| 878 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 878 NAS badge | |
| Active | 1 March 1943 - 25 January 1944 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Fleet fighter squadron |
| Size | Twelve aircraft |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | See Naval air stations section for full list. |
| Motto(s) | Feles non pusilla (Latin for 'A cat - but no weakling') |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge | Black, the face of a wildcat white fimbriated red (1943)[1] |
| Identification Markings | single letters |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Grumman Martlet |
878 Naval Air Squadron (878 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.[2] Established in March 1943 as a fleet fighter squadron, it conducted its initial training at HMS Sparrowhawk, RNAS Hatston on Mainland, Orkney, prior to boarding HMS Illustrious in June. The squadron operated from the aircraft carrier off the coast of Iceland before delivering air support during the Salerno campaign in Italy. It ultimately disbanded at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland in January 1944, with its aircraft being transferred to 816 and 1832 Naval Air Squadrons.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 247.
- ^ "878 Squadron". Fleet Air Arm Archive. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2014.