No. 452 Squadron — RAAF

Formed at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey on 8 April 1941, No. 452 Squadron was the first Australian squadron constituted in Britain during the Second World War and flew Supermarine Spitfires exclusively throughout its service. Moving to Kenley in July 1941, it joined No. 11 Group’s Kenley Wing and flew offensive sweeps and escort missions over occupied France and Belgium, rapidly earning a reputation as one of Fighter Command’s most effective fighter units. By the time it returned to Australia in mid-1942 it had destroyed around seventy enemy aircraft in European skies at the cost of twenty-two pilots. Re-formed in the Northern Territory in January 1943, the squadron defended Darwin before moving forward to Morotai in December 1944 under the 1st Tactical Air Force, flying ground-attack and anti-shipping sorties in support of Australian operations in Borneo until its final sortie on 10 August 1945. It was disbanded in November 1945.