RAF Patch j 27 Squadron Royal Air Force Elephant Chinook a

RAF Patch 27 Squadron Royal Air Force Elephant Chinook 2001 RAF Odiham Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 65mm by 65mm two and nine sixteenth inches by two and nine sixteenth inches.

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Squadron History 1947-2015

27 Squadron reformed at RAF Oakington as a Transport unit equipped with Dakota transports on 24 November 1947. The Squadron flew routine scheduled transport routes trained in glider towing and took part in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 49 before disbanding on 10 November 1950.

On 15 June 1953 27 Squadron reformed at RAF Scampton with Canberra bombers as part of Bomber Command. The Squadron took part in the Suez Crisis in 1956 and was disbanded at RAF Waddington on 31 December 1957.

The squadron reactivated at RAF Scampton In April 1961 as the first Vulcan B2 V bomber unit and formed part of the UK nuclear deterrent strike force equipped with the Blue Steel one megaton stand off bomb until 1969 when reequipped with WE 177B laydown bombs. Assigned to SACEUR the Squadrons mission was low-level penetration for tactical support of ground forces resisting a Soviet land attack into Western Europe by striking targets beyond the forward edge of the battlefield and deep into enemy held areas. By the end of 1971 the Squadron had relinquished its nuclear delivery role and disbanded. In December 1973 the Squadron was reformed at RAF Scampton with the Vulcan B2 aircraft to operate in the Maritime Radar Reconnaissance role assigned to SACLANT and disbanded again at RAF Scampton in 1982. The Squadron reactivated at RAF Marham in 1983 with Tornado GR1 aircraft and WE 177 nuclear bombs and assigned to SACEUR for low level penetration tactical support against
Soviet Warsaw Pact targets. In 1993 the Squadron disbanded on being renumbered 12 Squadron.  

The Squadron reformed immediately on the renaming of 240 Operational Conversion Unit OCU as 27 Reserve Squadron at RAF Odiham tasked with Chinook and Puma helicopter Operational Conversion training regaining full squadron status in January 1998 equipped with Chinooks only. In 2002 the Squadron saw service in Afghanistan as they transported Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade for Operation Jacana and carried out transport missions during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and for Operation Herrick in Afghanistan. In July 2006 3 Chinook helicopters from 27 Squadron deployed to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon and flew the EU foreign affairs representative Javier Solana to Beirut for talks.

This patch dates from 2001.