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No. 20 Squadron RAAF

April 11, 2024

No. 20 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) support squadron. Coming under the control of No. 96 Wing, it is responsible for the management of the airfield at RAAF Base Woomera, South Australia. The squadron originated as a maritime patrol unit during World War II. Raised in August 1941, it operated PBY Catalina and Short Empire flying boats from bases in New Guinea, Queensland and the Northern Territory, conducting search-and-rescue, mine-laying, anti-submarine and bombing missions against Japanese targets in the Pacific theatre. Following the conclusion of hostilities, the squadron was disbanded in March 1946. It was reactivated as an airfield support squadron in April 2015.

No. 20 Squadron RAAF
Personnel of No. 20 Squadron carrying machine-gun belts speak with members of the Parliamentary War Expenditure Committee in Darwin, Northern Territory, October 1944
Active1941–1946
2015–current
CountryAustralia
BranchRoyal Australian Air Force
RoleAirfield support
Part ofNo. 96 Wing, Combat Support Group
Garrison/HQRAAF Base Woomera
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Squadron codeRB (1941–1946)[1]
Aircraft flown
PatrolPBY Catalina (1941–1946)
Short Empire (1941–1942)

History edit

World War II edit

No. 20 Squadron was formed at Port Moresby, New Guinea, on 1 August 1941 for a general reconnaissance role, under the command of Squadron Leader W.N. Gibson. Its establishment was six PBY Catalina flying boats and 133 personnel, but only five aircraft (all transferred from No. 11 Squadron) and 55 personnel were available initially.[2][3] The squadron conducted long-range patrols between bases scattered around the islands to Australia's north in conjunction with No. 11 Squadron.[4] On 18 November, No. 20 Squadron's Catalinas were augmented by two Short Empire flying boats transferred from No. 11 Squadron.[2][5]

On 25 November 1941, following the loss of HMAS Sydney, one of No. 20 Squadron's Catalinas was despatched to Western Australia to join a No. 11 Squadron Catalina in search-and-rescue missions, but they found only oil slicks.[2] By the outbreak of war in the Pacific, No. 20 Squadron had a strength of six Catalinas and two Empire flying boats. Its personnel at the beginning of December numbered 14 officers and 118 men.[2][6] The squadron undertook its first sortie of the Pacific War on 8 December; a Catalina located three Japanese luggers in the vicinity of Thursday Island, Queensland.[2][7] Later in the month it commenced anti-submarine patrols and, in January 1942, bombing raids against Japanese bases. As the Japanese advanced into the South West Pacific, No. 20 Squadron was also responsible for evacuating white civilians from areas threatened by invasion.[4][8] On 21 January, one of its Catalinas located the Japanese fleet steaming for Rabaul and signalled a warning to the town's Australian defenders before being shot down by anti-aircraft fire; it was the squadron's first combat loss.[8][9]

In the wake of the fall of Rabaul, the Catalinas of Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons became the RAAF's only offensive weapon against the Japanese.[10] Their raids on Rabaul did little to stem the Japanese advance, and in the following months Port Moresby itself was subjected to increasingly frequent attacks, which destroyed aircraft, facilities, and squadron records.[4][11] In February 1942, the Short Empires operated by Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons were transferred to the newly formed No. 33 (Transport) Squadron.[12] No. 20 Squadron lost two Catalinas during patrols on 4 and 6 May; the nine crewmen of the first were later found to have been captured and beheaded; the crew of the second were also captured and subsequently disappeared without trace.[13][14]

