Until Japan entered the Second World War, 20 Squadron continued their Air Control task on the North West Frontier of India. After Japan invaded Burma in early 1942, 20 Squadron moved eastwards; it flew its Lysander aircraft in support of the Army on the Burmese front. Although the Lysanders were old, somewhat unreliable and short of spare parts, 20 Squadron maintained detachments at Imphal and Chittagong. Often unescorted, 20 Sqn Lysanders conducted armed reconnaissance and attack missions in Arakan, and in support of ‘Chindit’ raiding activities in the Chindwin River Valley. To avoid Japanese fighters, they would fly at or below the tops of the trees in the Burmese jungle. The Flight at Chittagong also conducted some Air-Sea Rescue missions.
From 1943, 20 Squadron exchanged their Lysanders for Hurricanes. These were not the Hurricanes of the Battle of Britain, but specialist ground-attack variants fitted with a pair of under-wing 40mm cannon, or 60-lb rockets. The Squadron operated from a variety of jungle and beach airstrips in Burma, targeting Japanese lines of communication, particularly river boats and trucks and, later in the war, Japanese bunker strongpoints as the 14th Army approached Rangoon. Squadron groundcrew often moved from airstrip to airstrip by air, transport being provided by United States Army Air Force and Royal Air Force Dakota squadrons. The Squadron detached a Flight to support the Army during the famous Battle of Imphal; the four Hurricanes flew over 300 sorties destroying 16 enemy tanks and over 130 enemy vehicles.
The 14th Army, who fought on the Burmese Front, is often referred to as the ‘Forgotten Army’. Today’s 20 Squadron is determined to remember our Squadron’s part in this important Second World War victory.
