No. 56 Squadron RAF (Punjab)
Below is some genealogy information on the No. 56 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (Punjab) that may help searches for military ancestors.
Theatres of War, Army Regiments, Naval Detachments, RAF
World War One
Description: No. 56 squadron was active from 1916. The squadron was comprised of S.E.5 aircraft and one of the most successful squadrons of the war. They took part in the following battles: the battle of Arras, the battle of Cambrai, the 2nd battle of the Somme (1918), and the Hindenburg Line. Racking up some 427 aerial victories, the squadron contained many 'aces', such as Ball, Barlow, Hoidge, Maybery, Rhys Davis and McCuddon. Such was their success the Germans believed they were an anti-Red Baron squadron dedicated to shooting down Baron Von Richthofen.
World War Two
Description: The number 56 (Punjab) squadron was comprised of Hawker Hurricane aircraft, and took part in the Battle of Britain. With the German plan to invade Britain, the only thing that stood in their way was the Royal Air Force. During the middle of 1940 just a few hundred pilots managed to hold off the Luftwaffe and allow Britain and her allies to go on the offensive. They operated as part of No.11 Group during this, with the squadron claiming over 100 destroyed enemy aircraft. They later received the Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tempest, taking part in the Normandy landings, part of Operation Overlord, and the battle of Arnhem, also known as Operation Market Garden.
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