No. 82 Squadron RAAF
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No. 82 Squadron RAAF was a
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
fighter squadron that operated during World War II and its immediate aftermath. It was formed in June 1943, flying Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks and, initially, Bell P-39 Airacobras from bases in Queensland and New Guinea. The squadron became operational in September 1944, and undertook ground attack missions against Japanese targets in the Pacific theatre. Following the end of hostilities, No. 82 Squadron was re-equipped with North American P-51 Mustangs and deployed to Japan, where it formed part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. It remained there until October 1948, when it was disbanded.


History


World War II

During 1943, the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) received 399 Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighter aircraft. Their arrival allowed the service to expand its combat force by forming five new Kittyhawk-equipped squadrons to join the three squadrons that had operated the type in the South West Pacific area since 1942. No. 82 Squadron was formed at
Bankstown, New South Wales Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, ha ...
, on 18 June 1943. It was the third of the new Kittyhawk squadrons to be established, following No. 84 Squadron in February and No. 86 Squadron in March; No. 78 Squadron was formed in July and No. 80 Squadron in September. Commanded by Squadron Leader Stanley Galton, No. 82 Squadron's original complement was 279, including fifteen officers. It was to have been equipped wholly with P-40M Kittyhawks but initially included a flight of Bell P-39 Airacobras. No. 82 Squadron conducted training at Bankstown until April 1944, when personnel briefly moved to
Hughes Airfield Hughes Airfield (32 Mile) is an airfield in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Hughes. It was constructed during World War II for military use. The airfield now functions as a base for aerial firefighting aircraft t ...
in the Northern Territory, before being redeployed to Townsville, Queensland, for further training. The squadron transferred to Port Moresby, New Guinea, at the end of August 1944 and then to Noemfoor in mid-September, joining Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons as part of No. 81 Wing under No. 10 Operational Group (later
First Tactical Air Force The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 ...
). Three of No. 82 Squadron's Kittyhawks crashed due to engine trouble while staging through Nadzab and Tadji. Operating from Kamiri strip on Noemfoor, the squadron flew its first combat mission on 30 September, bombing Samate airstrip with aircraft from No. 77 Squadron. On 18 October, one aircraft was lost to ground fire during an attack on Kai Island, and another was reported missing. It was difficult for No. 82 Squadron to stay operational as most of its ground crew remained in Townsville until moving forward the following month; in the meantime, the pilots were responsible for arming and refuelling their aircraft. On 23 November, they dive bombed Japanese airfields on
Halmahera Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island. Hal ...
with aircraft of No. 76 Squadron. No. 82 Squadron continued to conduct ground attack missions in New Guinea until March 1945, when it relocated to Morotai Island in the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
(NEI). From Morotai, the squadron conducted ground-attack missions in the NEI and escorted Allied convoys carrying troops bound for the liberation of Borneo. The relegation of First Tactical Air Force to areas of operation bypassed by the main Allied thrust towards the Philippines and Japan led to poor morale, culminating in the so-called "
Morotai Mutiny The "Morotai Mutiny" was an incident in April 1945 involving members of the Australian First Tactical Air Force based on the island of Morotai, in the Dutch East Indies. Eight senior pilots, including Australia's leading flying ace, Group Capt ...
" of April 1945. Squadron Leader Bert Grace, commanding officer of No. 82 Squadron, was among eight senior pilots who tended their resignations in protest at what they saw as the waste of resources on targets of dubious military value. The officers were persuaded to continue on operations, and Grace oversaw the squadron's move to
Labuan island Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territories of Malaysia, Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah ...
in June as part of Operation Oboe Six, the invasion of North Borneo. The Kittyhawks flew in support of Australian Army units until the end of the war. On one such mission on 8 August 1945, No. 82 Squadron made a round trip to attack targets around
Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...
in Sarawak. During the first strike two Japanese aircraft were destroyed as they were taking off from the airstrip; a transport was also destroyed and two more were damaged. The fighters then attacked several barges near Kuching Town and on the Sarawak River. Fourteen members of the squadron were killed on operations during the war.


Occupation of Japan

Shortly after the end of the war, No. 82 Squadron was selected to join the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan. It re-equipped with
North American P-51D Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...
fighters between 12 September and 11 January 1946, losing two aircraft to accidents in the process. The squadron deployed to Bofu, a former kamikaze base, during 13–18 March 1946, once again as part of No. 81 Wing with Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons; Nos. 381 and 481 Squadrons provided logistics and maintenance support, respectively. No. 82 Squadron lost three of its twenty-eight Mustangs, along with an escorting
de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or "Mossie". Lord Be ...
, in bad weather en route to Bofu, killing all crew members. From April 1946, the squadron conducted surveillance patrols over Japan as well as participating in routine exercises and flypasts. The Australians found that, far from offering resistance, the Japanese went out of their way to be accommodating. No. 82 Squadron's commanding officer, Squadron Leader Graham Falconer, remarked following a dinner with Bofu's mayor, "I felt that we were being treated more as visitors than as an occupying force!" No. 81 Wing transferred to
Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shōgun. The Kikkawa clan ruled ...
in April 1948, the same month that the Federal government decided to reduce Australia's contribution to BCOF. As part of this reduction, Nos. 76 and 82 Squadrons were slated for disbandment, leaving No. 77 Squadron as the sole RAAF fighter unit in the country. No. 82 Squadron conducted further training and exercises until September, and was disbanded at Iwakuni on 29 October 1948.


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * {{List of RAAF Squadrons 82 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1948