No. 215 Squadron (RAF): Second World War

Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books

No.215 Squadron began the Second World War as a training squadron, equipped with a mix of the Harrow and the Vickers Wellington. On 8 April this version of the squadron was used to from No.11 Operational Training Unit, as was a second version of the squadron which had a brief existence in April-May 1940.

The third wartime version of the squadron formed on 9 December 1941 for service in India, once again operating the Vickers Wellington. After training in England, the squadron flew out to India in March, and almost immediately went into action dropping supplies to the troops retreating from Burma.

The squadron spend 1942 carrying coastal patrols and training to operate with airborne forces, and it was not until March 1943 that bombing missions began. Fifteen months later the squadron was withdrawn to convert to the Liberator, operating as a day and night bomber squadron with that aircraft from 1 October 1944 to April 1945.

In April 1945 the squadron received Dakotas, and became a transport squadron, dropping supplies to the 14th Army during the final campaign in Burma. After the war the squadron moved to Malaya, and remained a transport squadron until renumbered as No.230 Squadron on 1 September 1958.

Aircraft
August 1937-December 1939: Handley Page Harrow II
July 1939-April 1940: Vickers Wellington I, IA

February 1942-September 1943: Vickers Wellington IC
September 1943-August 1944: Vickers Wellington X
August 1944-April 1945: Consolidated Liberator VI and VIII
April 1944-February 1946: Douglas Dakota III and Dakota IV

Location
25 July 1938-10 September 1939: Honington
10-24 September 1939: Bramcote
24 September 1939-8 April 1940: Bassingbourn

8 April-18 May 1940: Honington
18-22 May 1940: Bassingbourn

9 December 1941-5 January 1942: Newmarket
5 January-21 February 1942: Stradishall
21 February-1 March 1942: Waterbeach
1 March-14 April 1942: Harwell
14-17 April 1942: Asansol
17 April-18 August 1942: Pandaveswar
18 August-13 October 1942: St. Thomas Mount
13 October 1942-12 March 1943: Chaklala
12 March 1943-17 September 1944: Jessore
17 September-28 December 1944: Digri
28 December 1944-5 May 1945: Dhubalia
5 May-1 June 1945: Tulihal
1-22 June 1945: Moving to Basal
22 June-9 July 1945: Basal
9-17 July 1945: Moving to Patenga
17 July-19 August 1945: Patenga
19 August-23 October 1945: Hmawbi

Squadron Codes: LG, R, T K, H, R

Duty
September 1939-May 1940: Training Squadron
December 1941-April 1945: Mostly Bomber Squadron, India
April 1945-February 1946: Transport Squadron, India

Books

Wellington in Action, Ron Mackay. A well illustrated guide to the development and service career of this classic British bomber. Mackay looks at the early development of the Wellington and the unusual geodetic frame that gave it great strength, the period when the Wellington was the mainstay of Bomber Command and the many uses found for the aircraft after it was replaced in the main bomber stream.
cover cover cover

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (24 March 2007), No. 215 Squadron (RAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/215_wwII.html

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