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No. 3 Squadron RAAF

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No. 3 Squadron RAAF
No. 3 Squadron's crest
Active1916–1919
1925–1946
1948–1953
1956–current
CountryAustralia
BranchRoyal Australian Air Force
RoleMulti-role fighter
Part ofNo. 81 Wing,Air Combat Group
Garrison/HQRAAF Base Williamtown
Motto(s)Operta Aperta
( "Secrets Revealed" )[1]
EngagementsWorld War I

World War II

Cold War

Military intervention against ISIL
Commanders
Notablecommanders[2][3]David Blake(1916–1918)
Bill Anderson(1918–1919)
Henry Wrigley(1919)
Frank Lukis(1925–1930)
Harry Cobby(1930–1931)
Bill Bostock(1931–1936)
Allan Walters(1938–1939)
Ian McLachlan(1939–1941)
Peter Jeffrey(1941)
Alan Rawlinson(1941)
Bobby Gibbes(1942–1943)
Brian Eaton(1943–1944)
Vance Drummond(1967)
Jake Newham(1967–1968)
Richard Bomball(1973–1974)
Geoff Brown(1997–2000)
Aircraft flown
FighterF-35A Lightning II

No. 3 Squadronis aRoyal Australian Air Force(RAAF) fighter squadron, headquartered atRAAF Base Williamtown,nearNewcastle, New South Wales.Established in 1916, it was one of four combat squadrons of theAustralian Flying Corpsduring World War I, and operated on theWestern Frontin France before being disbanded in 1919. It was re-established as a permanent squadron of the RAAF in 1925, and during World War II operated in theMediterranean Theatre.TheCold Waryears saw the squadron disbanded and re-raised twice. It was based atRAAF Butterworthduring theMalayan Emergencyand theIndonesia–MalaysiaKonfrontasi.Equipped withMcDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornetmulti-role fighters from 1986, the squadron deployed toDiego Garciain 2002 to provide local air defence, and the following year contributed aircraft and crews to the invasion of Iraq as part ofOperation Falconer.In April 2016, it deployed to the Middle East as part of themilitary intervention against ISIL.The squadron began re-equipping withLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IImulti-role fighters in 2018.

History[edit]

World War I[edit]

No. 3 Squadron was formed atPoint Cook, Victoria,on 19 September 1916 under the command of MajorDavid Blake.[4]It was one of four operational squadrons of theAustralian Flying Corps,and its personnel were members of theAustralian Army.Shortly afterwards, the unit embarked upon the HMATUlyssesand sailed to England for training, before becoming the first AFC squadron deployed to France, in September 1917, equipped with theR.E.8two-seatreconnaissance/general purpose aircraft.[5]To avoid confusion with the BritishNo. 3 Squadron RFC,it was known to the British military as "No. 69 Squadron RFC".[6]This terminology was never accepted by the squadron or theAustralian Imperial Forcewho continued to use the AFC designation regardless,[7]and in early 1918, the British designation was dropped.[4]

R.E.8s of No 3 Sqn AFC

After moving to the Western Front, the squadron was initially based at Savy. In November 1917, it was assigned the role of a corps reconnaissance squadron and allocated toI Anzac Corps,which was based aroundMessines,and established itself at Bailleul.[4]No. 3 Squadron would remain with I Anzac for the remainder of the war,[4]and participated in bombing, artillery spotting and reconnaissance missions supporting ANZAC and otherBritish Empireground forces. Its first air-to-air victory came on 6 December 1917; by the end of the war its aircrews had been credited with another 15 German aircraft,[4]and a total of 10,000 operational hours.[8]

