Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/March 24

Pilots of No. 457 Squadron receive final instructions at the airstrip for their flight back to Australia in October 1945.

No. 457 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II. The Squadron was formed in England in June 1941 and began flying operational patrols in August. The Squadron first saw action in March 1942 when it began conducting operations over northern France. No. 457 Squadron was redeployed to Australia in August 1942 and was deployed to Darwin in January 1943 where it formed part of the force which protected the town from Japanese air attacks. Due to the collapse of Japanese air power in the Netherlands East Indies the Squadron mainly operated in the ground attack role from April 1944 until the end of the war and was disbanded in November 1945.