No. 7 Squadron RAAF

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No. 7 Squadron RAAF

7 Sqn (AWM NEA0032).jpg

A No. 7 Squadron Beaufort being serviced at Ross River
Active 1917–1919
1940–1945
Country Australia
Branch Australian Flying Corps
Royal Australian Air Force
Engagements World War I
World War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders
John Balmer (1942)

No. 7 Squadron was an Australian flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England in October 1917 as part of the Australian Flying Corps, and disbanded in early 1919. It was re-formed by the Royal Australian Air Force on paper in June 1940, and operationally in January 1942. After seeing action during the Pacific War flying Lockheed Hudson and, later, DAP Beaufort bombers, the squadron was disbanded a second time in December 1945.

Australian Flying Corps former aerial warfare branch of the Australian Army

The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until 1914 that it began flight training.

Royal Australian Air Force Air warfare branch of Australias armed forces

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), formed March 1921, is the aerial warfare branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). It operates the majority of the ADF's fixed wing aircraft, although both the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy also operate aircraft in various roles. It directly continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF provides support across a spectrum of operations such as air superiority, precision strikes, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, air mobility, space surveillance, and humanitarian support.

Pacific War theatre of war in the Second World War

The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in the Pacific and Asia. It was fought over a vast area that included the Pacific Ocean and islands, the South West Pacific, South-East Asia, and in China.

Contents

History

No. 7 Squadron was established during World War I, being raised as a flying training squadron of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) at Yatesbury, England, on 24 October 1917. Equipped with a wide range of aircraft, the squadron commenced training operations in February 1918 and was tasked to provide replacement aircrew to No. 3 Squadron until being disbanded in early 1919. Upon formation it was designated as No. 32 (Australian) (Training) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, before adopting its AFC designation in early 1918. Its first commanding officer was Captain H.D.E. Ralfe. [1] [2]

RAF Yatesbury

RAF Yatesbury is a former Royal Air Force airfield near the village of Yatesbury, Wiltshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) east of the town of Calne. It was an important training establishment in the First and Second World Wars, and until its closure in 1965. For a time in the 1950s, part of the site became RAF Cherhill.

No. 3 Squadron RAAF Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron, headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales. Established in 1916, it was one of four combat squadrons of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, and operated on the Western Front in France before being disbanded in 1919. It was re-raised as a permanent squadron of the RAAF in 1925, and during World War II operated in the Mediterranean Theatre. The Cold War years saw the squadron disbanded and re-raised twice. It was based at RAAF Butterworth during the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi. Equipped with McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters from 1986, the squadron deployed to Diego Garcia in 2002 to provide local air defence, and the following year contributed aircraft and crews to the invasion of Iraq as part of Operation Falconer. In April 2016, it deployed to the Middle East as part of the military intervention against ISIL.

Royal Flying Corps former air warfare service of the British Army

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War, until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC supported the British Army by artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led RFC pilots into aerial battles with German pilots and later in the war included the strafing of enemy infantry and emplacements, the bombing of German military airfields and later the strategic bombing of German industrial and transport facilities.

During World War II, No. 7 Squadron was re-formed at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, on 27 June 1940. [3] It was originally intended to equip the squadron with Lockheed Hudson aircraft, but the unit was reduced to cadre status. The squadron was re-formed in January 1942 as a Hudson operational training unit responsible for preparing aircrew for posting to other squadrons. [2] Commanded by John Balmer, [4] the squadron undertook several convoy escort flights and anti-submarine patrols along the Australian eastern seaboard. [2] In early June, one of the squadron's aircraft located and attacked a Japanese submarine, possibly damaging it. [3]

Lockheed Hudson family of transport and patrol bomber aircraft

The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. They were also used extensively with the Royal Canadian Air Force's anti-submarine squadrons and by the Royal Australian Air Force.