In response to the threat of invasion at Port Moresby, Nos. 11 and 20 Squadrons moved to Bowen, Queensland, on 7 May 1942.[15] They were soon attacking Japanese targets in Lae, Salamaua and Rabaul. On 27 June, each squadron contributed an aircraft to a four-hour raid over Lae and Salamaua during which, as well as bombs, the RAAF crews dropped beer bottles to disrupt the enemy soldiers' sleep—the sound they made falling through the air was, according to the official history, "something between a shrill whistle and a scream".[16] By 1 July, No. 20 Squadron's strength was six Catalinas and 175 personnel, out of a planned establishment of nine aircraft and 415 personnel.[17] Its prime responsibility in early 1942 was maritime reconnaissance as far as New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia; the latter half of the year saw a greater focus on night bombing.[11] Now comprising 252 officers and men, the squadron relocated to Cairns on 11 November 1942.[2][18] From Cairns it continued to conduct reconnaissance, anti-submarine and occasional bombing operations over the waters around New Guinea.[4] Between December 1942 and March 1943, No. 20 Squadron's aircraft flew a total of 9,629 hours and dropped 227 tons of bombs.[19] The squadron's role changed in June 1943 when it commenced mine-laying operations over the Netherlands East Indies and the Philippines, though it continued to make some bombing raids and supply drops.[20][21]

 
Catalinas of No. 20 Squadron (foreground) and No. 42 Squadron (background)

In September 1944, No. 20 Squadron became part of No. 76 Wing RAAF, along with Nos. 42 and 43 Squadrons, and moved to Darwin, Northern Territory. All three squadrons operated Catalinas, their primary purpose being mine-laying.[22] On the night of 30 September, a Catalina of No. 20 Squadron was shot down while attacking a ship at Pomelaa in the Dutch East Indies; the loss was compounded by the fact that one of the coordinators of the mining campaign, Lieutenant Commander P.E. Carr of the Royal Australian Navy, was aboard the plane and was captured by the Japanese.[23] Another of the squadron's Catalinas went down on the night of 27/28 January 1945, possibly in a cyclone over the Timor Sea, during the campaign to mine Surabaya.[24] In March, a detachment of four No. 20 Squadron aircraft, along with four from No. 43 Squadron, laid mines off the coast of southern China and Taiwan as part of a No. 76 Wing offensive in this area; these operations were conducted from Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. One of No. 20 Squadron's Catalinas was lost on the night of 7/8 March, most likely owing to bad weather rather than enemy action.[25] Three of the squadron's aircraft mined the entrance to Hong Kong harbour on 8 April and, on 26 May, four of its Catalinas mined Wenzhou harbour in China, the furthest north that any Australian aircraft infiltrated during the war in the Pacific.[26] Three of its aircraft flew the RAAF's last mine-laying mission on 30 July.[27]

No. 20 Squadron's final wartime sortie was a patrol on 14 August 1945.[20] Following the end of the war, the squadron operated in the transport role and ferried Australian prisoners of war home from various locations in South East Asia.[27] It relocated to RAAF Station Rathmines, New South Wales, on 21 November.[2] No. 20 Squadron flew its last mission, a transport flight to Balikpapan, on 21 January 1946, and disbanded at Rathmines on 27 March.[20]

Post-war re-establishment edit

No. 20 Squadron was reactivated on 1 April 2015 to support airfield operations at RAAF Base Woomera, South Australia. Consisting of nine uniformed personnel and one Australian Public Service member under the command of Squadron Leader Simon Bartlett, the squadron formed part of No. 96 Wing, a component of Combat Support Group (CSG). The airfield had previously been managed under the auspices of Aerospace Operational Support Group, but a command-and-control review commissioned by the Chief of Air Force recommended that, in common with other RAAF airfields, it should be administered by CSG. RAAF Base Woomera, incorporating Woomera Village, was one of two Air Force units formally established on 12 January 2015 as part of a reorganisation of the Woomera Range Complex, the other unit being RAAF Woomera Test Range.[28][29]

The design of the reactivated squadron's crest includes a wedge-tailed eagle to denote courage and nobility, a woomera spear thrower to symbolise the town and its indigenous heritage, Sturt's Desert Pea to represent South Australia, and the Pleiades star cluster, which features in the folklore of the local Kokatha people.[28]

