No. 21 Squadron RAAF

Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) general reserve squadron. Formed in the mid 1930s as a unit of the part time Citizen Air Force (CAF), it was mobilised for service during World War II, when it saw action against the Japanese as a fighter unit in the Malayan campaign, a dive bomber unit in the New Guinea campaign, and a heavy bomber unit in the Borneo campaign. After the war, the squadron continued to fly until 1960, when the CAF ceased flying operations. At that time, No. 21 Squadron converted to a non flying support role, which it currently fulfils at RAAF Base Point Cook and RAAF Williams Laverton.

No. 21 Squadron was formed at RAAF Station Laverton on 20 April 1936, as a Citizen Air Force (reserve) squadron. Under the command of Squadron Leader J. H. Summers, the squadron had a cadre of regular RAAF personnel who served alongside the part time members of the CAF and initially operated a variety of aircraft including Hawker Demons, Westland Wapitis and de Havilland Gipsy Moths. With these aircraft, the squadron undertook several tasks. As a CAF squadron, training was its main role; its personnel were instructed in fighter tactics, bombing and army co operation duties; they were also used for search and rescue tasks and public relations duties.

Following the outbreak of World War II, the squadron was mobilised and its personnel placed on full time service. The tempo of training increased as the squadron was brought up to strength and prepared for its first operational missions. This came on 15 December when aircraft from the squadron were assigned to convoy escort duty. Initially, the squadron operated Demons, Ansons, Avro Cadets and a North American NA 16; shortly afterwards it was re equipped with the Australian built CAC Wirraway and switched to an army co operation role.

In August 1940, the squadron was dispatched to Seletar, on Singapore, where it operated its Wirraways in support of ground forces that had been stationed there amid concerns of war with the Japanese. In early 1941, No. 21 Squadron, the squadron was re designated a fighter unit and was sent to Sembawang to re equip with the Brewster Buffalo. inadequate supplies of spare parts; Operating once more out of Sembawang, 21/453 Squadron, as it became known, flew convoy escort, reconnaissance, air defence and bomber escort missions. In mid January the squadron experienced a couple of instances of success. On 16 January, while escorting a flight of Vickers Vildebeest light bombers, six of the squadron's Buffaloes shot down three Japanese fighters that rose to attack the Vildebeests. Later, on 26 January, two more Japanese fighters were destroyed and another possibly shot down during a bomber escort mission over Endau. (See also: )

In November the unit moved to Lowood, Queensland, for advanced training. In January and February 1944 the squadron transferred to Nadzab in New Guinea to undertake operations. when, as part of No. 82 Wing RAAF, it attacked targets at Laga and a radio station at Moena Island, operating out of Fenton. After being briefly renamed No. 2 Squadron from February to April 1948, the squadron was re formed as No. 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron at RAAF Laverton as a Citizen Air Force (reserve) fighter squadron. It flew CAC Wirraway, P 51 Mustang and de Havilland Vampire aircraft from 1948 until 1960.