In early 1918, the collapse of Russia allowed the Germans to concentrate their strength on the Western Front, and launched amajor offensive.[9]As the Allies were pushed back, the squadron's airfield at Baileul came into range of the German guns and it was moved first to Abeele and then, as the Allies were pushed back further, it moved again to Poulainville.[10]During the offensive, the squadron operated mainly in the Somme Valley, providing artillery observation.[5]In April 1918, the squadron became responsible for the remains of the "Red Baron",Manfred von Richthofen,after he was shot down in its sector.[10]Blake initially believed that one of the squadron's R.E.8s may have been responsible but later endorsed the theory that an Australian anti-aircraft machine gunner actually shot down the Red Baron.[11]In July, the squadron undertook reconnaissance and deception operations in support of the Australian attack atHamel,[12]before later joining the final Allied offensive of the war aroundAmiensin August, flying support operations until the armistice in November.[5]Shortly before the end of the war, the squadron began converting to theBristol F.2 Fighter.[10]

Following the end of hostilities, the squadron was engaged briefly in mail transport duties before being withdrawn to the United Kingdom in early 1919. It was disbanded in February and over the course of the next couple of months its personnel were repatriated back to Australia.[5][10]Casualties amounted to 32 killed and 23 wounded,[5]of which the majority were aircrew; the squadron lost 11 aircraft during the war.[13]

1925 – 1939[edit]

In 1925, the squadron was re-formed as part of the fledgling independentRoyal Australian Air Force.Under the command of Squadron LeaderFrank Lukis,[14]it was based initially at Point Cook and then atRichmond,operating a variety of aircraft includingS.E.5As,DH.9s,Westland WapitisandHawker Demons.[13]

World War II[edit]

No. 3 Squadron ground crew in front of a P-40 in 1942.

At the outbreak of World War II, the squadron was one of 12 permanent RAAF squadrons. It was initially given an army co-operation role, and was deployed to the Middle East in mid-1940, to support the6th Divisionof the Australian Army.[15]The squadron was to spend the entire war in theMediterranean theatre,and became part of theAllies'Desert Air Force(later the First Tactical Air Force), supporting the8th Army.[16]

Commanded by Squadron LeaderIan McLachlan,[14]the squadron's personnel travelled by sea toEgypt,where it was to be provided with aircraft from RAF stocks. Initially, it used two obsolete biplane types, theGloster GauntletandGloster Gladiator,for close air support, along with theWestland Lysander,for reconnaissance sorties, againstItalianforces in Egypt and Libya.[17]In the course of these operations, the squadron clashed with aircraft from theRegia Aeronautica.It then, briefly, operated theHawker Hurricaneinstead, before converting to theCurtiss P-40B/C Tomahawk in 1941. It saw action againstVichy Frenchaircraft during theSyria–Lebanon campaign.[18]

With the Tomahawk and its successor, the Kittyhawk (P-40D – P-40N), the squadron returned to the North African campaign, during which it often engaged in intense air battles with state of the art fighters operated by theReggia Aeronautica(such as theMacchi C.202) andGermanLuftwaffe(Messerschmitt Bf 109E/F), during 1941–1943.[18]There is evidence that 3 Sqn was the DAF Kittyhawk squadron that attacked German ground forces atMezzouna,Tunisia, on 3 April 1943 and caused, in the process, severe injuries toClaus Von Stauffenberg(who would, the following year, attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, as part of a failedcoup against the Nazi regime).[19]

ACACCA-18 Mustang warbird painted to represent aNorth American P-51 Mustangof No. 3 Squadron used in Italy during World War II

No. 3 Squadron's longest-servingcommanding officer(CO) during the war wasSquadron LeaderBobby Gibbes,whose tour lasted from February 1942 to April 1943.[20]Gibbes was replaced by Squadron LeaderBrian Eaton,who led the unit until February 1944.[21]During this period, No. 3 Squadron took part in theAllied invasions of SicilyandItaly.It re-equipped withP-51 Mustangsin November 1944 and continued to operate in Italy and Yugoslavia until the end of the European war in May 1945. No. 3 Squadron's record of 25,663 operational flight hours and 217.5 enemy aircraft destroyed made it the highest-scoring RAAF fighter squadron.[15][22]

