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Operation Ebensburg by Ivan Berryman.
Sunday 8th April 1945. Halifax B.II Series 1 (Special) JP254 of 148 Special Duties Squadron, RAF piloted by Pilot officer Bill Leckie is depicted approaching the drop zone near to the Alt Aussee salt mine in the Austrian Alps to drop four SOE agents and their equipment whose mission it was to secure and protect 6,755 items of the world's greatest works of art that had been looted and stored by the Germans as they swept across Europe. With the allied forces closing in, the Germans had planned to blow up the entire store to prevent the artworks from falling into the hands of the liberators. Once on the ground, the four agents linked up with local resistance fighters and the mine and its valuable contents were eventually secured, the explosives made safe and the entire cache taken into the safe keeping of the 80th US Infantry Division as the German occupation of Europe crumbled.
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SOE Drop by Ivan Berryman.
Halifax B.II Series 1 (Special) JP254 of 148 Special Duties Squadron, RAF is depicted over the drop zone near to the Alt Aussee salt mine in the Austrian Alps as two of the four SOE agents exit the bomber via the crew access door. Their mission was to secure and protect 6,755 items of the world's greatest works of art that had been looted and stored by the Germans as they swept across Europe. With the allied forces closing in, the Germans had planned to blow up the entire store to prevent the artworks from falling into the hands of the liberators. Once on the ground, the four agents linked up with local resistance fighters and the mine and its valuable contents were eventually secured, the explosives made safe and the entire cache taken into the safe keeping of the 80th US Infantry Division as the German occupation of Europe crumbled.
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Trusty
The squadron was formed at Andover Aerodrome on 10 February 1918, it moved to Ford Junction Aerodrome on 1 March 1918 where it was equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b and moved to France on 25 April 1918. squadron's outstanding operations was a low bombing attack on Rumbeke airfield on 20th May in which five direct hits were scored on hangars. Another notable raid was that made on Mons railway station on the night of 4th November. Two journeys were made; the second in a wind of gale force and in all 54x112-lb and 108x25-lb bombs were dropped. A number of awards, including 4 DFCs and 1 DFM, were made to the squadron It returned to the UK on 17 February 1919 and disbanded at Tangmere on 4 July 1919.
In June 1937, No. 148 Squadron was re-formed at Scampton as a long-range medium-bomber unit. It was equipped with one Wellesley and six Audaxes at first, but in July some more Wellesleys arrived and the Audaxes were allotted away. It moved to Stradishall in March 1938, and in September was re-mustered as a heavy night-bomber unit and re-equipped with some Heyford Ills formerly used by No. 99 Squadron. Changing to Wellington Is in March 1939, and in July six Wellingtons took part in a mass flight of Bomber Command aircraft to Bordeaux
Soon after the war had begun, No.148 moved to Harwell and, equipped with Wellingtons and Ansons, became a training squadron in No.6 Group. Early in April 1940, it was absorbed into No.15 OTU, later re-formed in Malta in December 1940 - again as a bomber squadron equipped with Wellingtons - taking part in the North African and Italian campaigns.
After the war the Squadron moved to Egypt until 15 January 1946 when it was disbanded being reformed again in November 1946 with Lancasters which were replaced with Lincolns in January 1950. disbanded again on 1st July 1955. On 1st July 1956, it reformed at Marham with Valiants as part of the V-bomber Force and in October 1956 was detached to Malta for attacks on Egyptian airfields during the Suez operation. In April 1965, the Squadron was disbanded after the grounding of the Valiants.