No. 215 Squadron

No. 215 Squadron RAF was reformed on 9 December 1941 at RAF Newmarket for service in the Far East, its ground element departing for India in February 1942 while the air element formed at Waterbeach. The squadron reached India in the spring of 1942, initially conducting coastal patrols, supply-dropping to retreating Burma forces, and airborne-forces training before beginning sustained bombing operations in March 1943. Flying Vickers Wellingtons from Jessore and nearby bases, it attacked targets in Burma and across the Bay of Bengal theatre as part of No. 224 Group’s heavy-bomber force, later re-equipping with Consolidated Liberators which extended its range considerably. The squadron included a substantial proportion of Commonwealth aircrew, among them many Royal Australian Air Force personnel, and sustained heavy losses over Burma. In April 1945 it converted to Douglas Dakotas and shifted to a transport role, supporting the 14th Army’s final advance. On 15 February 1946 the unit was redesignated No. 48 Squadron rather than formally disbanded, having flown throughout the entire South-East Asia campaign from its reformation to the end of the war.