878 Naval Air Squadron
| 878 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
Squadron badge | |
| Active | 1943–1944 |
| Disbanded | 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. |
| Mottos | Feles non pusilla (Latin for 'A cat - but no weakling') |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant Commander(A) M.F. Fell, RN |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge description | Black, the face of a wildcat white fimbriated red (1943) |
| Identification Markings | single letters |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Grumman Martlet |
878 Naval Air Squadron (878 NAS), sometimes called 878 Squadron, is an inactive Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It was briefly active during the Second World War and operated with Grumman Wildcat fighters. It disbanded at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland, in January 1944, with its aircraft being transferred to 816 and 1832 Naval Air Squadrons.
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.