No. 628 Squadron RAF was a meteorological and air-sea rescue

Air-sea rescue

Air-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships...

 squadron of the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 during the Second World War.

History

The squadron was formed at Red Hills Lake

Red Hills Lake

The Red Hills Lake,also called Puzhal Lake is located in Ponneri Taluk of Thiruvallur district, Tamilnadu, South India . It is one of the two rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai City, the other one being the Chembarambakkam Lake.*The full capacity of the lake is...

 in Madras, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 on 21 March 1944, by redesignating 'B' Flight of No. 357 Squadron RAF

No. 357 Squadron RAF

No. 357 Squadron RAF was a special squadron, involved in the supply of covert forces behind enemy lines during World War II in South East Asia Command-History:The squadron was formed on 1 February 1944 at Digri, Bengal from No. 1576 Flight...

. The unit was equipped with Consolidated Catalina Mks.Ib and Mk.IV

PBY Catalina

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...

 flying boats, and operated as part of No. 225 Group RAF, Air Command, South East Asia. Although intended for special duties, the squadron spent most of its time with meteorological reconnaissance and ASR (air-sea rescue)

Air-sea rescue

Air-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships...

 flights over the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

. It was disbanded at Red Hills Lake on 1 October 1944.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 628 Squadron RAF, data from

From	To	Aircraft	Variant
March 1944	September 1944	Consolidated Catalina PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...	Mk.Ib
July 1944	September 1944	Consolidated Catalina	Mk.IV

External links

• Squadron history on www.raf.od.uk
• No. 628 Squadron RAF movement and equipment history
• Squadron histories and more for nos. 621-650 squadron on rafweb

Related content