No. 358 Squadron (RAF): Second World War

Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books

No.358 Squadron was a special duties squadron that served in the Far East from early in 1945. The squadron was formed on 8 November 1944 as a heavy bomber unit, from the recently disbanded No.1673 Heavy Conversion Unit. In the same month it was equipped with Liberator bombers, and in January 1945 the squadron moved to Digri.

The squadron flew its first and only heavy bomber mission on 13 January 1945, an attack on Mandalay. Soon after this the squadron was transferred to special duties, dropping supplies and agents into Japanese occupied territory. The first of these missions was flown on 22 January, and saw the squadron lose three of the eleven aircraft involved.

The squadron flew special duties missions for the rest of the war. After the end of the fighting it was used to fly supplies in to the many isolated POW camps in Malaya, Sumatra and Java. The squadron was disbanded on 21 November 1945.

Aircraft
November 1944-November 1945: Consolidated Liberator VI

Location
November 1944-January 1945: Kolar
January-February 1945: Digri
February-November 1945: Jessore
November 1945: Bishnupur

Squadron Codes: N

Duty
November 1944-January 1945: Heavy Bomber Squadron, Far East
January 1945 onwards: Special Duties squadron, Far East

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Books

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