Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2/ B.E.12 Squadrons

Western Front (17 squadrons)
Home Defence (12 squadrons)
Middle East (9 squadrons)
Training (23 squadrons)
Coastal Reconnaissance (1 squadron)
East Africa (1 squadron)
India (2 squadrons)
Salonika (2 squadrons)

In some cases the Western Front squadrons operated other aircraft alongside the B.E.2c or B.E.12, most often the Bristol Scout.

Most of the training squadrons converted to other aircraft before going to the front.

Western Front (17 squadrons, of which one was B.E.12 only)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

2

Western Front

2c, 2d, 2e: September 1914-April 1917

F.K.8

April 1917

4

Western Front

2c: April 1915-May 1917;

R.E.8

May 1917

5

Western Front

2c, 2e, 2f, 2g: March 1916-May 1917

R.E.8

May 1917

6

Western Front

2c: October 1914-October 1916
2d: June 1916-April 1917
2e: October 1916-May 1917

R.E.8

May 1917

7

Western Front

2c: July 15-July 16
2d, 2e: May 16-July 17

R.E.8

July 1917

8

Western Front

2c, 2d: Jan 15-Aug 17
2e, 2f: Feb 17-Aug 17

F.K.8

August 1917

9

Western Front

2a: September 1914-March 1915
2b: January-February 1915

Avro 504

March 1915

10

Western Front

2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g: January 1915-May 1917
12: August 1915-April 17
2e: April-September 1917

F.K.8

September 1917

12

Western Front

2c: June 1915-February 1917
2d: July 1916-January 1917
2e: Dec 1916-Aug 1917

R.E.8

August 1917

13

Western Front

2c, 2d, 2e: January 1915-April 1917

R.E.8

April 1917

15

Western Front

2c: March 1915-July 1917
2d, 2e: October 1916-June 1917

R.E.8

June 1917

16

Western Front

2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g: February 1915-May 1917

R.E.8

May 1917

19

Western Front

12: June 1916-February 1917

Spad S.7

December 1916

21

Western Front

2c, 2e: April-August 1916
12: August 1916-February 1917

R.E.8

February 1917

34

Western Front

2c: January 1916-November 1916
2e: May 1916-January 1917

R.E.8

January 1917

42

Western Front

2c, 2d, 2e: April 1916-April 1917

R.E.8

April 1917

52

Western Front

2e: February-May 1917

R.E.8

May 1917

Home Defence (12 squadrons)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

33

Home Defence

2c, 2d: January-November 1916
12: Dates unknown

F.E.2b, 2d:

November 1916

36

Home Defence

2c, 2e: March 1916-June 1918
12: March-? 1916

Alongside F.E.2b

from August 1917

37

Home Defence

2c, 2d: September 1916-March 1918
12, 12a: September 1916-August 1918
12b: December 1917-September 1918

Alongside various

 

38

Home Defence

2c, 2e: April-May 1916
12: July 1916-October 1917

F.E.2b

September 1916

39

Home Defence

2c, 2e: April 1916-September 1917
12, 12a: August 1916-September 1917

Bristol F.2b:

September 1917

50

Home Defence

2c, 2e: May 1916-July 1917
12, 12a, 12b: May 1916-June 1918

Alongside various

 

51

Home Defence

2c, 2d, 2e: May 1916-May 1917
12: May 1916-May 1917

F.E.2b

From September 1916

75

Home Defence

2c, 2e: October 1916-June 1918
12, 12b: September 1917-July 1918

Avro 504K

August 1918

76

Home Defence

2c, 2e: September 1916-June 1918
12, 12b: September 1916-August 1918

Avro 504K

August 1918

77

Home Defence

2c, 2e: October 1916-January 1918
12, 12b: October 1916-February 1918

Avro 504K

January 1918

78

Home Defence

2c, 2e: November 1916-October 1917
12, 12a: December 1916-October 1917

Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter

October 1917

141

Home Defence

2e: February-March 1918
12: February-March 1918

Alongside various

 

