No. 123 Squadron — East India

No. 123 (East India) Squadron reformed at RAF Turnhouse in Scotland on 10 May 1941 and spent its first year on home defensive patrols before its personnel were despatched to the Middle East in April 1942. After arriving in Egypt and subsequently moving to the Persian Gulf, the squadron initially operated Gladiators on army co-operation duties from Abadan before re-equipping with Hurricanes to defend the Iranian oilfields against potential Axis attack. By late 1943 the squadron had moved to the India–Burma theatre, where it flew escort missions for transport aircraft and dive-bombers over Burma from December of that year. A conversion to Republic Thunderbolts in September 1944 brought a shift to fighter-bomber ground attack, with cab-rank close support sorties over the Burmese front continuing into 1945. The squadron was renumbered No. 81 Squadron on 20 June 1945, ending its wartime existence under the East India honorific it carried throughout its WW2 service.