No. 453 Squadron RAAF
No. 453 Squadron |
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active | May 23, 1941 - March 15, 1942 June 18, 1942 to May 31, 1945 |
Country |
Australia Royal Australian Air Force |
Armed forces | Royal Australian Air Force |
Type | Jagdstaffel |
Location | Bankstown Singapore Ipoh Kuala Lumpur Adelaide Drem Hornchurch Ipsley Coltishall Hawkinge |
motto | Ready to strike |
Aircraft type | Brewster Buffalo Supermarine Spitfire |
Butcher | Operation Overlord |
No. 453 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II .
history
The unit was set up on May 23, 1941 in Bankstown , New South Wales . It was armed with Brewester Buffalo . Faced with the threat from Japan , the squadron moved to Singapore in August 1941 . Due to the Japanese invasion of the Malay Peninsula on December 8, 1941, the unit moved to Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur . She suffered heavy losses and had to be withdrawn to Singapore on December 24, 1941 with only three operational aircraft. There she was treated with the remains of No. 21 Squadron merged. The Squadron fought with six operational aircraft until February 5, 1942. The unit was moved to Java , but could not be made operational there. It was then withdrawn to Adelaide and dissolved there on March 15, 1942.
On June 18, 1942, the No. 453 Squadron set up again on the British site in Drem . It was now armed with Spitfires . In August 1942 the company was relocated to Hornchurch . In June 1943 it went on to Ibsley . Ship targets were also fought from there. The unit took part in the invasion of Normandy. From June 15, 1944, she operated from advanced positions in France and moved completely to France on June 25, 1944. However, at the end of September she was relocated to Coltishall to fight V1 positions from there . On May 31, 1945, the unit in Hawkinge was disbanded.