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No. 3 RAAF

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No. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian (RAAF) fighter squadron, Main page No. 3 Squadron RAAF Contents headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, . Featured content Established in 1916, it was one of four combat squadrons of the Australian Flying Current events Corps during , and operated on the Western Front in France before Random article being disbanded in 1919. It was re-raised as a permanent squadron of the RAAF in Donate to Wikipedia 1925, and during World War II operated in the Mediterranean Theatre. The Cold Wikipedia store War years saw the squadron disbanded and re-raised twice. It was based at RAAF Interaction Butterworth during the and the Indonesia–Malaysia Help Konfrontasi. Equipped with McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters About Wikipedia from 1986, the squadron deployed to Diego Garcia in 2002 to provide local air Community portal defence, and the following year contributed aircraft and crews to the invasion of No. 3 Squadron's crest Recent changes Iraq as part of Operation Falconer. In April 2016, it deployed to the Middle East as Active 1916–1919 Contact page part of the military intervention against ISIL. 1925–1946 Tools 1948–1953 Contents [hide] 1956–current What links here Country Related changes 1 History Upload file 1.1 World War I Branch Royal Australian Air Force Special pages 1.2 World War II Role Multi-role fighter Permanent link 1.3 Part of No. 81 , Air Combat Group Page information 1.4 Post-Cold War Garrison/HQ RAAF Base Williamtown Wikidata item 2 Aircraft operated Motto(s) Operta Aperta Cite this page ("Secrets Revealed")[1] 3 See also Print/export Engagements World War I

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD Create a book 4 References Western Front Download as PDF 4.1 Notes World War II Printable version 4.2 Bibliography

In other projects 4.3 Further reading Syria–Lebanon Campaign 5 External links Campaign Wikimedia Commons Italian Campaign

Languages Cold War [ edit ] Português History Malayan Emergency Edit links Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi World War I [ edit ] Military intervention against ISIL No. 3 Squadron was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, on 19 under Commanders the command of Major David Blake.[4] It was one of four operational squadrons of Notable David Blake (1916–1918) [2][3] the , and its personnel were members of the Australian commanders Bill Anderson (1918–1919) (1919) Army. Shortly afterwards, the unit embarked upon the HMAT Ulysses and sailed to Frank Lukis (1925–1930) England for training, before becoming the first AFC squadron deployed to France, (1930–1931) in September 1917, equipped with the R.E.8 two-seat reconnaissance/general Bill Bostock (1931–1936) purpose aircraft.[5] To avoid confusion with the British No. 3 Squadron RFC, it was (1938–1939) Ian McLachlan (1939–1941) known to the British military as "No. 69 Squadron RFC".[6] This terminology was Peter Jeffrey (1941) never accepted by the squadron or the Australian Imperial Force who continued to (1941) use the AFC designation regardless,[7] and in early 1918, the British designation (1942–1943) was dropped.[4] (1943–1944) Vance Drummond (1967) After moving to the Western Front, the Jake Newham (1967–1968) squadron was initially based at Savy. In Richard Bomball (1973–1974) November 1917, it was assigned the role Geoff Brown (1997–2000) of being a corps reconnaissance squadron Aircraft flown R.E.8s of No 3 Sqn AFC and allocated to I Anzac Corps, which was Fighter F-35A Lightning II based around Messines, 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 other British Empire ground forces. Its first

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD air-to-air victory came on 6 ; by the end of the war it would eventually shoot down another 15 German aircraft,[4] and would fly 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 a major 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 , the squadron became responsible for the remains of the "Red Baron", , 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 at Hamel,[12] before later joining the final Allied offensive of the war around Amiens in August, flying support operations until the armistice in November.[5] Shortly before the end of the war, the squadron began converting to the Bristol F.2 Fighter.[10]

Following the end of hostilities, the squadron was engaged briefly in mail transport duties before being withdrawn to the 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]

World War II [ edit ]

In 1925, the squadron was re-formed as part of the fledgling independent Royal Australian Air Force. Under the command of Frank Lukis,[14] it was based initially at Point Cook and then at Richmond, operating a variety of aircraft including S.E.5As, DH.9s, Westland Wapitis and Hawker Demons.[13] Upon the outbreak of World War II, the squadron was one of 12 permanent RAAF squadrons, and it was assigned to the as an army co-operation squadron when it was deployed to the Middle East in mid-1940.[15]

