No. 117 Squadron

No. 117 Squadron was reformed on 30 April 1941 at Khartoum, Sudan, as a transport and communications unit, having originally existed briefly as a bomber squadron in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. In its early wartime role it maintained the vital Takoradi–Khartoum air route, a chain of staging posts stretching from the West African coast across to Sudan and Egypt along which replacement fighter aircraft were ferried to the hard-pressed Middle East theatre. Moving to Egypt in late 1941, the squadron came under No. 216 Group and operated Lockheed Hudsons alongside Bristol Bombays on freight, passenger and casualty-evacuation flights across North Africa, including supply runs to Malta and forward missions in support of the Eighth Army. During the summer of 1943 the squadron re-equipped with Douglas Dakotas and participated in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, before transferring to India in October of that year. From early 1944 it flew parachute supply drops and airland missions in support of the Chindits operating deep behind Japanese lines in Burma, operating under No. 177 Wing, Third Tactical Air Force in Eastern Air Command. The squadron was finally disbanded on 17 December 1945 following the end of the war against Japan.