Country United Kingdom | Branch Royal Air Force | |
Active 31 Dec 1942 – 15 Jan 1947
29 Jun 1948 – 1 Sep 1957 Role Air Observation Post Squadron Motto(s) Latin: Volans et videns
(Translation: "Flying and seeing") Squadron Badge heraldry In front of two gun barrels in saltire, a Chinthe head | ||
No. 656 Squadron RAF was an Air Oberservation Post unit of the Royal Air Force in India and Burma during the Second World War and afterwards in British Malaya. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadron of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with British Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of these squadrons, 664–666, were manned with Canadian personnel. Their duties and squadron numbers were transferred to the Army with the formation of the Army Air Corps on 1 September 1957 With this it became 656 Light Aircraft Squadron Army Air Corps.
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Formation and World War II
No. 656 Squadron was formed at RAF Westley on 31 December 1942. It embarked for India in August 1943 and went into action during the Burma campaign with the Fourteenth Army. It was to take part in the Allied invasion of Malaya, but the Japanese surrendered before this took place and the squadron disbanded there on 15 January 1947.
Reformation and Operation Firedog
The squadron reformed from No. 1914 Flight RAF on 29 June 1948 at Sembawang in Malaya and served in British Malaya to support Army and Police against Communist guerillas before it went over to Army control in September 1957. 656 Squadron performed a total of 143,000 operations in Malaya during Operation Firedog.