page_title: No. 86 Squadron RAF
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: No. 86 Squadron RAF / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: A Royal Air Force Coastal Command Consolidated Liberator GR Mark V (BZ877, "‘2-Q"), of No. 86 Squadron RAF based at Ballykelly, County Londonderry (Northern Ireland), in flight. 86 Squadron was based at Ballykelly from March 1943 to March 1944.
context_page_description: No. 86 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Attached to Coastal Command the unit flew reconnaissance and air-sea rescue missions, anti-shipping strikes, and anti-submarine patrols.
context_section_description: The squadron was reformed on 6 December 1940, initially flying Blenheim light bombers on convoy escort duties. In June 1941 the squadron was re-equipped with Beaufort torpedo bombers, and began minelaying sorties on 15 July. After flying reconnaissance and air-sea rescue missions for three months the squadron started anti-shipping strikes, with the first torpedo bomber operation taking place on 12 December.
  In March 1942 the Squadron moved to northern Scotland to engage in patrols and strikes on the Norwegian coast, before being converted to Liberators by early 1943. In March of that year, it moved to Northern Ireland to fly anti-submarine patrols, before moving to RAF Reykjavík, Iceland, a year later. In July 1944 the Squadron return to Scotland, where it remained for the rest of the war.
caption: An 86 Sqn Liberator GR.V in 1943.
exif: {}