No. 681 Squadron RAF was a photo-reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
History It was formed out of No. 3 PRU, at Dum Dum in India on 2 January 1943, as part of RAF Far East Air Force. Initially it was mostly equipped with Hurricane PR.Mk.II and Spitfire PR.Mk.IV fighters, but there was also a Dutch element in 'C' flight that operated North American Mitchells, which belonged to the former Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. The squadron re-equipped with Mosquito PR.IXs in August 1943, and Spitfire PR.XIs in October.
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.
Aircraft operated +Aircraft operated by no. 681 Squadron RAF, data fromFrom 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 + Stations and airfields used by No. 681 Squadron RAF, data fromFrom 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 +Officers commanding No. 681 Squadron RAF, data fromFrom 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
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
Squadron Histories and more for Nos. 671–1435 Squadron on RAFweb History of 681 Squadron No. 681 Squadron RAF movement and equipment history