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31 Squadron, formed in 1915, was the first operational military unit in Indian skies. During the [[First World War]] it was operational in the North West Frontier region of India . During the [[Second World War]] it saw action in Iraq and Burma.

<ref> Naval and Military Press publication [http://www.naval-military-press.com/history-of-no.31-squadron-royal-flying-corps-and-royal-air-force-in-the-east-from-its-formation-in-1915-to-1950..html ''History Of No.31 Squadron Royal Flying Corps And Royal Air Force in the East from its formation in 1915 to 1950'']</ref>

==North West Frontier==

India’s North-West Frontier (now modern-day Pakistan) was divided into three areas for the RAF. The northern area comprised the region to the north of the Khyber Pass up to the foothills of the Himalayas – referred to as the ‘Roof of the World.’ The second or central area lay south west of the Khyber Pass roughly between the rivers Kabul and Kurram. This was universally mountainous, criss-crossed by deep valleys and dried up water courses. The third region was the southern area which lay to the south west of Kohat, from the Kurram River down towards

*[http://www.paradata.org.uk/article/40782/related/21956 An Account of a Parachute Hang Up during Parachute Training at Chaklala December 1944] paradata.org.uk

*RAF bases at Fazilpur and Feni were forward bases for the invasion of Burma, located in the area of Bengal which is now Bangladesh.<ref>High Wood [http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-fazilpur-under-construction-1943.56099/ RAF Fazilpur under construction 1943] ''WW2Talk Forum'' 24 December 2014. To view the photographs, you must be logged into ''WW2Talk Forum''. Retrieved 26 May 2017.</ref>

*There were many airfields in Bengal and the Calcutta area, such as Digri, Salbani, [[Jessore]], [[Dum Dum]], Piardoba, [[Kharagpur]], [[Alipore]], Dhubalia, Pandaveswar, and Barrackpore.<ref>Poole, Matt, airlana et al [http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-airfields-in-bengal-and-arakan.18591/ RAF Airfields in Bengal and Arakan] ''WW2Talk Forum'' 11 December 2009 et al. Retrieved 26 May 2017.</ref>

*[http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/31squadron.cfm 31 Squadron RAF] raf.mod.uk. This first operational military unit in Indian skies was in action along the North West Frontier from 1916, assisting the army in dealing with tribal unrest. Its BE2c biplanes were employed on artillery observation, reconnaissance and ground attack.

*[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201554.html "No. 5 Squadron: A History of the “Fighting Fifth”: Part 2"] by John Yoxall ''Flight Magazine'' 25 October 1957, pages 643-646. Details the Regiment in India from when it was reformed in Quetta February 1, 1920. It subsequently remained on the North West Frontier of India, and Burma during WW2. The history continues [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201657.html "Part 3"], 8 November 1957, page 745. The regiment remained in India until July 1947 when the aircraft were handed over to the India Air Force, and was officially disbanded August 1, 1947. flightglobal.com. (retrieved 18 April 2014)

*[http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/27squadron.cfm 27 Squadron, RAF] was in India and Burma most of the period 1920 to 1946. raf.mod.uk

*[http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205022233 Photograph 1928: T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) as Aircraftman T E Shaw on the aerodrome at Miranshah Fort in Waziristan during his service in the Royal Air Force] Imperial War Museums.

*[http://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/airchronicles/apj/apj00/win00/corum.htm#corum "The Myth of Air Control: Reassessing the History"] by Dr. James S. Corum ''Aerospace Power Journal'' - Winter 2000. A historical look at air-control operations in the British Empire during the first half of the twentieth century. au.af.mil

*[http://www.xisquadronassociation.co.uk/history/history.html No XI Squadron, RAF] saw service on India’s Northwest frontier, from 1929, and in Burma from September 1943.

*Online [http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF017525/00001 Photograph album of views from Iraq, India and Egypt 1932 – 1935] The images relating to India are pages [http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF017525/00001/22j 20]- [http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF017525/00001/40j 38]. Also one page, 31, [http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF017527/00001/33j On the North West Frontier 1934] from another album. The photographs are thought to have been taken by T Fuller, who, while he was in India, was with 27 Squadron RAF, based at [[Kohat]]. Wolfsonian-FIU, (Miami Florida). To enlarge the images, click on "Page Turner".

*[http://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2017/03/flying-over-the-himalayas-raf-flight-to-gilgit-in-november-1934.html "Flying over the Himalayas: RAF Flight to Gilgit in November 1934"] 07 March 2017 British Library Untold lives blog. The relevant file, IOR/L/PS/12/1993, with photographs at the end, is available online on the [http://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x000213 Qatar Digital Library]

*These [http://isp.ans.com.au/~rampais/genelogy/ggphotos/index.htm photographs] have subjects which are of a Military nature and were taken by Gordon Gibbons during his tour of duty in the Northwest Frontier of India, now Pakistan, with the RAF from 1937 to 1940. Bob Holland’s Raimpais website. Includes

**[http://isp.ans.com.au/~rampais/genelogy/ggphotos/military/miranshah1.htm Miranshah Fort, NWF 1939] "Because the fort was subject to continual intermittent sniper fire the aircraft were started up inside the fort and at the last minute the gates were opened and the aircraft took off. Upon return the aircraft had to land outside and quickly taxi up to the gates which were opened just in time for them to enter and then closed again to keep out any natives with bad intentions..."

*[http://www.paradata.org.uk/article/20572/related/27577 Recollections of Sgt Mike Hall, India, 1944-46] paradata.org.uk (retrieved 27 June 2014)

*"Last stop Karachi 1946!" by John ‘Dusty’ Miller [http://www.qissa-khwani.com/2012/09/last-stop-karachi-1946.html Part 1], [http://www.qissa-khwani.com/2012/09/last-stop-karachi-1946_16.html Part 2]. He was a driver in the RAF and was in India 1945-1947, his last posting in Karachi. www.qissa-khwani.com.

===Historical books online===

*[https://archive.org/stream/warinairbeingsto06rale#page/268/mode/2up "War Operations In India"] page 268, ''War in the Air: being the story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force, Volume VI'' by H A Jones 1937 Archive.org. Part of the series ''History of the Great War based on Official Documents''

*[http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/503328 ''Per Ardua The Rise Of British Air Power 1911-1939''] by Hilary Aidan St. George Saunders 1944. Pdf download, Digital Library of India. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.503328 Archive.org version].

*[http://www.kurdipedia.org/?lng=8&q=20160312094902130597 ''The RAF Small Wars and Insurgencies in the Middle East 1919- 1939''] by Air Historical Branch, Dr Sebastian Ritchie 2011. Download from Kurdipedia.org.

For younger readers.

*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.16163 ''Biggles Sees It Through''] by Captain W E Johns 1941 Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection. Set in WW2.