Cold War[edit]

At the end of the war, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia and disbanded at Point Cook on 30 July 1946. It was re-formed atRAAF Base FairbairninCanberrain early 1948 whenNo. 4 Squadron RAAFwas renumbered as No. 3 Squadron. Equipped with Mustangs,CAC WirrawaysandAusters,the squadron served briefly as a tactical reconnaissance and close support squadron before disbanding again in 1953.[23]The squadron re-formed on 1 March 1956 atRAAF Base Williamtown,New South Wales.It operatedCA-27 Sabresout ofButterworth,Malaya, from 1958 engaging in warlike operations associated with theMalayan EmergencyandKonfrontasi.[22]

As Australian involvement in theVietnam Warintensified, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia and re-equipped withMirage IIIO fighters at Williamtown in 1967.[24]The CO,Wing CommanderVance Drummond,was killed during air combat manoeuvres atNo. 2 Operational Conversion Unitin May.[25]He was succeeded by Wing CommanderJake Newham(laterChief of the Air Staff).[14]After training in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, the squadron deployed toRAAF Butterworthin Malaysia in February 1969, detachments were also deployed toRAF TengahandPaya Lebar Air Base.[24]During this period, the aircraft became known as "lizards", in reference to their camouflage paint scheme and low altitude operations. Thefrill neck lizardwas adopted as an informal squadron insignia.[26]

After 15 years deployed to Malaysia, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia, and after transferring aircraft and personnel toNo. 79 Squadron,on 29 August 1986 No. 3 Squadron became the first operational RAAF unit to receiveF/A-18 Hornets.[22]

Post-Cold War[edit]

Two No. 3 Squadron Hornets in 2013

The squadron continues to operate the Hornets from its home base at RAAF Base Williamtown. In February 2002, during theAfghanistan War,elements of No. 3 Squadron were deployed toDiego Garcia,in the Indian Ocean, to relieveNo. 77 Squadron,providing air defence for the Coalition base there.[27]No. 3 Squadron personnel also participated inOperation Falconer,No. 75 Squadron's deployment to theIraq Warduring 2003, conducting air interdiction operations and combat air patrols.[28][29]The squadron currently forms part of theAir Combat Group'sNo. 81 Wing RAAF.[30]In April 2016, No. 3 Squadron deployed to the Middle East duringOperation Okraas part of themilitary intervention against ISIL,taking over from No. 77 Squadron.[31]

On 8 December 2017, No. 3 Squadron ceased F/A-18 flight operations, followed by the disbandment of the squadron, under Wing Commander John Haly on 14 December 2017 and subsequent re-establishment of the squadron at Luke AFB in Arizona, under command of Wing Commander Darren Clare.[32]All of its Hornets and most of its personnel were transferred to No. 77 Squadron.[33]As of February 2018, No. 3 Squadron was equipped with twoLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIsand was scheduled to have ten of the type by the end of the year. It was planned to dispatch two of these F-35s to Australia in late 2018, the other eight remaining in the United States for training purposes.[34]

Aircraft operated[edit]

