No. 73 Squadron was a
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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(RAAF)
maritime patrol squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...
of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It was formed in July 1942 and conducted patrols off the east coast of Australia until July 1944. The squadron was disbanded in September 1944.
History
No. 73 Squadron was formed at
Cootamundra, New South Wales
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...
, on 1 July 1942 from personnel loaned by
No. 1 Air Observers School.
[RAAF Historical Section (1995), p. 90] The squadron's formation was part of the RAAF's response to
Japanese submarine attacks on shipping off Australia during mid-1942, and it was equipped with
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...
training aircraft. It was recognised that the Ansons lacked sufficient range and payload to be effective in the anti-submarine role, but superior aircraft were not available.
[Wilson (1992), p. 48] The squadron conducted training in the Cootamundra and
Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
areas during July and early August.
The squadron moved to
RAAF Base Nowra in September and began flying operational patrols. It was allocated twelve Ansons in October, split equally between its two
flights. 'A' Flight's six aircraft were based at Nowra and 'B' Flight was stationed at
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...
. 'B' Flight moved to
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
on 2 November 1942 and a 'C' Flight with four Ansons was briefly formed at
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, from 10 July to 11 August 1943. The personnel loaned from No. 1 Air Observers School were replaced in January 1943.
No. 73 Squadron conducted anti-submarine and convoy escort patrols off the Australian east coast for most of its existence. These were usually uneventful, and no submarines were sighted. Six aircraft were lost in flying accidents.
The squadron's aircraft had their gun turrets removed and Air-to-Surface Vessel (ASV) radar installed during 1943, and by the end of January 1944 the squadron was operating 13 ASV Ansons.
[RAAF Historical Section (1995), p. 91]
In November 1943 the RAAF began to reduce its anti-submarine effort as no Japanese submarine attacks had been made in Australian waters since the middle of the year. The RAAF ceased flying anti-submarine escort patrols south of the
24th parallel from February 1944, easing No. 73 Squadron's workload. The squadron was notified on 24 July that it was to be disbanded as part of a further reduction in the RAAF's anti-submarine forces, and flying ceased that day.
[Odgers (1968), p. 349] The unit was formally disbanded on 9 September 1944.
Notes
References
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{{List of RAAF Squadrons
73
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944