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

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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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