Ops - Far East

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Operations - India/Iraq

This page gives brief details of major RAF operations or combined operations in which RAF units played a part.

Operation Armour - The operation against Hong Kong;

Opertion Bibber - Occupation of the Bangkok area in 1945

Borneo confrontation - Beginning in 1962 with a revolt in Brunei, it soon turned into a confrontation with neighbouring Indonesia. Operations continued until 1966

Operation 'Buffalo' - Atomic bomb tests carried out in Australia.

Operation ‘Burlap’ - Flood relief in Pakistan, November 1970.

Operation 'Chamfrom' - Detachment of 4 medium Bombers to RAF Tengah or RAAF Butterworth from December 1963 to December 1965.

China - When Shanghai came under threat of invasion by Chinese revolutionaries 1n 1927 the British dispatched unit to form the 'Shanghai Defence Force' The RAF Conponent was under the command of Gp Capt E D M Robertson and was titled RAF China. By the end of the year the problem had been dealt with and RAF China disbanded and the units and personnel returned to the UK by October.

Operation 'Chive' - Valiant Tanker support to a flight of 4 Javelin FAW Mk 9Rs from RAF Binbrook to RAAF Butterworth in March 1964

Operation 'Dracula' - Joint RAF/Army operation to capture Rangoon 1 May 1945

Operation 'Dyke/Dyke Tankex' - Valiant Tanker support to a flight of 4 Javelin FAW. Mk 9s and 2 spares of No 23 Sqn to Singapore in October 1960.

Operation 'Earthquake Major' - Allied tactical bombing operations during 1944-45 carried out in Burma using heavy bombers.

Operation 'Earthquake Minor' - Allied tactical bombing operations during 1944-45 carried out in Burma using medium bombers.

Far East Flight - Undertaken to prove the ability of the RAF to reinforce the most distant corners of the Empire, it left Plymouth on 17 Oct 1927 and arrived in Singapore on 28 Feb 1928. Under the command of Gp Capt H M Cave-Brown-Cave it then carried out a tour of Australia before returning to Singapore and being re-named No 205 Sqn.

Operation 'Firedog' - Starting in 1948, this operation lasted 12years and involved most of the different types of aircraft in service at the time. The operations were carried out against communist terrorists in Malaya and included bombing, ground attack, troop insertion, casualty evacuation, re-supply and psychological warfare.

Operation 'Grapple' - These operations were undertaken to test Britain's Hydrogen Bomb. Based on Christmas Island in the Pacific, they involved Valiants, Canberras, helicopters and various transport aircraft.

Operation ‘Haystack’ - Supply drops by Dakotas of No 110 Sqn over Malaya, 1948

Operation 'Hurricane' - Atomic bomb tests at Monte Bello Islands in October 1952

Operation 'Hydraulic' - A flight by 13 Lightning F. Mk 6s of No74 Sqn from RAF Leuchers to their new base at RAF Tengah in June 1967, commanded by Wg Cdr K J Goodwin.

Operation ‘Khana Cascade’ - Airlifting supplies in Nepal, March 1973.

Korean War - Starting in 1950, this was a United Nations lead campaign. Whilst the RAF were not directly involved in the fighting (units of the RAAF and FAA where), RAF Sunderlands carried out maritime patrols and a number of RAF personnel were attached to USAF and RAAF units both as advisors and to gain experience.

Operation 'Mastiff' - This involved the air supply of medical supplies and the evacuation of POWs in the Far East during 1945.

Operation 'Mason' (Addington) - Proposed retaliation against Indonesian para-military bases in the event of Indonesian attacks on Malaysia or Singapore in October 1965

Operation Masterdon - The re-entry into French Indo-China to gain control over Japanese Southern Army Headquarters

Operation 'Mileage' - Canberra detachment to RAAF Butterworth from March to August 1955

Operation ‘Musgrave’ - Deployment of Lincolns to Tengah, Malaya, March 1950

Operation 'Panther Trail' - A flight of Lightning F. Mk 6s of No 74 Sqn from RAF Tengah to RAF Akrotiri in September 1971.

Operation 'Planters Punch' - Detachments of PR Canberras to Malaya, May 1955.

Operation Popcorn - The re-occupation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Operation 'Profiteer' - The detachment of pairs of V Bombers to RAAF Butterworth for 2 weeks at 3 monthly intervals from 1957 to 1960.

Operation 'Tasman Flight' - 'Flag waving' tour of Australia and New Zealand from 9 September to 1 October 1956, by Vulcan (XA897), crashing at Heathrow on its return) see H Broadhurst.

Tiger Force - As the war in Europe was drawing to its logical close the decision was taken to send a large number of Bomber Command units to the Far East to join the American air bombardment of Japan. This force was named 'Tiger Force'. However, its deployment was negated after the USAAF dropped its two atomic weapons in August 1945.

Operation 'Valiant' - Supply drops over Malaya, November 1953

Operation 'Walk About' - non stop flight from Waddington to Perth, Western Australia by three No 101 Sqn Vulcans in July 1963

Operation 'Zipper' - This was the proposed invasion of Malaya, which was negated by the dropping of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski.

Operation 'Too Right' - Proving flight to the Far East by Nos 36 and 138 Squadrons (Valiants), 1955

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