RAF No 681 Squadron

RAF 681 Squadron

Motto: Nulla Rosa Sine Spina (No rose without a thorn)

Role: photo-reconnaissance

Formed from No 3 PRU at Dum Dum in India on 25 January 1943, its main task was photo reconnaissance over Burma and Siam. To carry out this work, it was equipped with Hurricanes, Spitfires and Mitchells. Although some Mosquitoes were received, these were found unsuitable for operation in the highly humid conditions of SEAC and by December 1943 the squadron was solely a Spitfire unit.

The first Spitfire XIX arrived on 28 June 1945 and by VJ-Day had 11 on strength with a further five arriving after that date. In September 1945, No 681 moved to Hong Kong sending detachments to Java and Indo-China. It moved to Seletar in January 1946 with a detachment in Siam but in April the whole squadron moved to India and on 1 August 1946 it was disbanded by being re-numbered No 34 Squadron.

In November 1943 the twin-engined elements were used to form No. 684 Squadron RAF. 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.

Web Reference: http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn671-1435.htm

Aircraft Operated by RAF No. 681 Squadron

From	To	Aircraft	Variant
January 1943	November 1943	North American Mitchell	Mk.II (B-25C)
January 1943	November 1943	Hawker Hurricane	Mk.IIc
January 1943	December 1944	Supermarine Spitfire	PR.Mk.IV
August 1943	November 1943	de Havilland Mosquito	Mks.II, IV & IX
October 1943	August 1946	Supermarine Spitfire	PR.XI
August 1945	August 1946	Supermarine Spitfire	PR.XIX

 

Squadron airfields Operated by RAF No. 681 Squadron

From	To	Name	Remark
25 January 1943	9 December 1943	RAF Dum Dum, Bengal, British India	Detachments at RAF Alipore, Bengal, British India and RAF Agartala, Tripura, British India
9 December 1943	30 January 1944	RAF Chandina, Bengal, British India
31 January 1944	5 May 1944	RAF Dum Dum, Bengal, British India
5 May 1944	25 May 1945	RAF Alipore, Bengal, British India	Detachments 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 1945	27 September 1945	RAF Mingaladon, Burma	Detachment at RAF Alipore, Bengal, British India
27 September 1945	23 December 1945	RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong
23 December 1945	9 January 1946	RAF Kuala Lumpur, Malaya	Detachments at Kemayoran Airport Batavia, Dutch East Indies and Tân Sơn Nhất Airfield, Saigon, Vietnam
10 January 1946	28 May 1946	RAF Seletar, Singapore	Detachments at Kemayoran Airport, Dutch East Indies; Don Muang Air Base, Thailand and RAF Mingaladon, Burma
28 May 1946	1 August 1946	RAF Palam, Punjab, British India	Detachment at RAF Kohat, Punjab, British India

 

Commanding officers of RAF No. 681 Squadron

From	To	Name
January 1943	December 1943	W/Cdr. S.G. Wise, DFC and Bar
December 1943	April 1945	W/Cdr. F.D. Proctor, DFC
April 1945	May 1946	W/Cdr. D.B. Pearson
May 1946	August 1946	S/Ldr. H. Roberts