No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force

No 45 Squadron formed at Gosport on the 1st of March 1916 as a fighter-reconnaissance squadron. They served on the Western Front in France from October 1916 to November 1917, and then in Italy. Upon return to France in September 1918 they provided escorts to long range bombers.
The Squadron was disbanded after its return to England in 1919 but was reformed at Helwan, Egypt in 1921. It received Vernon bomber-transports and used these in Iraq where troops would be transported to trouble spots and then the aircraft would be used to bomb rebel villages. The aircraft also flew the Cairo-Baghdad mail route.
In June 1939 the Squadron was re-equipped with Blenheim bombers and participated inthe North Africa campaign. However in February 1942 it was despatched urgently to Burma to face the Japanese invasion. During the following 4 months it was effectively destroyed, having no serviceable aircraft and personnel scattered across different airbases working with other Squadrons.
In August 1942 the Squadron reassembled in India. It was equipped with the unsuccessful Vultee Vengence dive-bomber, but after 8 months was re-equipped again with the Mosquito. These aircraft suffered serious structural problems over several months, but when tehy were resolved the Squadron finally went back into action in Burma in September 1944 attacking Japanese troops and transport on the ground.
Airfields used by No.45 Squadron during WW2:

August 1939-June 1940: Fuka, Egypt
June-September 1940: Helwan, Egypt

Detachment July-September 1940: to Erkoweit, Eritrea

September-December 1940: Wadi Gazouza, Eritrea
December 1940: Helwan, Egypt
December 1940: Qotafiya
December 1940 L.G.81
December 1940-February 1941: Menastir
February-April 1941: Helwan
April 1941: Gambut
April-June 1941: Fuka
June 1941: Wadi Natrun
June-August 1941: Aqir, Palestine
August-September 1941: Habbaniya, Iraq
September-November 1941: LG.16, Egypt
November-December 1941: LG.75

detachment: December 1941-August 1942 to Burma under command of 113 Squadron

December 1941-January 1942: Gambut, Libya
January-Febuary 1942: Helwan, Egypt
February-March 1942: Magwe, Burma
March-August 1942: Lashio, Burma

May-August 1942: Asansol (India) non-operational

August-November 1942: Asansol
November 1942-March 1943: Cholavarum
March-May 1943: Asansol
May-October 1943: Digri, India
October 1943-February 1944: Kumbhirgram
February-May 1944: Yelahanka
May-August 1944: Dalbumgarh
August-September 1944: Ranchi
September 1944-April 1945: Kumbhirgram
April-June 1945: Joari
June-October 1945: Cholavarum

11th June 1940 Aircraft lost

11th June 1940 Italian airfield bombed

13th June 1940 Bombers told to hold back

14th June 1940 In Action

14th June 1940 Aircraft Lost

July 1940 Into Sudan

Dec 1940 The Western Desert

8th December 1940 Attacks Made

21st January 1941 Assault on Tobruk

Feb 1941 Missions to Greece

19th May 1941 Bomber lost

21st May 1941 Aircraft Lost

26th May 1941 Aircraft lost

27th May 1941 Six aircraft lost in accidents

8th June 1941 Operation Exporter

10th July 1941 Aircraft Lost

20th December 1941 Detachment

7th January 1942 60 Squadron dispersed

7th January 1942 Bombers attack Bangkok

8th January 1942 Relocated to Rangoon

10th January 1942 Move to Toungoo

16th January 1942 Daily attacks

21st Jan 1942 Defence of Rangoon

22nd January 1942 Bomber raid intercepted

24th January 1942 Attack on Bangkok

25th January 1942 Bangkok bombed

26th January 1942 Relocated to Burma

30th January 1942 Retreat to Zayatkwin

30th January 1942 Moulmein attacked

Feb 1942 Relocated to Burma

21st February 1942 Japanese column attacked

22nd February 1942 RAF in Burma reorganised

26th February 1942 Bomber offensive

4th March 1942 Bomber shot down

8th March 1942 Forced out of Rangoon

10th March 1942 Army support wing formed

21st March 1942 Bomber raids by both sides

22nd March 1942 RAF Wing destroyed

23rd March 1942 Ground support in Burma

23rd March 1942 Airfield abandoned, but repairs put in hand

24th March 1942 Evacuation of Magwe

29th March 1942 Walk to China

10th April 1942 Detachment to China

29th April 1942 Squadron disbanded

May 1942 Reformed

30th August 1942 45 Squadron back to operations

27th June 1943 Conversion

13th May 1944 Aircraft failures

28th Sept 1944 Reequipped with Mosquitos

3rd November 1944 Attack on airfield

20th January 1945 Battle for Monya

27th January 1945 Japanese artillery silenced

8th February 1945 Aerial bombardment

12th May 1945 Respite

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Those known to have served with
No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

Kelly Dennis Stephen.
Williams DFC Harold Par. Sq/Ldr

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Want to know more about No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force?

There are:2053 items tagged No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.

Dennis Stephen Kelly 45 Squadron

My father, Stephen Kelly served in 45 Squadron, Electrical Group from 1938 to 1945 in North Africa, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Burma. He still tells us about some of his experiences from that period and at 97 is still doing so.

Sara Roberts

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Sq/Ldr Harold Par "Happy " Williams DFC nav. 106 Squadron

Happy Williams, my father-in-law, trained in Canada & the USA (like many others) during the early part of WW2 and then passed as Navigator and flew for the rest of the war, mainly in Lancasters of 106 Squadron. He also had a short spell flying for the RAF in the Korean War. He died in the 1980's without saying much about his wartime service.

Roger Seaburne-May

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No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with
No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

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Want to know more about No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project - No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

Those known to have served with
No. 45 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.