Four No. 3 Squadron F-35As in 2023

No. 3 Squadron has operated the following aircraft:[10][24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^RAAF Historical Section,Fighter Units,p. 1
  2. ^RAAF Historical Section,Fighter Units,pp. 6–7
  3. ^"Air Marshals".Air Power Development Centre.Retrieved18 October2016.
  4. ^abcdeEather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,p. 11
  5. ^abcde"3 Squadron AFC".First World War, 1914–1918 units.Australian War Memorial.Retrieved23 November2013.
  6. ^Halley,The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth,p. 135
  7. ^O'Connor,Airfields and Airmen of the Channel Coast,p. 173
  8. ^Stephens,Royal Australian Air Force,pp. 9–19
  9. ^Baldwin,World War I: An Outline History,p. 127 & 141
  10. ^abcdeEather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,p. 12
  11. ^McGuire,The Many Deaths of the Red Baron,p. 82
  12. ^Nunan,Diggers' Fourth of July,pp. 31–32
  13. ^abBarnes,The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons,p. 20
  14. ^abcBarnes,The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons,p. 24
  15. ^ab"3 Squadron RAAF".Second World War, 1939–1945 units.Australian War Memorial.Retrieved23 November2013.
  16. ^Eather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,p. 25.
  17. ^Gustavsson, Håkan."Squadron Leader Alan Hill Boyd, RAAF no. 561".Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War.Retrieved30 January2013.
  18. ^abEather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,pp. 25–26
  19. ^3 Sqn veteran Tom Russell states that: "operational records and pilot diaries" indicate that the other DAF P-40 squadrons were "operating away from Mezzouna" at the time.Tom Russell, 2011, "3 Squadron and the 'Plot to Kill Hitler"Archived24 March 2012 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  20. ^"Wing Commander Bobby Gibbes".Times Online. 1 May 2007.Retrieved20 October2007.
  21. ^"Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton".Australian War Memorial.Retrieved10 April2010.
  22. ^abcBarnes,The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons,p. 23
  23. ^Eather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,pp. 27 & 29
  24. ^abcEather,Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force,p. 27
  25. ^Newton, Dennis (1996)."Drummond, Vance (1927–1967)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.Australian National University.Retrieved23 November2013.
  26. ^Keightley, Michael."History of 3 Squadron in Malaysia".Archived fromthe originalon 2 December 2013.Retrieved23 November2013.
  27. ^"No. 3 Squadron".RAAF Museum.
  28. ^Holmes,US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom,pp. 87–93
  29. ^Bowes, Ken."Operation Falconer RAAF F/A-18 Hornets: Part One – Operations & Modelling".Hyper Scale.Retrieved23 November2013.
  30. ^"No. 81 Wing".Royal Australian Air Force.Retrieved23 November2013.
  31. ^"77 SQN Completes strike rotation in the Middle East".Department of Defence. 12 April 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2016.Retrieved14 April2016.
  32. ^McLaughlin, Andrew.Australian Aviation(January 2018 ed.). Aviator Media. p. 30.
  33. ^McLaughlin,To the Future,p. 30
  34. ^Payne, Jacqui (8 February 2018)."3SQN blazes new trail"(PDF).Air Force.Department of Defence. p. 10.Retrieved6 February2018.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Baldwin, Hanson (1962).World War I: An Outline History.London: Hutchinson.OCLC988365.
  • Barnes, Norman (2000).The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons.St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.ISBN1-86508-130-2.
  • Eather, Steve (1995).Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force.Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications.ISBN1-875671-15-3.
  • Halley, James (1988).The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988.Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN0-85130-164-9.
  • Holmes, Tony (2006).US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Osprey Combat Aircraft 56. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.ISBN1-84176-847-2.
  • McGuire, Frank (2001).The Many Deaths of the Red Baron: The Richthofen Controversy, 1918–2000.Calgary: Bunker to Bunker Publishing.ISBN978-1-894255-05-9.
  • McLaughlin, Andrew (January–February 2018). "To the Future".Australian Aviation(356): 28–35.ISSN0813-0876.
  • Nunan, Peter (2000). "Diggers' Fourth of July".Military History.17(3): 26–32, 80.ISSN0889-7328.
  • O'Connor, Michael (2005).Airfields and Airmen of the Channel Coast.Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military.ISBN978-1-84415-258-2.
  • RAAF Historical Section (1995).Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 2 – Fighter Units.Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.ISBN0-644-42794-9.
  • Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001].The Royal Australian Air Force: A History(2nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-555541-4.

Further reading[edit]

  • Molkentin, Michael (2010).Fire in the Sky. The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War.Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.ISBN978-1-74237-072-9.
  • Wrigley, Henry (1935).The Battle Below: Being the History of No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps.Sydney: Errol G Knox.OCLC2634858.

External links[edit]

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