No. 3 Squadron would serve the entire war in the Mediterranean Theatre as part of the Allied No. 3 Squadron ground crew in (later the First ), supporting the 8th Army.[16] After deploying front of a P-40 in 1942 from Australia without its aircraft, under the command of Squadron Leader Ian McLachlan,[14] the unit sailed to . The squadron first saw action in late 1940, operating obsolete fighters against the Italian ,[17] which it encountered while conducting reconnaissance and ground attack sorties. It also operated some Westland Lysanders and Gloster Gauntlets, before briefly being converted to Hawker Hurricanes,

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD and then flew P-40 Tomahawks and Kittyhawks from 1941, often engaging in intense air battles with the German , as well as Vichy French pilots during the Syria–Lebanon campaign.[18]

No. 3 Squadron's longest-serving commanding officer (CO) during the war was Squadron Leader Bobby Gibbes, whose tour lasted from February 1942 to April 1943.[19] Gibbes was replaced by Squadron Leader Brian Eaton, who led the unit until February 1944.[20] During this period, No. 3 Squadron took part in the Allied invasions of Sicily and . It re-equipped with P-51 Mustangs in 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][21]

A CAC CA-18 Mustang warbird Cold War [ edit ] painted to represent a North American P-51 Mustang of No. 3 Squadron used At the end of the war, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia and disbanded at Point Cook on 30 in Italy during World War II July 1946. It was re-formed at RAAF Base Fairbairn in in early 1948 when No. 4 Squadron RAAF was renumbered as No. 3 Squadron. Equipped with Mustangs, CAC Wirraways and Austers, the squadron served briefly as a tactical reconnaissance and close support squadron before disbanding again in 1953.[22] The squadron re-formed on 1 March 1956 at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales. It operated CA-27 Sabres out of Butterworth, Malaya, from 1958 engaging in warlike operations associated with the Malayan Emergency and Konfrontasi.[21]

As Australian involvement in the intensified, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia and re-equipped with Mirage IIIO fighters at Williamtown in 1967.[23] The CO, Vance Drummond, was killed during air combat manoeuvres at No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit in May.[24] He was succeeded by Wing Commander Jake Newham (later Chief of the Air Staff).[14] After training in air-to- air and air-to-ground roles, the squadron deployed to RAAF Butterworth in Malaysia in February 1969, detachments were also deployed to RAF Tengah and Paya Lebar Air Base.[23] During this period, the aircraft became known as "lizards", in reference to their camouflage paint scheme and low altitude operations. The frill neck lizard was adopted as an informal squadron insignia.[25]

After 15 years deployed to Malaysia, No. 3 Squadron returned to Australia, and after transferring aircraft and personnel to No. 79 Squadron, on 29 August 1986 No. 3 Squadron became the first operational RAAF unit to receive F/A-18 Hornets.[21]

Post-Cold War [ edit ]

The squadron continues to operate the Hornets from its home base at RAAF Base Williamtown. In February 2002, during the Afghanistan War, elements of No. 3 Squadron were deployed to Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to relieve No. 77 Squadron, providing air defence

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD for the Coalition base there.[26] No. 3 Squadron personnel also participated in Operation Falconer, No. 75 Squadron's deployment to the Iraq War during 2003, conducting air interdiction operations and combat air patrols.[27][28] The squadron currently forms part of the Air Combat Group's No. 81 Wing RAAF.[29] In April 2016, No. 3 Squadron deployed to the Middle East during Operation Okra as part of the military intervention against ISIL, taking over from No. 77 Squadron.[30]

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 Two No. 3 Squadron Hornets in 2013 subsequent re-establishment of the squadron at Luke AFB in Arizona, under command of Wing Commander Darren Clare.[31] All of its Hornets and most of its personnel were transferred to No. 77 Squadron.[32] As of February 2018, No. 3 Squadron was equipped with two F-35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs and was scheduled to have ten of the type by the end of the year. It is planned to dispatch two of these F-35s to Australia in late 2018, with the other eight remaining in the United States for training purposes.[33]

Aircraft operated [ edit ]

No. 3 Squadron has operated the following aircraft:[10][23]

Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 (1917–1918) , Gloster Gladiator, (August 1940 – January 1941) (January–May 1941) P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk (May 1941 – November 1944) P-51D Mustang (November 1944 – July 1946) CAC Sabre (1956–1967) A No. 3 Squadron F-35A in 2018 Mirage III (1967–1986) F/A-18 Hornet (August 1986 – December 2017) F-35A Lightning II (2018 – current)

