Royal Air Force strikes of 1946

The Royal Air Force strikes of 1946 were a series of demonstrations and strikes that began on January 22, 1946, at several dozen Royal Indian Air Force stations across the Indian subcontinent. These incidents technically constituted mutiny as they involved refusals to obey orders. The protests emerged due to slow demobilization, delays in repatriating British troops to Britain, and the use of British shipping facilities for transporting American G.I.s. The strikes started at either Maripur or nearby Karachi (RAF Drigh Road) and spread to involve nearly 50,000 men across 60 RAF stations in India, Ceylon, Burma, Singapore, Egypt, North Africa, and Gibraltar. The peaceful protests lasted between three and eleven days.

The British Government claimed insufficient shipping capacity for immediate repatriation, but declassified reports later revealed that British troops were retained in India to manage potential unrest related to the independence movement. Some RAF personnel also harbored political views and sympathies with the Communist Party of India. The initial protests in Karachi involved refusing to prepare kits for inspection and attending parades in casual khaki drill instead of the required "best blue" uniforms.

The issues were eventually resolved, though some airmen faced courts-martial. The event set a precedent that influenced later actions, including the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in February 1946, where 78 out of 88 ships mutinied. Lord Wavell, Viceroy of India, noted that the RAF strikes "got away with what was really a mutiny," contributing to subsequent unrest.