Middle East (9 squadrons)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

14

Middle East

2c: May 1915-November 1917
2d, 2e: November 1915-November 1917
12a: April 1916

D.H.2, Vickers F.B.19:

May 1917

30

Middle East

2b, 2c: November 1915-March 1916

D.H.2:

March 1916

63

Middle East

2e: August 1917-December 1919

Alongside various

 

67

Middle East

2c, 2e: September 1916-September 1917
12a: September 1917-February 1918

B.E.12 alongside R.E.8, Martinsyde G.100/102 and Bristol F.2b

 

113

Middle East

2c, 2e: August 1917-December 1919

R.E.8

September 1917

142

Middle East

12a: February-May 1918
2c, 2d, 2e: February 1918-February 1919

Alongside Martinsyde G.100, R.E.8 and F.K.8

 

144

Middle East

2e: April-July 1918
12a: May-August 1918

R.E.8, D.H.6

July 1918

269

Middle East

2e: October 1918-March 1919

Alongside various
Former RNAS

 

17

Middle East to 1916
Salonika from 1916

2c, 2d, 2e: February 1915-June 1918
12, 12a: November 1916-June 1918

Various

 

Training (23 squadrons)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

23

Training

2c: to March 1916

F.E.2b

January 1916

24

Training

2c: to January 1916

Airco D.H.2:

December 1915

25

Training

2c: to January 1916

F.E.2b

January 1916

29

Training

2b, 2c: to March 1916

D.H.2:

March 1916

43

Training

2c: April-December 1916

Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter

December 1916

46

Training

2c: November 1916-April 1917
2e: February-April 1917

Sopwith Pup

April 1917

48

Training

12: April 1916-March 1917

Bristol F.2b

March 1917

49

Training

2c: April 1916-November 1917

D.H.4

April 1917

54

Training

2c: August-December 1916

Sopwith Pup

September 1916

55

Training

2c, 2e: April 1916-January 1917

D.H.4

January 1917

57

Training

2c: June-December 1916

F.E.2b

November 1916

58

Training

2c, 2e: June 1916-December 1917

F.E.2b

December 1917

62

Training

2c, 2d, 2e: August 1916-May 1917

Bristol F.2b

May 1917

66

Training

2b, 2c, 2d, 12: July 1916-March 1917

Sopwith Pup

March 1917

82

Training

2c, 2e: January-November 1917

F.K.8

August 1917

91

Training

2e: November 1917-July 1918

Dolphin

July 1918

98

Training

2c, 2e: September 1917-February 1918

D.H.9

February 1918

99

Training

2e: August 1917-April 1918

D.H.9

April 1918

105

Training

2b, 2d: September 1917-April 1918

R.E.8

April 1918

110

Training

2d, 2e: November 1917-July 1918

D.H.4

January 1918

187

Training

2c: April 1918-February 1919

Alongside various

 

189

Training

2c: December 1917-March 1918

Alongside various

 

190

Training

2c, 2e: October 1917-January 1919

Alongside various

 

Coastal Reconnaissance (1 squadron)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

273

Coastal

2c: August 1918-January 1919

Alongside various
Former RNAS

 

East Africa (1 squadron)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

26

East Africa

2c, 2e: February 1916-January 1918

Disbanded

 

India (2 squadrons)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

31

India

2c. 2e: January 1916-February 1920

Bristol F.2B

June 1919 (to April 1931)

114

India

2c, 2e: September 1917-October 1919

Bristol F.2b

October 1919

Salonika (2 squadrons)

 

Theatre

B.E.2c

Replaced by

Date

17

Middle East to 1916
Salonika from 1916

2c, 2d, 2e: February 1915-June 1918
12, 12a: November 1916-June 1918

Various

 

47

Salonika

12, 12a: March 1916-April 1918
2c, 2d: April 1916-March 1918

Alongside various

 

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (6 April 2009), Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2/ B.E.12 Squadrons , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2_squadrons.html

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