Australian Mark Sixteens
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Cat. No. 8286
The wereabouts of Allied air units during World War II were often very tortuous, and their pilots faced many difficulties. Two RAAF squadrons that became part of the Australian Coltishall Wing at the turn of 1944 and 1945 serve as examples of different deployment paths.
The first unit, No. 451 Squadron, was deployed in Africa and the Mediterranean from May 1941 until the end of 1944. Initially, its pilots flew Hurricanes, switching to Spitfires in March 1943, and even testing Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib planes in the Mediterranean in the second half of the year. Ultimately, however, the unit remained loyal to the Spitfires. Its deployment was so monotonous and casual that it became the squadron with the lowest morale in the RAAF in 1942 and 1943. By the end of 1944, the command was not considering moving No. 451 Squadron back to Australia, and its equipment was not suitable for deployment in Italy. Therefore, it handed over its Mk.IX Spitfires to another unit, moved to Britain, and re-equipped with Mk.XVI Spitfires.
The second unit of the Australian Wing, No. 453 Squadron, had a considerably more colourful history. It was first deployed with Brewster Buffalo aircraft in the fight against the Japanese, and after suffering heavy losses, the command disbanded it in the spring of 1942. In the summer of 1942, a new RAAF unit with this number was established in the UK with Spitfire aircraft.. In January 1944, it became part of No. 125 Airfield, then No. 125 Wing within the 2nd Tactical Air Force in May 1944. It was one of the squadrons operating from French territory in June 1944 and withdrew to the UK in September 1944. Its pilots scored their last aerial victories on September 27, 1944, in combat with Messerschmitt Bf 109s at Arnhem.
In Britain, both squadrons were based at Matlaske airfield as part of the Australian Wing and became part of the Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB). The main task of the Australian airmen was to attack V-1 and V-2 weapon launchers in the Netherlands. Occasionally, they were tasked with fighter sweeps or escorting bombers, but their primary mission was ground attacks, targeting train transports or armoured personnel carriers. The Australians no longer clashed with enemy airmen, their main adversary was German flak.
The Wing was led by former No. 453 Squadron RAAF commander, W/Cdr Donald G. Andrews, who had previously served with RAF Squadrons No. 615, 245, and 175. He served with Australian No. 453 Squadron until May 1944 and was awarded the DFC for his performance. After an operational hiatus, he assumed command of the Australian Wing in February 1945. Despite incorporating his old No. 453 Squadron into it, he also deployed pilots from No. 451 Squadron into combat. He later recalled that within ten days, German flak shot down two of his wingmen, fortunately with both airmen escaping safely. Records from both squadrons, however, indicate that malfunctions and accidents were the primary causes of Spitfire losses.
In April 1945, the Australian Wing primarily escorted British bombers on daytime operations over northern Germany. An exception was on April 11, during a raid by about a hundred Halifaxes on Bayreuth railway station. Andrews personally led the wing in this action, but executing the escort was challenging as bomber crews struggled to maintain formation. This raid marked the third attack on the city in April 1945, resulting in the destruction of about a third of its buildings. American troops entered Bayreuth on April 14, 1945.
The final ceremonial task of the Australian Wing was to provide escort by No. 453 Squadron for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands on her return to her homeland on May 2, 1945. Following the end of the war in Europe, the Wing relocated to bases in Germany.
Andrews's personal Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI, TB520, adorned with fuselage designation DGA and Gremlin emblem, remained in service for nearly two more years after the war's conclusion. It was transferred to No. 183 Squadron RAF at Wunsdorf in mid-June 1945. A few weeks later, the Spitfire was sent to the UK to join No. 587 Squadron of the RAF. After the squadron disbanded in June 1946, ownership of Andrews's former aircraft passed to No. 691 Squadron. Unfortunately, the Spitfire sustained irreparable damage during take-off at Middle Wallop airfield in Hampshire on March 24, 1947.