II(AC)Sqn - The oldest heavier than air flying squadron in the world.
Formed at Farnborough on 13 May 1912 as one of the original Squadrons of the RFC, the II(AC) Squadron quickly gained fame for a number of long distance flights around the UK. At the outbreak of WWI, No 2 Sqn became the first RFC Squadron to cross the Channel, and concentrated on reconnaissance duties. On 26 Apr 1915, 2nd Lt Rhodes-Moorhouse was awarded the first air VC during a raid on Courtrai. In March 1918 a second VC was awarded to 2nd Lt AA MacLeod when after shooting down 3 Fokker Triplanes his aircraft was damaged and caught fire. MacLeod managed to fly the aircraft whilst standing on the wing, and after crash-landing between allied and enemy lines, dragged his observer from the wreckage.
After the War, the Squadron was based in Ireland on Army co-operation duties during the partition, and then embarked to China during 1927. After returning home the Squadron was based at Manston and re-equipped with Atlas on Army co-operation work. Subsequent types flown include Audax and Hector biplanes and at the start of WWII was flying Lysanders. A brief spell in France as part of the BEF in 1939, No 2 Sqn returned to England and received Tomahawk fighter aircraft and then Mustangs in April 1942. In July 1944, No 2 Sqn returned to France with Spitfire Mk.14s and later the Mk.11 photo-recce version as part of the Army of Occupation.
Through the 1950s the Squadron flew Meteors, Swifts and Hunters which remained until replaced by Phantoms in 1971. During 1976 these were replaced Jaguars whilst the Squadron was based at Laarbruch, Germany. Drawdown of the RAF in Germany saw No 2 Sqn return to the UK.
Once based at Marham No 2 Sqn was originally equipped with the reconnaissance version of the Tornado, the GR1A, and subsequently flew the updated GR4 until its disbandment at RAF Marham on 9 January 2015.
Operational tours with the Tornado saw the squadron concentrating on the unique capabilities of its aircraft in the low-level reconnaissance role and attack roles, where their equipment is particularly suitable for hunting small, mobile, targets such as Scud missile launchers as was the case in Operation Telic. More recently the squadron have been extremely busy employed on operations over Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Iraq.
In January 2015 II(AC)Sqn was disbanded at RAF Marham and reformed as a Typhoon Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland. The men, women and the aircraft of the Squadron remained at the posted co-ordinates, re-badged as 12(B)Sqn serving alongside its sister Tornado Sqns; IX(B)Sqn and 31 Sqn until the Tornado finally bowed out of service in 2019, replaced by the F-35 Lightning which is now based at Marham.
The F-35 Squadrons currently flying at RAF Marham are joint Royal Navy and Royal Air Force units, 617 Sqn is the operational unit, while 207 Sqn is the F-35 training Sqn .
This cache is NOT at the posted co-ordinates. To find the cache you will have to answer a few simple, and a few not so simple questions about 'Shiny Two' and RAF Marham:
A=How many Fokker Triplanes did 2nd Lt AA MacLeod shoot down to be awarded his VC?
B=Which Sqn is the current F-35 training Sqn?....add the three numbers to give "B"
C=What other RAF Sqn formed on the same day also operated heavier than air aircraft?
D=The number of F-35 Squadrons based at Marham.
E=How many letters are in the II(AC)Sqn motto?
F=On which day in December 1993 did Wg Cdr Nickols become the Commanding Officer
G=How many Tornados do Shiny Two currently fly?
The cache is at N 52 AB.BC(C+1), E 000 (D+1)(D+1).E(F-1)(G+3)
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.