page_title: No. 30 Squadron RAF
section_title: Second World War
hierarchical_section_title: No. 30 Squadron RAF / History / Second World War
caption_attribution_description: English: American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Republic Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt Mark II, HD298 ‘RS-U’, of No. 30 Squadron RAF, taking off off from Chittagong, India, for a sortie over the Arakan front.
context_page_description: Number 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the second generation Lockheed Martin Hercules C4/C5 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. As of 2018, it is no longer on the RAF's list of squadrons or on RAF Brize Norton's list of squadrons.
context_section_description: In August 1939, as war loomed, the squadron moved  back to RAF Ismailia in Egypt and carried out escort missions in the Western Desert and provided fighter defence of Alexandria. In November 1940, it was sent to Greece to operate its Blenheims in both the bomber and fighter roles, but in March 1941 the squadron was redesignated a fighter unit. After the fall of Greece and the Battle of Crete the squadron returned to Egypt and was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes and employed on night defence of Alexandria and shipping protection patrols before moving on to operations in the Western Desert.
  When the situation in the Far East worsened the squadron was ordered to reinforce allied forces in Java, but by the time the squadron left Egypt, Java, had already fallen, and the squadron was ferried by the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable to Ceylon arriving on 6 March 1942, just in time to assist in resisting the Japanese carrier strike against the island. This raid took place on 5 April 1942 with 21 aircraft being launched from its base at RAF Ratmalana whilst under heavy fire from Japanese aircraft. Seven of the squadron's Hurricanes were lost, with five of its pilots being killed or dying later of wounds received during the battle. It claimed 14 Japanese aircraft shot down, together with six probably destroyed and five damaged, out of a total claim for the whole of the island's defences of 24 shot down, 7 probables and 9 damaged. In fact, the Japanese lost seven aircraft, with a further 15 damaged.
  In February 1944, it moved to the Burma front flying escort and ground attack missions and in May 1944 was re-equipped with American Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, which it took back into action in October until May 1945.
caption: Republic Thunderbolt Mk. II HD298 of No. 30 Squadron taking off from Chittagong, 1944.
exif: {}