No. 83 Squadron is a

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

intelligence unit. It was originally formed in 1943 as a 'home defence' fighter squadron and provided air defence to several locations in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

before being disbanded in 1945. The squadron has since been re-raised, and is responsible for a system which integrates intelligence from multiple sources.

History

World War II

No. 83 Squadron was formed at Strathpine, Queensland, on 26 February 1943. Its role was to intercept unidentified and hostile aircraft, ships and submarines in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

area. The squadron was initially equipped with six

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

fighters and had only 10 officers and 27 airmen out of its authorised strength of 27 officers and 310 airmen.RAAF Historical Section (1995), p. 83 The squadron's first operations were flown over the Brisbane area. While it responded to numerous reports of potentially hostile activity it did not sight any Japanese submarines or aircraft. Most operations were conducted from

Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settle ...

while the squadron headquarters remained at Strathpine. The squadron began to be re-equipped with Australian designed and built

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

fighters in June and the Airacobras were withdrawn in September. It reached its full strength of 21 Boomerangs and a single Moth Minor in October 1943. No. 83 Squadron moved from Queensland to the Northern Territory in late 1943. All its aircraft suffered from technical faults when they first arrived at

Milingimbi Island Milingimbi Island, also Yurruwi, is the largest island of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Location Milingimbi lies approximately east of Darwin and west of Nhulunbuy. History Aborigin ...

and none could be used in operations until December. The squadron was subsequently deployed to Melville Island in December and remained there until January 1944, when it made a further move to RAAF Airfield Gove on the mainland. While at Gove the squadron's Boomerangs escorted Allied shipping and conducted patrols.Eather (1995), p. 95 By this time few Japanese forces were operating in the area and No. 83 Squadron did not see combat.Wilson (1991), p. 150 The squadron left the Northern Territory in mid-1944, and arrived at

Camden, New South Wales Camden is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, located 65 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Camden was the administrative centre for the local government area of Camden Council until July/August ...

in August where it continued operations with its Boomerangs. In February 1945 it moved again to Menangle where it was disbanded on 18 September 1945. At least one of the Boomerangs operated by No. 83 Squadron remains in flying condition under private ownership. A further No. 83 Squadron Boomerang has been preserved at the

RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...

and the fuselage of another is at the

Australian National Aviation Museum The Moorabbin Air Museum is an aviation museum at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1962 as the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group, in an attempt to maintain a World War II-era Bristol Beaufighter aircraf ...

Re-establishment

No. 83 Squadron was re-raised in or around 2020 by re-designating the Distributed Ground Station Australia. The unit forms part of the Information Warfare Directorate. The Distributed Ground Station is a system which integrates and disseminates intelligence from multiple sources.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{List of RAAF Squadrons 83 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations established in 2020