No. 461 Squadron RAAF
Encyclopedia
No. 461 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force
maritime patrol
squadron of World War II
which operated under Royal Air Force
control flying in Europe and over the Atlantic. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and was disbanded in 1945.
in Britain
on 25 April 1942 as an anti-submarine squadron. Equipped with Short Sunderland
aircraft the Squadron began flying operational anti-submarine
patrols over the Atlantic in July. While some of No. 461 Squadron's aircrew had previously served with No. 10 Squadron RAAF
most of the aircrew were inexperienced and required further training and flight experience. No. 461 Squadron encountered its first U-Boat
in September but was not successful in sinking any submarines during 1942. The Squadron flew a number of transport flights to Gibraltar
in October in support of Operation Torch
.
During 1943 No. 461 Squadron mainly conducted daylight anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay
. These patrols exposed the Squadron's aircraft to frequent attacks by German fighters. The Sunderland aircraft were fitted with a heavy defensive armament, however, and were often successful in beating off fighter attacks. During 1943 the Squadron sank a total of three submarines and damaged several other submarines.
By May 1943 No. 461 Squadron was fully equipped with the more advanced Mark III Sunderland. This aircraft allowed the Squadron to operate at night. Equipped with these improved aircraft the Squadron continued to fly anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic, including patrols in support of the Allied landing in Normandy. During 1944 the squadron sank three submarines and damaged a further three.
Following the liberation of France the numbers of German U-boats in the Atlantic declined and No. 461 Squadron made few contacts with the enemy between October 1944 and the end of the war. No. 461 Squadron was disbanded at Pembroke Dock
on 4 June 1945.
During the war No. 461 destroyed a total of six German submarines. These submarines were:
In exchange, the squadron lost 20 Sunderlands to enemy action and accidents. 86 squadron members of all nationalities were killed on operations.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
maritime patrol
Maritime patrol
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities....
squadron of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
which operated under Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
control flying in Europe and over the Atlantic. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and was disbanded in 1945.
Squadron history
No. 461 Squadron was formed at RAF Mount BattenRAF Mount Batten
RAF Mount Batten was a Royal Air Force station and flying boat base at Mount Batten, a peninsula in Plymouth Sound, Devon. England. Originally a seaplane station opened in 1917 as a Royal Navy Air Service Station Cattewater it became RAF Cattewater in 1918 and in 1928 was re-named RAF Mount Batten...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 25 April 1942 as an anti-submarine squadron. Equipped with Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
aircraft the Squadron began flying operational anti-submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
patrols over the Atlantic in July. While some of No. 461 Squadron's aircrew had previously served with No. 10 Squadron RAAF
No. 10 Squadron RAAF
No. 10 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The Squadron was first formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War.-Second World War:...
most of the aircrew were inexperienced and required further training and flight experience. No. 461 Squadron encountered its first U-Boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
in September but was not successful in sinking any submarines during 1942. The Squadron flew a number of transport flights to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in October in support of Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
.
During 1943 No. 461 Squadron mainly conducted daylight anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. These patrols exposed the Squadron's aircraft to frequent attacks by German fighters. The Sunderland aircraft were fitted with a heavy defensive armament, however, and were often successful in beating off fighter attacks. During 1943 the Squadron sank a total of three submarines and damaged several other submarines.
By May 1943 No. 461 Squadron was fully equipped with the more advanced Mark III Sunderland. This aircraft allowed the Squadron to operate at night. Equipped with these improved aircraft the Squadron continued to fly anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic, including patrols in support of the Allied landing in Normandy. During 1944 the squadron sank three submarines and damaged a further three.
Following the liberation of France the numbers of German U-boats in the Atlantic declined and No. 461 Squadron made few contacts with the enemy between October 1944 and the end of the war. No. 461 Squadron was disbanded at Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
on 4 June 1945.
During the war No. 461 destroyed a total of six German submarines. These submarines were:
- U-332 (1 May 1943)
- U-461 (30 July 1943)
- U-106 (2 August 1943)
- U-571 (28 January 1944)
- U-385 (10 August 1944)
- U-270 (13 August 1944)
In exchange, the squadron lost 20 Sunderlands to enemy action and accidents. 86 squadron members of all nationalities were killed on operations.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1942 | May 1943 | Short Sunderland Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England.... |
Mk.II |
| August 1942 | June 1945 | Short Sunderland | Mk.III |
| February 1945 | June 1945 | Short Sunderland | Mk.V |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 1942 | 31 August 1942 | RAF Mount Batten RAF Mount Batten RAF Mount Batten was a Royal Air Force station and flying boat base at Mount Batten, a peninsula in Plymouth Sound, Devon. England. Originally a seaplane station opened in 1917 as a Royal Navy Air Service Station Cattewater it became RAF Cattewater in 1918 and in 1928 was re-named RAF Mount Batten... , Devon Devon Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with... |
|
| 31 August 1942 | 21 April 1943 | RAF Hamworthy Junction RAF Hamworthy RAF Hamworthy was a Royal Air Force Coastal Command seaplane base at Poole Harbour in Dorset, England, from 1939 to 1948. During World War II, it was used by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and BOAC.-RAF units and aircraft:-External links:*... , (Poole Harbour Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement... ) Dorset Dorset Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974... |
|
| 21 April 1943 | 20 June 1945 | RAF Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered.... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
Det. at RAF Sullom Voe Sullom Voe Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland. It is a location of the Sullom Voe oil terminal. The word Voe is from the Old Norse vagr and denotes a small bay or narrow creek... , Shetland Islands Shetland Islands Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... , 28 September 1944 – 29 October 1944 |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| May 1942 | August 1942 | Wing Commander Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... N.A.R. Halliday |
| August 1942 | January 1943 | Wing Commander R.C.O. Lovelock |
| January 1943 | February 1944 | Wing Commander D.L.G. Douglas, DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
| February 1944 | February 1945 | Wing Commander J.M. Hampshire, DFC |
| February 1945 | June 1945 | Wing Commander R.R. Oldham |