Notes edit

  1. ^ "No. 20 Squadron RAAF". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 26.
  3. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 4.
  4. ^ a b c d Eather 1995, p. 53.
  5. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 35.
  6. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 42.
  7. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 80.
  8. ^ a b RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 27.
  9. ^ Johnston 2011, pp. 107–108.
  10. ^ Johnston 2011, p. 108.
  11. ^ a b RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 28.
  12. ^ Gillison 1962, p. 481.
  13. ^ Johnston 2011, p. 181.
  14. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 122.
  15. ^ RAAF Historical Section 1995, pp. 19, 28.
  16. ^ Gillison 1962, pp. 550–551.
  17. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 127.
  18. ^ No. 20 Squadron 1941–46, p. 167.
  19. ^ Gillison 1962, p. 678.
  20. ^ a b c RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 29.
  21. ^ Odgers 1968, p. 359.
  22. ^ Odgers 1968, p. 365.
  23. ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 356, 360.
  24. ^ Odgers 1968, p. 369.
  25. ^ Odgers 1968, pp. 370–371.
  26. ^ Odgers 1968, p. 371.
  27. ^ a b Eather 1995, p. 54.
  28. ^ a b Curran, Aaron (26 April 2020). "20SQN rises out of dust". Air Force. p. 9. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  29. ^ Curran, Aaron (29 January 2015). "Woomera's new lease of life". Air Force. p. 4. Retrieved 26 April 2020.

References edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 20 Squadron RAAF.
  • No. 20 Squadron (1941–46). "Operations Record Book". RAAF Unit History Sheets (Form A50). National Archives of Australia.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Eather, Steve (1995). Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-15-3.
  • Gillison, Douglas (1962). Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 2000369.
  • Johnston, Mark (2011). Whispering Death: Australian Airmen in the Pacific War. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74175-901-3.
  • Odgers, George (1968). Air War Against Japan 1943–1945. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Vol. 2 (reprint ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 246580191.
  • RAAF Historical Section (1995). Maritime and Transport Units. Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History Volume 4. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42796-5.