John Balmer Royal Australian Air Force bomber pilot

John Raeburn Balmer, was a senior officer and bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Bendigo, Victoria, he studied law before joining the RAAF as an air cadet in 1932. An instructor at Point Cook from 1935 to 1937, he achieved renown in Air Force circles when he reportedly parachuted from a training aircraft to motivate his pupil to land single-handedly. He also became known to the general public as a cross-country motorist, setting records for trans-Australia and round-Australia trips prior to World War II.

Shortly afterwards, the majority of the squadron was absorbed into No. 1 Operational Training Unit. In August 1942, what remained of the squadron moved to Nowra, New South Wales, where it was re-equipped with DAP Beaufort medium bombers and began training to operate in the bomber-reconnaissance role. The squadron completed its training in October and moved to Ross River near Townsville, Queensland, where it undertook convoy escort patrols over Australia's northern waters. [3] During these operations, the squadron's aircraft damaged another Japanese submarine, shot down two Japanese Aichi E13A "Jake" seaplanes and damaged several others. [5]

No. 1 Operational Training Unit RAAF

No. 1 Operational Training Unit (No. 1 OTU) was an operational conversion unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. Formed in December 1941 at Nhill, Victoria, it relocated to Bairnsdale in mid-1942, and then to East Sale the following year. No. 1 OTU's primary role was to train aircrew for multi-engined aircraft operations. At its peak of activity in August 1944, it was operating over 130 aircraft, the most numerous being Bristol Beauforts. Its aircraft and personnel also conducted transport missions in New Guinea and maritime patrols in southern Australian waters. Following the end of hostilities, the unit was disbanded in December 1945.

Nowra, New South Wales City in New South Wales, Australia

Nowra is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 160 kilometres (99 mi) south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney With its twin-town of Bomaderry, as at the 2016 census, Nowra had an estimated population of 35,795. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven. Geologically, the city is situated in the southern reaches of the Sydney basin.

Bristol Beaufort British twin-engined torpedo bomber

The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At least 1,180 Beauforts were built by Bristol and other British manufacturers.

The squadron was based at Horn Island, Queensland, from April to October 1944, when it moved to Tadji, Papua New Guinea. [5] From November 1944 until the end of the war, the squadron flew strike missions against Japanese positions in New Guinea in support of the Australian 6th Division. The squadron also participated in rescue operations for aircrew that came down behind Japanese lines. [2] No. 7 Squadron was disbanded at Tadji on 19 December 1945. [5] During the war, 33 personnel from the squadron were killed in action or died on active service. [6]

Horn Island Airport airport in Australia

Horn Island Airport is an airport on Horn Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia.

Tadji Airport airport in Tadji, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea

Tadji Airport is an airfield serving Tadji, near Aitape, in the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea.

6th Division (Australia) 1917-1946 Australian Army infantry division

The 6th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was raised briefly in 1917 during World War I, but was broken up to provide reinforcements before seeing action. It was not re-raised until the outbreak of World War II, when it was formed as a unit of the Second Australian Imperial Force. Throughout 1940–1941 it served in the North African Campaign, the Greek campaign, on Crete and in Syria, fighting against the Germans, Italians and Vichy French. In 1942, the division left the Middle East and returned to Australia to meet the threat of Japan's entry into the war. Part of the division garrisoned Ceylon for a short period of time, before the division was committed to the New Guinea campaign. In New Guinea, its component brigades had a major role in the successful counter-offensive along the Kokoda Track, at Buna–Gona and around Salamaua–Lae in 1942–1943. Throughout late 1943–1944, the division was re-organised in Australia before being committed as a complete formation to one of the last Australian operations of the war around Aitape–Wewak in 1944–1945.

Aircraft operated

The squadron operated the following aircraft: [1] [5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Eather 1995 , p. 15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "No 7 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Eather 1995 , p. 35.
  4. RAAF Historical Section 1995 , pp. 22–26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Eather 1995 , p. 36.
  6. "7 Squadron RAAF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 May 2012.

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Further reading