured maintained his patrol so successfully that he sighted, attacked and possibly sank an enemy submarine later the same day. The other night in the mess the Squadron Leader celebrated with a little party the completion of 1,000 operational flying hours. Throughout the dark winter months the squadron was in the thick of the Battle of the Atlantic. Adventures have been plentiful. Some time ago one of the aircraft belonging to the squardon was detailed for a special task many hundreds of miles from its base. As it was completing the task the weather deteriorated and a strong headwind came up and weather reports from all the nearest landing grounds indicated that it was impossible to land. After some hours of fierce battling against the wind and with a wireless set that had “died” on them the crew cane to the conclusion that their only hope lay in baling out. But just as stood with parachute harness fastened up the pilot spotted faint lights through the murk. Coming lower he recognised the outline on a fare-path and he got down. “It shook me” he said afterwards “when we discovered that between the four tanks we had less that 30 gallons of petrol left”. The operational power of the squadron is indicated by the readiness of one of the pilots to carry out a convoy escort more that half-way across the Atlantic. He planed cheerfully to do his escort and then return to the nearest point of land – Newfoundland. As it happened the scheme became unnecessary, but another of the squadrons aircraft has made the east to west crossing under operational conditions. Many other notable long range feats lie to the credit of the squadron, among them being an extensive survey of the Norwegian coast. This task, which was carried out by relays of aircraft over a period, involved some 18 hours flying on each occasion. Newcomers to the squadron, who my have little experience of four-engined aircraft, are given intensive training by the original members. The first weeks on the squadron take them back to their Operational Training Units days. But they settle down happily, proud to have been selected to fly these giants the the Atlantic Battle. ......................................... No.120 Squadron went on to be involved in the destruction of 14 U-boats during the war..... U 597 - 12 October 1942 U 611 - 8 December 1942 U 225 - 5 February 1943 U 623 - 21 February 1943 U 635 - 6 April 1943 U 189 - 23 April 1943 U 258 - 20 May 1943 U 304 - 28 May 1943 U 200- 24 June 1943 U 389 - 4 October 1943 U 643 - 8 October 1943 - Shared with No.86 Squadron U 470 - 16 October 1943 - Shared with No.59 Squadron U 540 - 17 October 1943 - Shared with No.59 Squadron U 1017 - 29 April 1945.
