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No.176 Sqn RAF

Name : No.176 Sqn RAF Founded : 14th January 1943 Disbanded : 31st May 1946 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 31st May 1946 More Details : Nocte custodimus - We keep the night watch

No.176 Squadron was formed on 14 January 1943 at Dum Dum, Calcutta, with the arrival of a detachment of No.89 Squadron in India from the Middle East. Equipped with eight Beaufighters, it became operational immediately, flying night patrols over the Calcutta area. The new squadron was almost immediately in action, when on the night of 15 January 1943 the Japanese Army Air Force sent a force of Ki-21s to attack Calcutta. Three of these aircraft fell to the Beaufighters, and more were lost in a second raid on 19 January. In May 1943, a second flight was formed with AI-equipped Hurricanes which were replaced by Beaufighters in January 1944. In September 1943, a detachment was based in Ceylon to encounter Japenese reconnaissance aircraft and On 11 October a Japanese flying boat was shot down after a long chase and in January 1944, the squadron began operating over Burma from advanced bases. In August, No.176 moved to southern India but returned to the Burma front in April 1945. Conversion to Mosquitoes began in June and the squadron disbanded on 31 May 1946.

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
John Etherton	Squadron Leader	unknown	unknown	1945	Beaufighter	ND220

Pilots and Aircrew for : No.176 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Etherton, John Click the name above to see a profile of Etherton, John	Etherton, John Claimed 6 victories with No.89 Sqn in the Western desert and later served in Burma with No.176 Sqn on Beaufighters.

Known Individual Aircraft of No.176 Sqn RAF :
Type	Serial	Codes	First Flew	Squadron History	Aircrew History	History Notes	Engine	Factory
Beaufighter VIF	ND220		-	details	details	details

Aircraft for : No.176 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft associated with No.176 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Beaufighter Click the name above to see prints featuring Beaufighter aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1940 Number Built : 5564	Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force
Hurricane Click the name above to see prints featuring Hurricane aircraft. Manufacturer : Hawker Production Began : 1936 Number Built : 14533	Hurricane Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.