April 11, 2024
squadron, raaf, squadron, royal, australian, force, raaf, support, squadron, coming, under, control, wing, responsible, management, airfield, raaf, base, woomera, south, australia, squadron, originated, maritime, patrol, unit, during, world, raised, august, 19. No 20 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force RAAF support squadron Coming under the control of No 96 Wing it is responsible for the management of the airfield at RAAF Base Woomera South Australia The squadron originated as a maritime patrol unit during World War II Raised in August 1941 it operated PBY Catalina and Short Empire flying boats from bases in New Guinea Queensland and the Northern Territory conducting search and rescue mine laying anti submarine and bombing missions against Japanese targets in the Pacific theatre Following the conclusion of hostilities the squadron was disbanded in March 1946 It was reactivated as an airfield support squadron in April 2015 No 20 Squadron RAAFPersonnel of No 20 Squadron carrying machine gun belts speak with members of the Parliamentary War Expenditure Committee in Darwin Northern Territory October 1944Active1941 19462015 currentCountryAustraliaBranchRoyal Australian Air ForceRoleAirfield supportPart ofNo 96 Wing Combat Support GroupGarrison HQRAAF Base WoomeraEngagementsWorld War II New Guinea Campaign North Western Area CampaignInsigniaSquadron codeRB 1941 1946 1 Aircraft flownPatrolPBY Catalina 1941 1946 Short Empire 1941 1942 Contents 1 History 1 1 World War II 1 2 Post war re establishment 2 Notes 3 ReferencesHistory editWorld War II edit No 20 Squadron was formed at Port Moresby New Guinea on 1 August 1941 for a general reconnaissance role under the command of Squadron Leader W N Gibson Its establishment was six PBY Catalina flying boats and 133 personnel but only five aircraft all transferred from No 11 Squadron and 55 personnel were available initially 2 3 The squadron conducted long range patrols between bases scattered around the islands to Australia s north in conjunction with No 11 Squadron 4 On 18 November No 20 Squadron s Catalinas were augmented by two Short Empire flying boats transferred from No 11 Squadron 2 5 On 25 November 1941 following the loss of HMAS Sydney one of No 20 Squadron s Catalinas was despatched to Western Australia to join a No 11 Squadron Catalina in search and rescue missions but they found only oil slicks 2 By the outbreak of war in the Pacific No 20 Squadron had a strength of six Catalinas and two Empire flying boats Its personnel at the beginning of December numbered 14 officers and 118 men 2 6 The squadron undertook its first sortie of the Pacific War on 8 December a Catalina located three Japanese luggers in the vicinity of Thursday Island Queensland 2 7 Later in the month it commenced anti submarine patrols and in January 1942 bombing raids against Japanese bases As the Japanese advanced into the South West Pacific No 20 Squadron was also responsible for evacuating white civilians from areas threatened by invasion 4 8 On 21 January one of its Catalinas located the Japanese fleet steaming for Rabaul and signalled a warning to the town s Australian defenders before being shot down by anti aircraft fire it was the squadron s first combat loss 8 9 In the wake of the fall of Rabaul the Catalinas of Nos 11 and 20 Squadrons became the RAAF s only offensive weapon against the Japanese 10 Their raids on Rabaul did little to stem the Japanese advance and in the following months Port Moresby itself was subjected to increasingly frequent attacks which destroyed aircraft facilities and squadron records 4 11 In February 1942 the Short Empires operated by Nos 11 and 20 Squadrons were transferred to the newly formed No 33 Transport Squadron 12 No 20 Squadron lost two Catalinas during patrols on 4 and 6 May the nine crewmen of the first were later found to have been captured and beheaded the crew of the second were also captured and subsequently disappeared without trace 13 14 In response to the threat of invasion at Port Moresby Nos 11 and 20 Squadrons moved to Bowen Queensland on 7 May 1942 15 They were soon attacking Japanese targets in Lae Salamaua and Rabaul On 27 June each squadron contributed an aircraft to a four hour raid over Lae and Salamaua during which as well as bombs the RAAF crews dropped beer bottles to disrupt the enemy soldiers sleep the sound they made falling through the air was according to the official history something between a shrill whistle and a scream 16 By 1 July No 20 Squadron s strength was six Catalinas and 175 personnel out of a planned establishment of nine aircraft and 415 personnel 17 Its prime responsibility in early 1942 was maritime reconnaissance as far as New Guinea the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia the latter half of the year saw a greater focus on night bombing 11 Now comprising 252 officers and men the squadron relocated to Cairns on 11 November 1942 2 18 From Cairns it continued to conduct reconnaissance anti submarine and occasional bombing operations over the waters around New Guinea 4 Between December 1942 and March 1943 No 20 Squadron s aircraft flew a total of 9 629 hours and dropped 227 tons of bombs 19 The squadron s role changed in June 1943 when it commenced mine laying operations over the Netherlands East Indies and the Philippines though it continued to make some bombing raids and supply drops 20 21 nbsp Catalinas of No 20 Squadron foreground and No 42 Squadron background In September 