Unit Name: | No. 292 Squadron RAF |
Dates: | 1 February 1944 – 14 June 1945 |
Branch: | Royal Air Force |
Role: | Air-sea rescue |
Command Structure: | Air Command, South East Asia |
Identification Symbol: | No badge authorised[1] |
Identification Symbol Label: | Squadron Badge heraldry |
Identification Symbol 2: | No code(s) are known to have been used by this squadron |
Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Squadron Codes |
No. 292 Squadron RAF was an air-sea rescue (ASR) squadron of the Royal Air Force operating in the Bay of Bengal during the Second World War.
292 squadron was formed at RAF Jessore, Bengal, (then) British India, on 1 February 1944, as a dedicated air-sea rescue squadron equipped with Walrus flying boats. A detachment of the squadron was sent further south, in Ceylon. In April the squadron received a number of Vickers Warwick patrol aircraft, but these were found to be unsuitable in the tropical climate, and in December 1944 they received Consolidated Liberator Mk.VIs as replacements. In November 1944 the squadron already received a number of Supermarine Sea Otters, a bit more modern flying boat. The squadron were posted to RAF Agartala in February 1945, as operations had shifted further eastwards through Burma; they were located there when the squadron was disbanded on 14 June.[2] Its duties were then taken over by three independent flights, No's 1347, 1348 and 1349 Flight RAF.
February 1944 | June 1945 | Mks.I, II | ||
April 1944 | June 1945 | ASR.Mk.I (unsuited for tropical climate, non-operational after November 1944) | ||
November 1944 | June 1945 | Mk.II | ||
December 1944 | June 1945 | Mk.VI |
1 February 1944 | 5 February 1945 | Det. at RAF Ratmalana, Ceylon; RAF Sigiriya, Ceylon and RAF Santacruz, Maharashtra, British India | ||
5 February 1945 | 14 June 1945 | RAF Agartala, Tripura, British India | Dets. at RAF Kankesanthurai, Ceylon and RAF Chittagong, Bengal, British India |