See also [ edit ] McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet in Australian service

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD References [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ] 1. ^ RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, p. 1 20. ^ "Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton" . Australian War 2. ^ RAAF Historical Section, Fighter Units, pp. 6–7 Memorial. Retrieved 10 April 2010. 3. ^ "Air Marshals" . Air Power Development Centre. Retrieved 21. ^ a b c Barnes, The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons, p. 23 18 October 2016. 22. ^ Eather, Flying Squadrons of the , pp. 27 4. ^ a b c d e Eather, Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence & 29 Force, p. 11 23. ^ a b c Eather, Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force, p. 5. ^ a b c d e "3 Squadron AFC" . First World War, 1914–1918 units. 27 . Retrieved 23 November 2013. 24. ^ Newton, Dennis (1996). "Drummond, Vance (1927–1967)" . 6. ^ Halley, The Squadrons of the & Commonwealth, Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. p. 135 Retrieved 23 November 2013. 7. ^ O'Connor, Airfields and Airmen of the Channel Coast , p. 173 25. ^ Keightley, Michael. "History of 3 Squadron in Malaysia" . 8. ^ Stephens, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 9–19 Retrieved 23 November 2013. 9. ^ Baldwin, World War I: An Outline History, p. 127 & 141 26. ^ "No. 3 Squadron" . RAAF Museum. 10. ^ a b c d e Eather, Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence 27. ^ Holmes, US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Force, p. 12 Iraqi Freedom, pp. 87–93 11. ^ McGuire, The Many Deaths of the Red Baron, p. 82 28. ^ Bowes, Ken. "Operation Falconer RAAF F/A-18 Hornets: Part 12. ^ Nunan, Diggers' Fourth of July, pp. 31–32 One – Operations & Modelling" . Hyper Scale. Retrieved 13. ^ a b Barnes, The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons, p. 20 23 November 2013. 14. ^ a b c Barnes, The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons, p. 24 29. ^ "No. 81 Wing" . Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 15. ^ a b "3 Squadron RAAF" . Second World War, 1939–1945 units. 23 November 2013. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 23 November 2013. 30. ^ "77 SQN Completes strike rotation in the Middle East" . 16. ^ Eather, Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force, p. 25 Department of Defence. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016. 17. ^ Gustavsson, Håkan. "Squadron Leader Alan Hill Boyd, RAAF no. 31. ^ Andrew, McLaughlin. Australian Aviation (January 2018 ed.). 561" . Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War. Aviator Media. p. 30. |access-date= requires |url= (help) Retrieved 30 January 2013. 32. ^ McLaughlin, To the Future, p. 30 18. ^ Eather, Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force, pp. 33. ^ Payne, Jacqui (8 February 2018). "3SQN blazes new trail" 25–26 (PDF). Air Force. Department of Defence. p. 10. Retrieved 19. ^ "Wing Commander Bobby Gibbes" . Times Online. 1 May 2007. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD Bibliography [ edit ] Baldwin, Hanson (1962). World War I: An Outline History. London: Hutchinson. OCLC 988365 . Barnes, Norman (2000). The RAAF and the Flying Squadrons. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-130-2. Eather, Steve (1995). Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-15-3. Halley, James (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130- 164-9. Holmes, Tony (2006). US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Osprey Combat Aircraft 56. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-847-2. McGuire, Frank (2001). The Many Deaths of the Red Baron: The Richthofen Controversy, 1918–2000. Calgary: Bunker to Bunker Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894255-05-9. McLaughlin, Andrew (January–February 2018). "To the Future". Australian Aviation (356): 28–35. ISSN 0813-0876 . Nunan, Peter (2000). "Diggers' Fourth of July". Military History. 17 (3): 26–32, 80. ISSN 0889-7328 . O'Connor, Michael (2005). Airfields and Airmen of the Channel Coast. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-258-2. RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 2 – Fighter Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42794-9. Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History (2nd ed.). London: . ISBN 0-19-555541-4.

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. ISBN 978-1-74237-072-9. Wrigley, Henry (1935). The Battle Below: Being the History of No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. : Errol G Knox. OCLC 2634858 .

External links [ edit ]

"RAAF Hornets 20th Anniversary" . Boeing. Archived from the original on 19 January Wikimedia Commons has 2008. media related to No. 3 Squadron RAAF. "Australia's Top Guns" . 3 Squadron RAAF Association.

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This page was last edited on 23 September 2018, at 09:36 (UTC).

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