No. 67 Squadron

No. 67 Squadron RAF was formed on 12 March 1941 at RAF Kallang in Malaya, initially equipped with Brewster Buffaloes to bolster the defences of South-East Asia. In October 1941 the unit transferred its aircraft to No. 488 Squadron RNZAF and moved to Burma, where it came under No. 221 Group and faced the full weight of the Japanese offensive that began in December 1941. By March 1942 the squadron had been rendered combat-ineffective, and its surviving personnel withdrew to Alipore in India to regroup and help defend Calcutta. Re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes, the squadron rebuilt its strength before converting to Supermarine Spitfire VIIIs in February 1944, which gave it a far more capable platform for operations over the Burmese jungle. From July 1944 the squadron flew offensive sorties — escort missions, ground-attack, and close support for the advancing Fourteenth Army — until the Japanese retreat made further operations unnecessary in May 1945. The squadron disbanded at RAF Akyab on 23 August 1945, having spent almost its entire wartime existence in the Burma–India theatre; its badge, a drongo volant, reflected the tropical setting, and its motto “No odds too great” captured the circumstances under which it had operated from the outset.