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Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books
No.146 Squadron served as a defensive fighter and ground attack squadron in India and over Burma. The squadron was formed at Risalpur on 15 October 1941 with four Audax army cooperation aircraft provided by B Flight, No.5 Squadron. The squadron took its Audaxes to Assam just before the outbreak of war with Japan, but wasn't called on to use them as impromptu fighter aircraft. Instead they were replaced with Mohawks at the end of March 1942. These were then passed on to No.5 Squadron, and No.146 received the obsolete Brewster Buffalo, before moving back to Calcutta in early May 1942 to convert to the Hawker Hurricane.
No.146 used its Hurricanes to provide part of the air defence of Bengal for the rest of 1942. In January 1943 it began to fly ground attack missions over Burma, at first operating from advanced bases, before in April moving close to the front line. From then until February 1944 the squadron flew a mix of offensive and defensive patrols, but in February 1944 it was moved to southern India after rumours spread that the Japanese were planning to carry out a carrier raid on the area.
This raid never took place, and in June 1944 the squadron began to convert to the Thunderbolt. The new aircraft were taken back into action over Burma in September 1944, and were used to attack Japanese bases and communications. The squadron was disbanded on 30 June 1945, and its personnel and aircraft were transferred to No.42 Squadron.
Aircraft
October 1941-July 1942: Hawker Audax
March-April 1942: Mohawk IV
April-May 1942: Brewster Buffalo I
May 1942-June 1944: Hawker Hurricane IIB
December 1943-June 1944: Hawker Hurricane IIC
June 1944-March 1945: Republic Thunderbolt I
June 1944-November 1944 and March-June 1945: Thunderbolt II
Location
October-November 1941: Risalpur
November-December 1941: Dum Dum
December 1941-May 1942: Dinjan
May-September 1942: Dum Dum
September 1942-April 1943: Alipore
April-May 1943: Chittagong
May-June 1943: Feni
June-December 1943: Comilla
December 1943-February 1944: Baigachi
February-June 1944: St. Thomas Mount
June-August 1944: Yelahanka
August-September 1944: Arkonam
September-November 1944: Kumbhirgram
November 1944-April 1945: Wangiing
April-June 1945: Myingyan North
June 1945: Meiktila
Squadron Codes: D, NA
Duty
1941-1945: Fighter squadron, India and Burma Front
Hurricane Aces 1941-45, Andrew Thomas. This book covers the later career of the Hurricane, starting with its final months as a front line fighter in Britain in 1941 before moving on to look at its career in North Africa, the Mediterranean and over the jungles of Burma [see more]
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