No. 160 Squadron RAF

No. 160 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force unit during the Second World War, when it flew for four years in a number of roles including heavy bomber, minelaying, reconnaissance, special operations and transport unit in the Middle East and South-East Asian theatre of World War II.

No. 160 Squadron RAF
Active16 Jan 1942 – 30 Sep 1946
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Part ofNo. 222 Group RAF, South East Asia Command[1]
Motto(s)Singhalese: Api soya paragasamu
(Translated: "We seek and strike")[2][3][4]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA Sinhalese lion rampant holding a Sinhalese sword[2][3][4]
Squadron CodesBS (Dec 1944 – Oct 1946)[5][6]
Aircraft flown
BomberConsolidated Liberator
PatrolConsolidated Liberator
ReconnaissanceConsolidated Liberator
Avro Lancaster
TransportConsolidated Liberator

History

First World War: False start

No. 160 Squadron was originally proposed on 9 May 1918 as a bomber squadron for deployment to France with DH.9As on 7 October, shortly afterwards amended to 20 October, but formation had not yet taken place when these plans were cancelled on 4 July. The formation was then rescheduled to take place on 20 September at Bristol (Filton) for deployment to France on 20 November, but this plan in its turn was suspended on 29 July and cancelled altogether on 17 August. The squadron thus never effectively formed during the First World War.[7]

Second World War

To India via Palestine

No. 160 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Thurleigh, Bedfordshire on 16 January 1942 as a heavy bomber[2]/reconnaissance unit equipped with Consolidated Liberator aircraft. The squadron was posted to India on 12 February 1942, but without its aircraft and crews, who remained in England for training at RAF Polebrook, Northamptonshire. In June 1942 the crews and aircraft moved to the Middle East for bomber operations alongside No. 159 squadron. Whilst being based in Egypt and Palestine the squadron flew missions against targets in Libya and Crete. From November 1942 the squadron's crew and aircraft gradually moved to India, this being completed early February 1943, first mission was flown on 6 February over the Bay of Bengal.[4] The squadron moved to Ceylon on 19 February, being based first at Ratmalana and later at Sigiriya, Kankesanturai and Minneriya. At first the squadron was involved in reconnaissance missions and minelaying and later became involved in dropping supplies to units operating behind enemy lines. When the war ended 160 squadron returned to Kankesanturai and served for a while in the transport role.

Back in the UK

On 23 June 1946 the squadrons return to the UK was completed and they were based at RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland, operating as a reconnaissance squadron. The squadron converted to Avro Lancaster GR.3s in August 1946, but was disbanded shortly after on 30 September 1946, being renumbered to No.120 squadron.[4][8]

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 160 Squadron RAF, data from[4][8][9]
FromToAircraftVersion
May 1942January 1943Consolidated LiberatorMk.II
November 1942October 1945Consolidated LiberatorMk.III
June 1943November 1945Consolidated LiberatorMk.V
January 1944January 1945Consolidated LiberatorMk.VI
October 1945September 1946Consolidated LiberatorMk.VIII
August 1946September 1946Avro LancasterGR.3

Squadron bases
Bases and airfields used by no. 160 Squadron RAF, data from[4][8][9]
FromToFromToBaseRemark
16 January 194212 February 1942RAF Thurleigh, BedfordshireGround personnel
January 194226 April 1942RAF Polebrook, NorthamptonshireAir echelon, training at 1653 HCU
12 February 19424 June 1942Left for IndiaGround personnel
26 April 19427 May 1942RAF Lyneham, WiltshireAir echelon
7 May 194230 May 1942RAF Nutts Corner, County Antrim, Northern IrelandAir echelon
30 May 19428 June 1942RAF Lyneham, WiltshireAir echelon
4 June 194217 June 1942RAF Drigh Road, KarachiGround personnel
8 June 194211 June 1942Left for Middle EastAir echelon
17 June 194222 November 1942RAF Quetta, BalochistanGround personnel
11 June 194216 September 1942RAF Fayid, EgyptAir echelon (absorbed into 159 sqn)
16 September June 19428 November 1942RAF Aqir, PalestineAir echelon
8 November 194215 January 1943Shandur, EgyptAir echelon (leftovers absorbed by 178 sqn)
22 November 194219 February 1943RAF Salbani, Paschim Medinipur, BengalGround personnel first,
later joined by greater part of air echelon
19 February 19432 August 1943RAF Ratmalana, CeylonDet. at RAF Sigiriya, Ceylon
2 August 194331 July 1944RAF Sigiriya, CeylonDets. at RAF Cuttack, Orissa;
RAF Ratmalana, Ceylon;
RAF Vavuniya, Ceylon and
RAF Gan (Addu Atoll), the Maldives
1 August 19447 February 1945RAF Kankesanturai, CeylonDets. at Addu Atoll, the Maldives and
RAF Kandy (Senkadagalapura), Ceylon
7 February 194517 October 1945RAF Minneriya, CeylonDet. at RAF Ramree Island, Burma
17 October 194523 June 1946RAF Kankesanturai, Ceylon
23 June 194630 September 1946RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland

Commanding officers
Officers commanding no. 160 Squadron RAF, data from[9]
FromToName
March 1943January 1944W/Cdr. C.A. Butler
January 1944November 1944W/Cdr. G.R. Brady
November 1944May 1945W/Cdr. J.N. Stacy, DSO, DFC
May 1945September 1945W/Cdr. G. MacKenzie
September 1945September 1946W/Cdr. R.D. Williams
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References

Citations
  1. Delve 1994, pp. 76, 83.
  2. Moyes 1976, p. 182.
  3. Rawlings 1982, p. 109.
  4. Halley 1988, p. 231.
  5. Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 23.
  6. Flintham and Thomas 2003, pp. 65, 148.
  7. Jefford 2001, p. 113.
  8. Jefford 2001, p. 66.
  9. Rawlings 1982, p. 110.

Bibliography
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Gwynne-Timothy, John R.W. Burma Liberators: RCAF in SEAC. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Next Level Press, 1991. ISBN 1-895578-02-7.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (2nd edition 1976) ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
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