No. 549 Squadron RAF was a fighter squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) operating in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

from 1943 to 1945.

History

The squadron was formed at Lawnton Airfield,

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 ...

on 15 December 1943, made up of RAF Aircrew and

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

groundstaff, to provide air defence duties with

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Gri ...

, as the RAAF Kittyhawks were inadequate for interception missions.RAF – Squadron history.
/ref> On 1 January they moved to

Petrie Airfield Petrie Airfield was a World War II military airfield located just to the south of the North Pine River in what is now Lawnton, Queensland, Australia. After the war, the airfield was dismantled and the area is now part of the urban area of Petr ...

Strathpine Strathpine is a suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Strathpine had a population of 9,503 people. It is home to the Pine Rivers District offices of the Moreton Bay Region, as well as many businesses. The area is h ...

, Queensland. In April 1944 the squadron's Spitfires arrived. May 1944 the unit moved to RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, while June saw a move to

Strauss Airfield Strauss Airfield was an airfield in the Northern Territory of Australia in the locality of Noonamah constructed between 19 March to 27 April 1942 during World War II. It was also known as 27 Mile Field or Humpty Doo Strip. History Constr ...

, Northern Territory with a detachment at Truscott Airfield,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

. On 5 September 1944 it joined sister unit No. 548 Squadron RAF on a sweep over Selaru Island, 300 miles north of Darwin. In October they went to Parap Airfield (Darwin/Civil),

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 ...

, maintaining their detachment in Truscott. On 27 November they went over

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, ...

. Throughout its life the Squadron was commanded by Sqn Ldr E.P.W. Bocock. The squadron was disbanded, according to some sources, at Parap Airfield, Darwin, on 9 October 1945. However, a more recent source states that disbandment occurred on 31 October, at

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

. Afterwards, the RAF personnel returned to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

The history of No. 549 Squadron at raf.mod.uk

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 549 Squadron Raf Fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II 549 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1943