Royal Air Force Handbook 1939-1945 by David Wragg

Author:David Wragg
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780752495996
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-03-26T16:00:00+00:00

211: Formed April 1918 from No. 11 Squadron RNAS. In September 1939, the squadron was flying Blenheims in Egypt and did not see action until after Italy entered the war, when it started operations over Libya. In February 1941, it was sent to reinforce the Greek Air Force and attacked Italian bases in Albania. It was withdrawn when German forces overran Greece and, in May 1941, saw action in the occupation of Syria, before being withdrawn to the Sudan as part of No. 72 Operational Training Unit. After Pearl Harbor, it was sent to Singapore but was forced to mount most of its missions from Sumatra. The squadron eventually withdrew to Java in February, where its remaining aircraft were passed to No. 84 Squadron on 19 February, and disbanded. Re-formed 14 August 1943 in Allahabad as a Beaufighter squadron, although its first aircraft was not delivered until October. Operations began over Burma on 13 January 1944, using cannon and rockets to attack Japanese communications, including river craft. It was withdrawn in May 1945 to convert to Mosquitoes and earmarked for the invasion of Malaya, but the Japanese surrender intervened.

212: Formed August 1918 from the former RNAS station flights at Great Yarmouth. Re-formed on 10 February 1940 at Heston as a strategic photographic reconnaissance unit, initially equipped with Blenheims. After evacuating its base in France, it was absorbed by the Photographic Development Unit on 18 June 1940, becoming the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit on 8 July. Re-formed near Karachi on 22 October 1942, as a Catalina squadron, although the first aircraft did not arrive until December. It became operational on 20 December, with detachments deployed to Masirah and other bases. From October 1944, a further detachment was deployed at Calcutta for search and rescue patrols off Burma. In May 1945, No. 212 moved to Madras, where it was renumbered No. 240 Squadron on 1 July 1945.

213: Formed April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron RNAS. In September 1939, the squadron was flying Hurricanes from Wittering on defensive patrols. In May 1940, a detachment was sent to France to reinforce the air component of the BEF, with the squadron reassembling in southern England in June, spending the first half of the Battle of Britain in the south-west before moving east to Tangmere in September. It moved to Yorkshire in November, and then in February to Scotland to provide fighter cover for Scapa Flow, where it remained until May, when it was stood down for a move to the Middle East. The squadron was flown off HMS Furious to Malta on 21 May 1941 and, after refuelling, flew on to reach Egypt later that day. Initially, flights were attached to other squadrons, but operations in its own right began in July over Syria, followed by a move to Cyprus. It returned to Egypt in December 1941 for defensive duties, carrying out offensive sweeps over the Western Desert from June 1942. Air cover was later provided for coastal convoys, and in November 1943, it returned to Cyprus, before moving back to Egypt to convert to Spitfires in February 1944.

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