ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE FAR EAST, 1941-1945© IWM (CF 682)

ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE FAR EAST, 1941-1945© IWM (CF 687)

ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE FAR EAST, 1941-1945.© IWM (CI 1507)

ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE FAR EAST, 1941-1945.© IWM (SE 4162)

De Havilland Mosquito PR XVI, NS787M, of No 684 Squadron, Royal Air Force based at Alipore. The aircraft, piloted by Flight Lieutenant C G Andrews, a New Zealander, is carrying a 100-gallon auxiliary tank under each wing. The silver painted plane has dark blue SEAC bands.

Mosquito PR Mark 34, RG176, at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. This aircraft was to serve with No. 684 Squadron RAF in South-East Asia.


De Havilland Mosquito PR Mark XVI, NS688 'SNAKE', on the ground at Karachi, India, following a record-breaking flight from the United Kingdom. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant J Linton, and his navigator, Warrant Officer E J Goudie, covered the distance in an overall time of 16 hours 46 minutes, (with stops at El Adem, Libya, and Shaibah), to beat the existing record by 5 hours and 27 minutes. The flight was undertaken to test the practicability of RAF Transport Command using the Mosquito for a fast freight service between Britain and India. NS688 subsequently served as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft with No. 684 Squadron RAF in Burma.


Mosquito PR Mark XVI, NS787 ‘M’, of No. 684 Squadron RAF, preparing to take off at Alipore, India.

Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 99 Squadron RAF throws up spray from recent rain while taking off on its last bombing mission of the war from the recently laid PSP airstrip on Brown's West Island, Cocos Islands.

Two Consolidated Liberator B Mark VIs of No. 99 Squadron RAF based at Dhubalia, India, bombing through clouds during a daylight attack by 12 aircraft, escorted by USAAF fighters, on the Japanese-held airfield at Zayatkwin, Burma. The unit redeployed to the Cocos Islands in June, 1945.

Consolidated Liberator B Mark VIs of No. 99 Squadron RAF, with their attendant ground crews, lined up at Dhubalia, India.

Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI, KL654 'R', of No. 356 Squadron RAF, about to be 'bombed-up' on the newly-established airstrip at Brown's West Island for the Squadron's first operational mission, and the first bombing operation to be flown from the Cocos Islands. One week later, KL654 and its crew went missing while on a special duties flight over Thailand.




Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI, KN752 'F', of No. 356 Squadron RAF, takes off from the unfinished runway at Brown's West Island, on the Squadron's first operational sortie, and first bombing operation undertaken from the Cocos Islands. This was one of seven Liberators which were despatched to bomb two Japanese-held airstrips near Benkoelen, Sumatra.

A Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 356 Squadron RAF, landing on three engines at Brown's West Island, Cocos Islands, after completing the Squadron's last bombing sortie against the Japanese. Liberators of No. 99 Squadron RAF can be seen parked in the background.

Ground crews of No.356 Squadron RAF based at the Brown's West Island, Cocos Islands, celebrate in front of one of their Consolidated Liberator Mark B VIs on hearing the news of the surrender of Japan.


Serving with a Royal Air Force Liberator bomber squadron on the Cocos Islands, Leading Aircraftman Alan Sijjers passes Leading Aircraftman Peter Ansell a quick release bag full of leaflets announcing the Japanese surrender in English, Dutch and Urdu. The leaflets would be dropped over prisoner of war camps in the Dutch East Indies and Singapore areas.

Ground crew of 356 Squadron based on the Cocos Islands load bomb trollies with containers holding medical supplies in preparation for loading them aboard the unit's Liberator aircraft. These containers were dropped over Allied prisoner of war camps in the Dutch East Indies and Singapore areas following the Japanese surrender.

500-lb GP bombs on their trolleys, await loading into a Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 231 Group RAF, at an airfield in India.

Oblique aerial photograph showing bombs exploding among transshipment sheds and jetties on Chatham Island, during a raid by Consolidated Liberators of No. 231 Group on Port Blair in the Andaman Islands.

A Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of No. 355 Squadron RAF on the return flight to Salbani, India, after bombing the railway sidings at Na Nien, near Chumphon, Thailand. This was the longest raid yet accomplished by No. 231 Group, involving a round trip of 2,500 miles for over 80 Liberators based in India.


Consolidated Liberators of No. 231 Group fly away from the smoke-covered target area after bombing the oil and petroleum depots at Yenangyaung, Burma.


Part of a vertical aerial photograph showing a Consolidated Liberator of No. 132 Wing RAF flying over the target during a daylight attack on a bridge in Burma.


A Consolidated Liberator of No. 231 Group flying above the target area, which is largely obscured by smoke from earlier bomb explosions, during a combined daylight attack by RAF and USAAF aircraft on Japanese stores areas in Rangoon, Burma.

ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE FAR EAST, 1941-1945.© IWM (CI 1549)

Liberator GR Mark VI, EV882 ‘4-L’, of No. 206 Squadron RAF, based at St Eval, Cornwall, in flight. Detachments of Liberator GR.VI and VIII maritime patrol aircraft were flown by 160 SQN, 203 SQN and 321 (Netherlands) SQN, in 222 GP, from Brown's West Island, Cocos Islands.