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Aircraft - Locations - Group and Duty - Books
No.214 "Federated Malay States" Squadron spent the entire Second World War operating with Bomber Command. Like many similar units it had a quiet start to the war, and offensive operations did not start until 14 June 1940, well after the start of the war in the west. It remained part of the main bomber force from then until January 1944, first operationg the Vickers Wellington and later the Short Stirling.
In January 1944 the squadron converted to the Fortress II, and joined No.100 Group, carrying out radar counter-measures for the rest of the war, before disbanding on 27 July 1945.
Aircraft
May 1939-April 1942: Vickers Wellington I, IA and IC
June 1941-January 1942: Wellington II
April 1942-January 1944: Short Stirling I and III
January 1944-November 1944: Fortress II
November 1944-July 1945: Fortress III
Location
12 April 1937-3 September 1939: Feltwell
3 September 1939-12 February 1940: Methwold
12 February 1940-5 January 1943: Stradishall
5-12 January 1942: Honington
12 January-1 October 1942: Stradishall
1 October 1942-10 December 1943: Chedburgh
10 December 1943-16 January 1944: Downham Market
16 January-16 May 1944: Sculthorpe
16 May 1944-27 July 1945: Oulton
Squadron Codes: UX, BU
Duty
1939-January 1944: Bomber Command main bomber force
January 1944-May 1945: No.100 Group radar counter-measures.
Bomber Offensive, Sir Arthur Harris.
The autobiography of Bomber Harris, giving his view of the strategic bombing campaign in its immediate aftermath. Invaluable for the insights it provides into Harris’s approach to the war, what he was trying to achieve and the problems he faced. Harris perhaps overstates his case, not entirely surprisingly given how soon after the end of the war this book was written (Read Full Review)
Wellington in Action, Ron Mackay. A well illustrated guide to the development and service career of this classic British bomber. Mackay looks at the early development of the Wellington and the unusual geodetic frame that gave it great strength, the period when the Wellington was the mainstay of Bomber Command and the many uses found for the aircraft after it was replaced in the main bomber stream.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Frederick A. Johnsen. A well researched and illustrated history of the B-17, with a very strong section on its combat record, an interesting chapter on the efforts made to improve the aircraft (including a number of suggestions that didn't enter production) and a good selection of colour pictures of the aircraft. [see more]
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