Disbandment

DISBANDMENT

198 Squadron RAF is officially said to have been disbanded on the 15th September 1945 at Wunstorf, Germany, however in practice the Squadron was reduced to "number only" on that date, its disbandment proper taking place on the 18th of the month when it touched down at Lasham, Hampshire, UK.

Oddly even then this wasn't quite the end of the Squadron as for some reason it was kept physically intact right up until the end of October 1945 before its pilots and aircraft were dispersed to other units and/or squadrons.

The above, based on veteran recollections and flying log books entries, at first sight seems to be at odds with the official line regarding the Squadron's disbandment but possibly with the "Cold War" between the Western Allies and the USSR developing at the time some Squadrons, although shown as disbanded on paper, were kept intact for a while just in case.