No. 136 Squadron RAF
| No. 136 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 Apr 1918 - 4 Jul 1918 20 Aug 1941 – 8 May 1946 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Part of | RAF Third Tactical Air Force, South East Asia Command |
| Nickname(s) | The Woodpeckers |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Nihil Fortius ("Nothing is stronger") "Nothing too tough" (squadron use) |
| Engagements | Arakan Campaign 1942–1943, Burma Campaign, Battle of Imphal |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | Upon the side of a stem of tree erect, a green woodpecker. The woodpecker was chosen as the squadrons original call-sign was "Woodpecker" |
| Squadron Codes | HM (Dec 1943 - May 1946) |
No. 136 Squadron RAF was a short-lived RAF unit that saw no action in World War I, but upon reformation became the highest scoring unit in South East Asia Command during World War II. Shortly after the war the squadron was disbanded.
No. 136 squadron was officially formed on 1 April 1918 at Lake Down, as a service unit -not a training unit-, working up for the Airco DH.9, using a variety of aircraft. Following Air Ministry letter C4519 of 4 July of that year however it was disbanded, together with 12 other such units. Plans to reinstate the squadron in September as laid out in Air Organisation Memorandum 939 of 13 July 1918 came to nought as Air Organisation Memorandum 999 of 17 August 1918 cancelled these.
The squadron was reformed at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire on 20 August 1941 as a fighter squadron, flying Hawker Hurricanes and became operational on 28 September, doing shipping patrols and scrambles. This lasted only one month as the squadron was scheduled to move to the Middle East on 9 November to support Russian forces in the Caucasus and so protecting the vital Middle East oil fields.
En route however the destination was changed to the Far East, following the news of Pearl Harbor and the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. On arrival in India the squadron was redirected to Burma, arriving there at Rangoon in early February 1942. However, because of the fast advance of the Japanese forces it was necessary to withdraw the squadron back to India again, 26 February to Dum Dum and a day later Asansol, and before the squadron had chances to become really operational. Attacks by the Japanese forces and accidents had the squadron with only six flyable Hurricanes left by this time.
Regrouped as an operational squadron on 31 March 1942 around Alipore, still on Hurricanes, the squadron provided convoy patrols and air defence of the Calcutta area, but in December it began operating detachments over the Burmese front and by the end of the month it moved to Chittagong to continue these operations from there. Returning to India at RAF Amarda Road in November 1943 for a training course, the squadron meanwhile had converted to Spitfire Mk.Vs in October and returned to the Burmese front with them in December 1943.
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