No. 355 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 355 Squadron RAF was a long range bomber squadron based in British India from August 1943 until it disbanded in May 1946. The squadron was equipped with Consolidated Liberator
aircraft.
, Bengal
, British India on 18 August 1943, and carried out its first bombing mission on the 20 November 1943. The squadron mounted numerous raids on the infamous Burma-Siam railway along with other important targets such as bridges, airfields, and marshalling yards. During this period, the squadron included a significant number of Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF) aircrew personnel, attached to it under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
.
Wing Commander
James Brindley Nicolson, recipient of the only Victoria Cross
awarded during the Battle of Britain
, was killed 2 May 1945, when the 355 squadron Liberator he was flying in as an observer, crashed into the Bay of Bengal shortly after an engine caught fire. The last raid carried out by the squadron was on 7 August 1945 against the Burma-Siam railway.
After the war, 355 squadron was engaged in the dropping of emergency food supplies to Prisoners of War, and starving civilians in Burma. Between January and April 1946 the squadron operated from Digri, a little north of Salbani, returning to Salbani
(west of Calcutta) shortly before it disbanded on 31 May 1946.
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
aircraft.
History
The squadron was formed at SalbaniSalboni
Salboni is a town with a police station in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal...
, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, British India on 18 August 1943, and carried out its first bombing mission on the 20 November 1943. The squadron mounted numerous raids on the infamous Burma-Siam railway along with other important targets such as bridges, airfields, and marshalling yards. During this period, the squadron included a significant number of Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
(RNZAF) aircrew personnel, attached to it under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
.
Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
James Brindley Nicolson, recipient of the only Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
awarded during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, was killed 2 May 1945, when the 355 squadron Liberator he was flying in as an observer, crashed into the Bay of Bengal shortly after an engine caught fire. The last raid carried out by the squadron was on 7 August 1945 against the Burma-Siam railway.
After the war, 355 squadron was engaged in the dropping of emergency food supplies to Prisoners of War, and starving civilians in Burma. Between January and April 1946 the squadron operated from Digri, a little north of Salbani, returning to Salbani
Salboni
Salboni is a town with a police station in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal...
(west of Calcutta) shortly before it disbanded on 31 May 1946.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1943 | July 1944 | Consolidated Liberator B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber... |
Mk.III |
| March 1944 | September 1945 | Consolidated Liberator | Mk.VI |
| August 1945 | May 1946 | Consolidated Liberator | Mk.VIII |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 1943 | 3 January 1946 | RAF Salbani Salboni Salboni is a town with a police station in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal... , Bengal Bengal Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous... , British India |
Dets. at RAF Dhubalia Dhubulia Dhubulia is a village in Nadia district of West Bengal, India. It has the biggest tuberculosis Hospital in Asia. Belpukur is the oldest neighborhood in the village.- History :... , Bengal; RAF Digri, Bengal and RAF Pegu ('Pilsener'), Burma |
| 3 January 1946 | 3 April 1946 | RAF Digri, Bengal, British India | Det. at RAF Pegu, Burma |
| 3 April 1946 | 31 May 1946 | RAF Salbani, Bengal, British India | Det. at RAF Pegu, Burma |