460 Sqn (AWM 044167)
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No. 460 Squadron is a
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
intelligence unit active within the
Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation The Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) is an government of Australia, Australian government intelligence agency that is part of the Department of Defence (Australia), Department of Defence responsible for the collection, analy ...
(DIGO). It was first formed as a
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
squadron during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
on 15 November 1941 and disbanded on 10 October 1945 after seeing extensive combat over Europe. The squadron was a multinational unit, but most personnel were
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n. No. 460 Squadron was reformed on 2 July 2010 and is currently located in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
.


History


World War II

No. 460 Squadron RAAF was formed from 'C' Flight of No. 458 Squadron RAAF at
RAF Molesworth Royal Air Force Molesworth or more simply RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, England with a history dating back to 1917. Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished ...
,
Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...
on 15 November 1941, as a bomber squadron equipped with Wellington Mk.IV aircraft. Originally part of
No. 8 Group RAF No. 8 Group RAF (8 Gp) was a Royal Air Force group which existed during the final year of the First World War and during the Second World War. First World War No. 8 Group was formed in April 1918 as a training unit and designated 8 Group (Trai ...
,
Bomber Command Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...
, the squadron moved to
RAF Breighton Breighton Aerodrome is a private aerodrome primarily used for general aviation flying located on the former Royal Air Force Breighton or more simply RAF Breighton, a former Royal Air Force station located near to the village of Breighton, East ...
,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
and joined No. 1 Group RAF. The squadron made its first raid, against the German city of
Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
, on 12 March 1942. The following night, five crews from the squadron participated in a raid on harbour facilities around Dunkirk, during which the squadron suffered its first losses of the war when one Wellington was shot down. A six-week "apprenticeship" period followed until the end of April 1942, during which the squadron was assigned mainly to attack less heavily defended targets on the French Channel coast; nevertheless, the squadron also undertook several attacks against targets in Germany during this time also. The squadron's first three months of operations saw it carry out 34 raids. For each raid, at least two aircraft were contributed, with some raids seeing as many as 10 aircraft taking part; a 30 May 1942 raid on Cologne saw 18 aircraft from No. 460 Squadron assigned. A total of six crews were lost during these raids. Losses between June and August amounted to 20 aircraft, and at the end of the period the squadron began to convert to Halifax Mk.IIs, but in October the squadron was re-equipped with Lancaster Mks. I and III. The following May, No. 460 Squadron relocated to
RAF Binbrook Royal Air Force Binbrook or RAF Binbrook is a former Royal Air Force station located near Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England. The old domestic site (married quarters) has been renamed to become the village of Brookenby. RAF Binbrook was primaril ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, from where it participated in the strategic bombing of Germany. In late 1943 and early 1944, the squadron flew sorties in the
Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...
. During the spring and summer of 1944, the squadron flew many missions in support of the
D-Day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
. Its final raid was an attack on
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's mountain retreat of
Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...
on
Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...
, 1945. In May, No. 460 Squadron joined
Operation Manna Operation Manna was the Code word (communication), codeword for a Second World War operation by the British and Greek forces in Greece in mid-October 1944, following the gradual withdrawal of the Axis Occupation of Greece, German occupying for ...
, the transportation of relief supplies to starving
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
civilians. The squadron moved to
RAF East Kirkby Royal Air Force East Kirkby or more simply RAF East Kirkby is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of East Kirkby, south of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, Horncastle in Lincolnshire, just off the ...
, Lincolnshire, in preparation for re-location to the Pacific theatre, as part of a proposed Commonwealth strategic air force known as
Tiger Force Tiger Force was the name of a long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) unit of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War from November 1965 to November 1967. Th ...
, for the
invasion of Japan An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives o ...
. The move became unnecessary following the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civili ...
and No. 460 Squadron disbanded on 10 October 1945. The squadron flew the most
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...
s of any Australian bomber squadron and dropped more bomb tonnage than any squadron in the whole of Bomber Command—24,856 tons, which it dropped over 6,262 sorties. In doing that it lost 188 aircraft and suffered 1,018 combat deaths (589 of whom were Australian). This was the most of any Australian squadron during the war, with No. 460 Squadron effectively wiped out five times over its existence. RAF Bomber Command represented only two percent of total Australian enlistments during World War II, but accounted for almost 20 percent of personnel killed in action. Total Bomber Command losses were 55,573 for all nationalities. No. 460 Squadron is commemorated at the
Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...
by a display featuring its only surviving aircraft,
G for George G for George is an Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber, squadron code AR-G and serial number ''W4783'', operated by No. 460 Squadron RAAF during World War II. It is now preserved at the Australian War Memorial (AWM), Canberra, Australia. History G-Ge ...
. This aircraft made 90 operational sorties between late 1942 and mid-1944. There is a memorial to the squadron on the site of the former
RAF Binbrook Royal Air Force Binbrook or RAF Binbrook is a former Royal Air Force station located near Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England. The old domestic site (married quarters) has been renamed to become the village of Brookenby. RAF Binbrook was primaril ...
, in Lincolnshire, UK, consisting of a plaque, trees and various
memorial bench A memorial bench, memorial seat or death bench is a piece of outdoor furniture which commemorates a dead person. Such benches are typically made of wood, but can also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials such as plastics. Typically m ...
es. There are also memorials in a number of other countries including Denmark, France, the Netherlands
Grafhorst
and Germany, marking the sites of where squadron aircraft crashed or individual crew members were killed.


Current role

On 1 April 2010, then Chief of Air Force Air Marshal
Mark Binskin Air Chief Marshal Mark Donald Binskin, (born 20 March 1960) is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve. He served as Chief of Air Force (2008–11), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2011–14), and Chief of the Defence Fo ...
announced that No. 460 Squadron was to be reformed as a non-flying squadron within the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO). The squadron was subsequently re-established on 2 July at a ceremony held in front of G for George at the Australian War Memorial. No. 460 Squadron is currently located in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
. Its roles include analysing photos and other imagery to help plan strike missions.


Aircraft operated


Squadron bases


Commanding officers


See also

* Article XV squadrons *
Roberts Dunstan Roberts Christian "Bob" Dunstan DSO (5 November 1922 – 11 October 1989) was an Australian soldier and aviator during the Second World War. He was notable, among other things, for: * serving with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an air ...


References


Bibliography

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External links


Official RAAF webpage for 460 Squadron



A 460 Squadron tribute site

Wartime Memories Project – No.460 Squadron RAAF



Eyewitness accounts from 460 Squadron by F/O Henry Baskerville

ADF-Serials Vickers Wellington in RAAF Service

ADF-Serials Handley Page Halifax in RAAF Service



ADF-Serials 460 Squadron RAAF Photo Album
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 460 Squadron Raaf 460 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1941 Australian Article XV squadrons of World War II