No. 43 Squadron RAAF

A No. 43 Squadron Catalina

No. 43 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol and mine laying squadron of World War II.

Squadron history

No. 43 Squadron was formed at Bowen in Queensland on 1 May 1943. Equipped with Catalina aircraft the Squadron flew its first operational patrols from Karumba on 8 September.

While No. 43 Squadron was initially allocated a general reconnaissance role, like all the RAAF's Catalina squadrons the Squadron also operated in the mine laying and bombing roles. In addition to flying convoy protection patrols along the Australian East Coast the Squadron conducted offensive operations against Japanese shipping in the Solomon Islands and the eastern islands of the Netherlands East Indies.

After moving to Darwin in April 1944 the Squadron operated almost exclusively in the mine laying role. Operating alongside the other Catalina squadrons, No. 43 Squadron conducted mine laying operations throughout South East Asia, venturing as far as the Chinese coast.

Following the end of the war No. 43 Squadron performed routine patrol and transport flights until moving to RAAF Base Rathmines in November 1945. No 43 Squadron was disbanded at Rathmines on 10 April 1946.

Aircraft operated

• Consolidated Catalina (May 1943 – April 1946)

References

• Steve Eather (1995) Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Aerospace Publications.
• RAAF Historical Section (1995), Units of the Royal Australian Air Force. A Concise History. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.