No. 355 Squadron RAF was a long-range bomber squadron based in British India from August 1943 until it disbanded in May 1946. Raised for service during the Second World War, the squadron was equipped with Consolidated Liberator aircraft and carried out operations against the Japanese during the Burma campaign.

History

The squadron was formed at Salbani, Bengal, British India on 18 August 1943, and carried out its first bombing mission on 20 November 1943. The squadron mounted numerous raids on the Burma–Siam railway along with other important targets such as bridges, airfields, port facilities, supply dumps, gun positions, and marshalling yards. During this period, the squadron included a significant number of

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) and

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

(RNZAF) aircrew personnel, attached to it under the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

. Wing Commander James Brindley Nicolson, recipient of the only Victoria Cross awarded during the Battle of Britain, was killed 2 May 1945, when the 355 Squadron Liberator he was flying in as an observer, crashed into the Bay of Bengal shortly after an engine caught fire. The last raid carried out by the squadron was on 7 August 1945 against the Burma–Siam railway. After the war, 355 Squadron dropped emergency food supplies to

Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

, and starving civilians in Burma. Between January and April 1946 the squadron operated from Digri, a little north of Salbani, returning to Salbani (west of Calcutta) where it undertook aerial survey work shortly before it disbanded on 31 May 1946.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

RAF Liberator Squadrons

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 355 Squadron Raf 355 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1943 Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II