 March 1917 saw the heaviest bombing campaign carried out by the squadron to date; short of its regular ordnance, the pilots improvised by dropping howitzer shells on Turkish forces along the Gaza–Beersheba line.During one such mission on 20 March, Lieutenant Frank McNamara earned the Victoria Cross for landing his Martinsyde in the desert under enemy fire and rescuing a fellow pilot whose B.E.2 had been forced down.On 26 March, No.