No . 605 Squadron RAF No 605 Squadron was formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron . Initially formed as a bomber unit , it was one of the most successful participants of the Battle of Britain . It also had the distinction of being active during World War II at two fronts at a time , when the squadron was split up between Malta and the Duch East Indies . In its last incarnation so far the squadron served as the first jet fighter unit in the post - war Royal Auxiliary Air Force , 616 already having flown Gloster Meteor s during World War II ) . History . Formation and early years . No . 605 Squadron was formed on 5 October 1926 at RAF Castle Bromwich as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force , recruiting in the Birmingham area . Initially equipped with DH . 9A s , it received Westland Wapiti s in April 1930 and Hawker Hart s in October 1934 . The latter were replaced by Hawker Hind s in August 1936 . On 1 January 1939 No . 605 squadron was redesignated as a fighter squadron and re - equipped with Gloster Gladiator s . World war II . Hawker Hurricane s began to arrive a few weeks before the outbreak of World War II and the squadron took up its war station at RAF Tangmere with a mixture of six Hurricanes and ten Gladiators , completing re - equipment during October 1939 . In February 1940 the squadron moved to Scotland , but returned south in May to fly patrols over northern France for a week before moving back to Scotland at RAF Drem . It again moved south again in September for the closing stages of the Battle of Britain . It then continued to operate from bases in the south , carrying out escort duties and fighter sweeps until posted overseas . To the middle and far east . In November 1941 , the squadron flew off the carrier HMS Argus to Malta , where it was retained as part of the island ' s defences , prior to continuing its journey to the Far East . Arriving in Singapore too late to prevent its capture , it moved to Sumatra and then to Java , in the event caught up in the Japanese invasion . It operated any aircraft it could fly until it ceased to exist with its personnel either escaping in small groups or being captured . In the meantime , a small detachment of the squadron had been left on Malta during the transit journey to the Far East and a unit there which began operations on 10 January 1942 used the squadron number in its reports , which ended the following month , on being absorbed into No . 185 Squadron RAF . Reformation as night intruders . A new No . 605 squadron was formed at RAF Ford on 7 June 1942 , equipped with Douglas Boston and Havoc s in the intruder role . These were replaced with de Havilland Mosquito es from February 1943 and it continued to operate this type until the end of the war , moving to Belgium in March 1945 and the Netherlands in April . The squadron disbanded by being re - numbered to No . 4 Squadron RAF on 31 August 1945 at Volkel Air Base . After the war . With the reactivation of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force , No . 605 squadron was reformed on 10 May 1946 at RAF Honiley as a night fighter squadron , though its initial equipment of Mosquito NF . 30 s did not arrive until April 1947 . In July 1948 the squadron ' s role was changed to that of a day fighter squadron , for which it received de Havilland Vampire F . 1 s , replacing them with Vampire FB . 5s in May 1951 . A little short of six years later the squadron was disbanded , along with all the flying units of the RAuxAF , on 10 March 1957 .