About This Unit
No. 45 Squadron, RAF
No.45 Squadron spent the entire Second World War operating in the east, at first as a Blenheim bomber squadron operating from Egypt, from where it took part in the campaigns in the Western Desert, Italian East Africa and Syria, before moving to Burma early in 1942.
It was eventually configured as a ground attack squadron, first with the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber and later with de Haviland Mosquitoes fighter-bombers.
No.45 Squadron had been reformed in Egypt in 1921, and other than a short two month gap in 1927 spent the next two decades operating in the Middle East. The squadron received its Bristol Blenheims in June 1939, only a few weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War, but the war didn't come to the Mediterranean until the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940, giving them a year to get used to the new aircraft. On the following day No.45 Squadron began bombing operations, initially against Italian positions in Libya.
The area of operations expanded in July when a detachment was sent south to the Sudan to take part in attacks against Italian East Africa, and the entire squadron moved south in September 1940, remaining in the Sudan for three months. After returning from the Sudan the squadron returned to operations over the Western Desert (with one break in June 1941 when it took part in the invasion of Vichy controlled Syria - Operation Exporter).
In February 1942 No.45 Squadron was sent to Burma, as part of a desperate attempt to slow or stop the Japanese advance afterthey had entered the war in Decenmber 1941.
The squadron arrived just in time to take part in the retreat from Burma, and was forced to reform in India, where it remained inactive for some time.
In December 1942 the squadron received its first Vultee Vengeance dive bombers. Six months of training followed, before the squadron finally returned to action on 27 June 1943, attacking Japanese bases and lines of communication in Burma.
The Vengeance remained in use for six month, before in February 1944 the squadron began to convert to the de Havilland Mosquito VI. The Mosquito was not a great success when it was first introduced in the Far East.The aircraft suffered a series of fatal crashes, including one on 13 May 1944 that killed Wing Commander Harley C. Stumm, the squadron's commanding officer, and was almost withdrawn from Burma.
No.45 Squadron returned to operations on 28 September 1944. Seven months of operations followed, ending on 12 May 1945. During this period the Mosquito gained a rather more positive reputation, especially as a bridge-buster. After that the squadron returned to India, where it remained to the end of the war. The squadron remained in the Far East until it was disbanded in 1970, having operated a variety of aircraft in that time.