No. 15 Squadron RAAF
No. 15 Squadron RAAF
No. 15 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force light bomber and maritime patrol unit in World War II. It formed in January 1944 at Camden, New South Wales, with 19 Bristol Beaufort bombers and about 380 air and ground crew. Its tasks included anti-submarine patrols along the east coast of Australia, supporting Army and Navy operations, and photo reconnaissance.
The squadron’s headquarters moved to Menangle in February 1944, then returned to Camden in May. In July 1944, it began preparing to move to New Guinea; an advance party left on 21 July, while other members remained in Australia to continue patrols.
On 25 December 1944, Beaufort aircraft from No. 15 Squadron located the damaged liberty ship Robert S. Walker after it was torpedoed by German submarine U-862 off Moruya; the ship later sank.
From September 1944 to March 1945, the squadron moved to New Guinea. Its headquarters were at Madang Airfield from 20 March 1945, with a detachment at Middleburg. In New Guinea, No. 15 Squadron carried out anti-submarine and anti-barge patrols, attacked Japanese positions, conducted photo reconnaissance, and transported mail and supplies.
By late April 1945, the squadron’s headquarters were at Madang, with detachments at Middleburg, Cairns, and Townsville, and a rear echelon back at Camden. From 4 to 11 May 1945, eight aircraft joined No. 71 Wing to support the Aitape–Wewak campaign from Tadji Airfield, bombing Japanese positions and aiding the Dove Bay landing on 11 May. Operations were hampered by a shortage of bombs.
From June 1945, many missions were flown in cooperation with No. 120 Squadron. After Japan’s surrender on 15 August 1945, No. 15 Squadron dropped leaflets and carried out transport and courier flights.
The unit began returning to Australia on 22 September 1945. The air echelon left Middleburg in late September, and the sea echelon sailed on 2 October. The squadron’s headquarters arrived in Kingaroy, Queensland, on 5 October, where it began demobilisation. No. 15 Squadron was formally disbanded on 23 March 1946, having suffered 15 fatalities during its service.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:04 (CET).