down out of control and 10 balloons damaged. Edward Mannock gained 16 of his 61 victories while with 40 Squadron, 15 of which he shot down while flying a Nieuport Scout. Highest scoring ace of the unit in World War I was Irish-born pilot George McElroy, having scored 30 of his total 47 aerial victories with the unit while flying an S.E.5a single seater scout. Others among the two dozen aces who served were Roderic Dallas, Albert Earl Godfrey, Arthur Keen, Reed G. Landis, Ian Napier, William Leeming Harrison, Gwilym Hugh Lewis, Indra Lal Roy, John Henry Tudhope, Edwin Benbow, Herbert Ellis, William Bond, Gerard Crole, Robert Hall, John Wallwork, William MacLanachan and Arthur Thomas Drinkwater. Reformation 40 Squadron reformed at RAF Upper Heyford on 1 April 1931, as a day bomber squadron equipped with Fairey Gordons, being the first squadron equipped with that type. It moved to RAF Abingdon in October 1932 and in November 1935, re-equipped with the Hawker Hart. On 7 January 1936, one of the squadron's flights was detached to form the basis of 104 Squadron, which became fully independent from 40 Squadron on 1 July that year. In March 1936, the squadron re-equipped with the Hawker Hind, an improved version of the Hart. On 1 May 1936, No. 1 Group RAF was formed, consisting of ten bomber squadrons, including 40 Squadron, and on 14 July 1936, 1 Group joined the newly established RAF Bomber Command. From July 1938, the squadron replaced its Hind biplanes with Fairey Battle monoplanes, with the last of its Hinds leaving in September that year. After the Munich Agreement in 1938, with the prospect of war with Nazi Germany becoming more likely, plans were made to forward deploy the Battle-equipped squadrons of 1 Group to France as the Advanced Air Striking Force. This was to bring the short-range Battles within range of German industrial targets in the Ruhr, and the aircraft were not intended to operate in direct support of the British or French armies. World War II The squadron flew its Battles to Bétheniville, its pre-arranged base in France, on 2 September 1939, the eve of the British declaration of War against Germany. Experience showed that the Battle was obsolete, and the squadrons of the Advanced Air Striking Force were mainly employed on training duties. In December 1939, the squadron was withdrawn from France for re-equipping with twin-engined Bristol Blenheim