79 SQUADRON RAAF
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2

79 Squadron was formed at Laverton on 26 April 1943 with Mark VC Spitfires. Their Commanding Officer was Squadron Leader A.C. Rawlinson.

They moved almost immediately to "Wooloomanata", near Geelong, from May until June 1943. They moved to Goodenough Island in June 1943. They flew their first operation on 19 June 1943, but no contact was made with the enemy.

It took some three weeks for most of the twenty four Mark VC Spitfires that started out to reach Goodenough Island. Naturally, there were some casualties on the way; but most were relatively minor, and the pilots and aircraft caught up with the rest of the Squadron later on. There was however one serious accident while in transit to Goodenough Island through Garbutt. Two Spitfires from 79 Squadron RAAF collided when landing at Garbutt aerodrome on Sunday 13 June 1943.

Douglas Scott was one of twenty four pilots ferrying the Spitfires from "Wooloomanata" to Goodenogh Island. He remembers this journey as follows:-

"Horn Island was also used as a staging post for fighter squadrons moving between Australia and New Guinea. I landed there in May 1943 in a Spitfire of 79 IF Squadron after the long hall up the east coast from Woolamanata, near Geelong. Navigation instructions: 'Keep Australia on the left'. We could only stop to refuel as the revetments were occupied by the base defence Boomerangs. The afternoon leg was to Moresby: 'Fly east, when you see mountains look down; if you are over mangroves turn right; over coral turn left; when you see three airstrips you are there.' Subsequently Horn became quite familiar to our pilots flying replacement aircraft to the squadron from the limit of the ferry pilot's territory, Townsville."

In August 1943, 79 Squadron moved to Kirwina in the Tobriand Islands. On 31 October 1943 Flight Sergeant I.H. Callister shot down a Japanese "Tony" north of Kiriwina. This was the first "kill" for 79 Squadron.

In early 1944 they started some ground attack sorties along with some defensive patrols, fighter sweeps, bomber escorts and naval co-operations tasks. This was a busy time for the squadron.

In March 1944, 79 Squadron relocated to Momote Island. The island had previously been captured back from the Japanese. They commenced a number of ground attack missions from Momote.

In January 1945, 79 Squadron moved to Darwin in the Northern Territory. In February 1945 they had relocated to Moratai.

After the Japanese had surrendered they took part in leaflet dropping operations across enemy occupied islands. The Squadron then moved to Oakey in Queensland where it was disbanded on 12 November 1945.

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This page first produced 15 April 2001

This page last updated 13 January 2020