| 881 Naval Air Squadron VS 881 | |
|---|---|
  VS 881 badge (top) and 881 NAS badge (bottom) | |
| Active | Royal Navy 1 June 1941 – 27 October 1945 Royal Canadian Navy 1 May 1951 - 7 July 1959 |
| Country |  United Kingdom Canada |
| Branch |  Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Carrier based fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Motto(s) | Ense constantor alato (Latin for 'Steadfastly with winged sword') |
| Aircraft | See Aircraft operated section for full list. |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge (RN) | Blue, a base water barry wavy of four white and blue a sword in pale white winged gold (1944)[1] |
| Squadron Badge (RCN) | Blue, in base two barulets wavy white over all a sword in pale point downwards of the second, pommel and hilt gold enfiling a coronet of Canada of the last and issuing in the base from behind the sword blade wings conjoined white (1955) [2] |
881 Naval Air Squadron (881 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN), formed in June 1941. It served as a fighter squadron in the Second World War, taking part in the British invasion of Madagascar in 1942, in the Allied invasions of Northern France and Southern France in 1944, also taking part in operations in the Aegean Sea and off Norway before disbanding in October 1945.
The squadron was reformed within the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) as a carrier-based anti-submarine warfare squadron, when 826 Squadron RCN was renumbered 881 Squadron RCN in May 1951. It was later re designated VS 881[a] in 1952 and subsequently disbanded in 1959 when it was merged with VS 880.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 251.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 252.
- ^ Stitt 1996, p. 41
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