No. 681 Squadron RAF

No. 681 Squadron RAF was a photo-reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

No. 681 Squadron RAF
Active2 January 1943 – 1 August 1946
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Rolephoto-reconnaissance
Part ofNo. 221 Group RAF, RAF India Command[1]
No. 231 Group RAF, Air Command South-East Asia[2]
AHQ Burma, Air Command South-East Asia[3]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryNo badge known to have been authorised[4]
Squadron CodesNo code(s) are known to have been carried by this squadron[4][5][6]

History

It was formed out of No. 3 PRU, at Dum Dum in India on 2 January 1943,[4] as part of RAF Far East Air Force. Initially it was mostly equipped with Hurricane PR.Mk.II and Spitfire PR.Mk.IV fighters, but there was also a Dutch element in 'C' flight that operated North American Mitchells, which belonged to the former Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force.[4] The squadron re-equipped with Mosquito PR.IXs in August 1943, and Spitfire PR.XIs in October.

In November 1943 the twin-engined elements were used to form No. 684 Squadron RAF.[7] 681 Squadron, which was now entirely equipped with the Spitfire PR.XI, moved to RAF Alipore, Bengal in May 1944, where the squadron was under No. 171 Wing RAF on 1 July 1944 , and RAF Mingaladon, Burma in June 1945, receiving Spitfire PR.XIX photo-reconnaissance aircraft in August of that year. The squadron moved to RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong, in September 1945, when the war formally ended. Detachments from the squadron however were still located and kept busy at a wide range of airfields across the South-East Asian theatre of war. The squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No. 34 Squadron RAF on 1 August 1946 at RAF Palam, Punjab, (then) British India.[4][8][9]

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 681 Squadron RAF, data from[4][8][9]
FromToAircraftVariant
January 1943November 1943North American MitchellMk.II (B-25C)
January 1943November 1943Hawker HurricaneMk.IIc
January 1943December 1944Supermarine SpitfirePR.Mk.IV[10]
August 1943November 1943de Havilland MosquitoMks.II, IV & IX
October 1943August 1946Supermarine SpitfirePR.XI
August 1945August 1946Supermarine SpitfirePR.XIX

Squadron airfields
Stations and airfields used by No. 681 Squadron RAF, data from[4][8][9]
FromToNameRemark
25 January 19439 December 1943RAF Dum Dum, Bengal, British IndiaDetachments at RAF Alipore, Bengal, British India and
RAF Agartala, Tripura, British India
9 December 194330 January 1944RAF Chandina, Bengal, British India
31 January 19445 May 1944RAF Dum Dum, Bengal, British India
5 May 194425 May 1945RAF Alipore, Bengal, British IndiaDetachments at RAF Comilla, Bengal, British India;
RAF Imphal, Manipur, British India;
RAF Kalemyo, Burma; RAF Meiktila, Burma;
RAF Monywa, Burma; and RAF Mingaladon, Burma
25 May 194527 September 1945RAF Mingaladon, BurmaDetachment at RAF Alipore, Bengal, British India
27 September 194523 December 1945RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong
23 December 19459 January 1946RAF Kuala Lumpur, MalayaDetachments at Kemayoran Airport Batavia, Dutch East Indies
and Tân Sơn Nhất Airfield, Saigon, Vietnam
10 January 194628 May 1946RAF Seletar, SingaporeDetachments at Kemayoran Airport, Dutch East Indies;
Don Muang Air Base, Thailand and RAF Mingaladon, Burma
28 May 19461 August 1946RAF Palam, Punjab, British IndiaDetachment at RAF Kohat, Punjab, British India

Commanding officers
Officers commanding No. 681 Squadron RAF, data from[4]
FromToName
January 1943December 1943W/Cdr. S.G. Wise, DFC and Bar
December 1943April 1945W/Cdr. F.D. Proctor, DFC
April 1945May 1946W/Cdr. D.B. Pearson
May 1946August 1946S/Ldr. H. Roberts

References

Notes
  1. Delve 1994, p. 68.
  2. Delve 1994, p. 77.
  3. Delve 1994, p. 83.
  4. Rawlings 1982, p. 245.
  5. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 148.
  6. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 233.
  7. Rawlings 1982, pp. 245 and 247.
  8. Halley 1988, p. 454.
  9. Jefford 2001, p. 105.
  10. Freeman 2005, p. 14.

Bibliography
  • Bowman, Martin (1999). Mosquito Photo-Reconnaissance Units of World War 2. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-891-7.
  • Bowyer, Chaz (1984). Mosquito Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1425-6.
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Freeman, Jon (2005). Photo Reconnaissance Spitfires in Worldwide Service (On Target Profiles 8). Wantage, Oxfordshire, UK: The Aviation Workshop Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-904643-15-9.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • Thomas, Geoffrey (1999). Eyes for the Phoenix: Allied Aerial Photo-Reconnaissance Operations, South-East Asia, 1941–1945. Crowborough, East Sussex, UK: Hikoki Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-9519899-4-4.
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