1944 No 20 Squadron became part of No 76 Wing RAAF along with Nos 42 and 43 Squadrons and moved to Darwin Northern Territory All three squadrons operated Catalinas their primary purpose being mine laying 22 On the night of 30 September a Catalina of No 20 Squadron was shot down while attacking a ship at Pomelaa in the Dutch East Indies the loss was compounded by the fact that one of the coordinators of the mining campaign Lieutenant Commander P E Carr of the Royal Australian Navy was aboard the plane and was captured by the Japanese 23 Another of the squadron s Catalinas went down on the night of 27 28 January 1945 possibly in a cyclone over the Timor Sea during the campaign to mine Surabaya 24 In March a detachment of four No 20 Squadron aircraft along with four from No 43 Squadron laid mines off the coast of southern China and Taiwan as part of a No 76 Wing offensive in this area these operations were conducted from Leyte Gulf in the Philippines One of No 20 Squadron s Catalinas was lost on the night of 7 8 March most likely owing to bad weather rather than enemy action 25 Three of the squadron s aircraft mined the entrance to Hong Kong harbour on 8 April and on 26 May four of its Catalinas mined Wenzhou harbour in China the furthest north that any Australian aircraft infiltrated during the war in the Pacific 26 Three of its aircraft flew the RAAF s last mine laying mission on 30 July 27 No 20 Squadron s final wartime sortie was a patrol on 14 August 1945 20 Following the end of the war the squadron operated in the transport role and ferried Australian prisoners of war home from various locations in South East Asia 27 It relocated to RAAF Station Rathmines New South Wales on 21 November 2 No 20 Squadron flew its last mission a transport flight to Balikpapan on 21 January 1946 and disbanded at Rathmines on 27 March 20 Post war re establishment edit No 20 Squadron was reactivated on 1 April 2015 to support airfield operations at RAAF Base Woomera South Australia Consisting of nine uniformed personnel and one Australian Public Service member under the command of Squadron Leader Simon Bartlett the squadron formed part of No 96 Wing a component of Combat Support Group CSG The airfield had previously been managed under the auspices of Aerospace Operational Support Group but a command and control review commissioned by the Chief of Air Force recommended that in common with other RAAF airfields it should be administered by CSG RAAF Base Woomera incorporating Woomera Village was one of two Air Force units formally established on 12 January 2015 as part of a reorganisation of the Woomera Range Complex the other unit being RAAF Woomera Test Range 28 29 The design of the reactivated squadron s crest includes a wedge tailed eagle to denote courage and nobility a woomera spear thrower to symbolise the town and its indigenous heritage Sturt s Desert Pea to represent South Australia and the Pleiades star cluster which features in the folklore of the local Kokatha people 28 Notes edit No 20 Squadron RAAF Second World War 1939 1945 units Australian War Memorial Retrieved 16 April 2015 a b c d e f g RAAF Historical Section 1995 p 26 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 4 a b c d Eather 1995 p 53 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 35 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 42 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 80 a b RAAF Historical Section 1995 p 27 Johnston 2011 pp 107 108 Johnston 2011 p 108 a b RAAF Historical Section 1995 p 28 Gillison 1962 p 481 Johnston 2011 p 181 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 122 RAAF Historical Section 1995 pp 19 28 Gillison 1962 pp 550 551 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 127 No 20 Squadron 1941 46 p 167 Gillison 1962 p 678 a b c RAAF Historical Section 1995 p 29 Odgers 1968 p 359 Odgers 1968 p 365 Odgers 1968 pp 356 360 Odgers 1968 p 369 Odgers 1968 pp 370 371 Odgers 1968 p 371 a b Eather 1995 p 54 a b Curran Aaron 26 April 2020 20SQN rises out of dust Air Force p 9 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Curran Aaron 29 January 2015 Woomera s new lease of life Air Force p 4 Retrieved 26 April 2020 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to No 20 Squadron RAAF No 20 Squadron 1941 46 Operations Record Book RAAF Unit History Sheets Form A50 National Archives of Australia a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Eather Steve 1995 Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force Weston Creek Australian Capital Territory Aerospace Publications ISBN 1 875671 15 3 Gillison Douglas 1962 Royal Australian Air Force 1939 1942 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series 3 Air Vol 1 Canberra Australian War Memorial OCLC 2000369 Johnston Mark 2011 Whispering Death Australian Airmen in the Pacific War Crows Nest New South Wales Allen amp Unwin ISBN 978 1 74175 901 3 Odgers George 1968 Air War Against Japan 1943 1945 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series 3 Air Vol 2 reprint ed Canberra Australian War Memorial OCLC 246580191 RAAF Historical Section 1995 Maritime and Transport Units Units of the Royal Australian Air Force A Concise History Volume 4 Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service ISBN 0 644 42796 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title No 20 Squadron RAAF amp oldid 1185970594, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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