No. 56 Squadron — Punjab

No. 56 Squadron entered the war as a Hurricane unit and was one of the few fighter squadrons to remain in 11 Group’s area throughout the Battle of Britain, flying from RAF North Weald and claiming around 59 kills during that campaign. In September 1941 it became the first squadron in the RAF to convert to the Hawker Typhoon, an aircraft still beset with teething troubles, and spent the following years on defensive patrols, anti-shipping work, and ground-attack sorties over occupied France — adding bombs in late 1943 and rockets in early 1944. A brief spell on Spitfires in spring 1944 preceded conversion to the Hawker Tempest V in June, just as the V-1 offensive began; the squadron destroyed between 70 and 77 flying bombs before moving to the Low Countries in September 1944 as part of 2nd Tactical Air Force. Armed-reconnaissance sweeps over Germany filled its final months, ending the war as joint top-scoring Tempest unit with 59 aerial victories in that type alone.