No. 84 Wing RAAF
No. 84 Wing RAAF | |
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![]() Group Captain Bill Hely (left), Officer Commanding No. 84 Wing, with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal George Jones, at Torokina, Bougainville, in February 1945 | |
Active | 1944–46 1991–current |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
Role | Transport |
Part of | Air Mobility Group |
Headquarters | RAAF Base Richmond |
Motto(s) | Guide and Deliver[1] |
Aircraft | Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules Alenia C-27J Spartan |
Engagements | World War II
War in Afghanistan War in Iraq |
Decorations | Meritorious Unit Citation |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | William Hely (1944–45) |
No. 84 Wing is a
Formed in 1944 for army co-operation duties in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, No. 84 Wing operated a mix of aircraft including CAC Boomerangs, CAC Wirraways, Auster AOPs and Bristol Beauforts, before disbanding in 1946. It was re-formed in 1991 as a tactical transport wing headquartered at RAAF Base Townsville, Queensland, comprising Nos. 35 and 38 Squadrons operating de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribous. By 1996, it had been augmented by No. 32 Squadron, operating Hawker Siddeley HS 748 trainer-transports.
In 1998, No. 84 Wing was reorganised as a special transport wing, headquartered at Richmond. The Caribous were transferred to
History
Army cooperation formation
The
No. 84 (Army Cooperation) Wing was formed on 11 September 1944 in
![Single-engined high-wing light plane flying over water, with jungle terrain in background](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/No._17_AOP_Flight_Auster_%28AWM_107054%29.jpg/260px-No._17_AOP_Flight_Auster_%28AWM_107054%29.jpg)
Despite suffering shortages of pilots and equipment, No. 84 Wing was generally able to keep pace with the army's requirements.[2][8] A detachment of No. 36 Squadron, flying C-47 Dakotas, was employed to augment the wing's supply capabilities. Up until the end of June 1945, No. 5 Squadron had flown almost 2,000 sorties and No. 17 AOP Flight over 1,300, while No. 10 Local Air Supply Unit and the No. 36 Squadron detachment had accounted for almost 1,000 between them. As the navigational efficiency of the New Zealander pilots increased, demands on the Boomerangs and Wirraways lessened, and the bulk of the reconnaissance duties fell to the Austers of No. 17 AOP Flight.[2]
When the Pacific War ended in August 1945, No. 10 Local Air Supply Unit was tasked with dropping leaflets announcing the news over Japanese positions.
Transport formation
![Twin-engined military cargo plane parked on airfield](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Royal_Australian_Air_Force_DHC-4_Caribou_-_A4-299.jpg/260px-Royal_Australian_Air_Force_DHC-4_Caribou_-_A4-299.jpg)
No. 84 Wing was re-established as a tactical transport wing under the newly formed
![Air-to-air view of four-engined jet transport refuelling fighter plane](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/RAAF_EB-707_%2833_Sqn%29_refuelling_a_US_Navy_F-A-18_Hornet_%28VFA-131%29.jpg/260px-RAAF_EB-707_%2833_Sqn%29_refuelling_a_US_Navy_F-A-18_Hornet_%28VFA-131%29.jpg)
In January 1998, No. 84 Wing was reorganised as a special transport wing under ALG, "special transport" meaning activities not directly related to army support, such as carrying VIPs.
No. 34 Squadron's fleet of five Falcon 900s was replaced by two
![Twin-engined passenger jet in fight](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/RAAF_Boeing_737-7DT%28BBJ%29_CBR_Gilbert-1.jpg/260px-RAAF_Boeing_737-7DT%28BBJ%29_CBR_Gilbert-1.jpg)
No. 37 Squadron transferred from No. 86 Wing to No. 84 Wing in October 2010. It operated a mix of
Notes
- ^ "Heraldic Crests – Royal Australian Air Force". Heraldic Crests of Her Majesty's Air Forces. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 318–327
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 440
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 317
- ^ a b c d "Bulletin board". Air Force News. Vol. 41, no. 9. October 1999. p. 18.
- ^ a b Parnell; Lynch, Australian Air Force Since 1911, p. 97
- ^ a b c RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 145–147
- ^ Johnston, Whispering Death, pp. 389–390
- ^ No. 84 (Army Co-operation) Wing. "Operations record book". pp. 21–23, 31. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 172–173
- ^ "No 5 Squadron RAAF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ Royal Australian Air Force. "No. 84 (Army Co-operation) Wing accounting inspection". p. 4. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ AWM, Squadrons, Formations & Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, p. 121
- ^ a b RAAF Historical section, Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations, p. 162
- ^ a b "Aircraft of the RAAF: A4 – DHC Caribou". RAAF News. Vol. 34, no. 1. February 1992. p. 15.
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 104
- ^ "Special tour for Caribou". RAAF News. Vol. 34, no. 1. February 1992. p. 21.
- ^ "From Tiger Moths to tactical transport". Air Force Today. Vol. 1, no. 1. May 1996. pp. 16–17.
- ^ McPhedran, Air Force, pp. 64–65
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 48, 67
- ^ "TAC airlift". Air Force Today. Vol. 1, no. 2. July 1996. pp. 24–27.
- ^ a b "No 35 Squadron". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "32 Squadron multi-role". Air Force Today. Vol. 1, no. 1. May 1996. pp. 30–31.
- ^ Odgers, Air Force Australia, pp. 192–193, 196–197
- ^ Odgers, Air Force Australia, p. 206
- ^ "Australian Defence Force Units and Establishments". Defence Annual Report 1997–98 (PDF). Department of Defence. p. 53. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Gulf 707s operational". Air Force News. Vol. 40, no. 3. April 1998. p. 1.
- ^ "Australian Defence Force contingent deployment to the Gulf to continue". Department of Defence. 8 May 1998. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Farewell of 84 WG Detachment". Department of Defence. 15 March 2002. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ Caddaye, Ben (10 October 2002). "Well done". Air Force. Vol. 44, no. 19. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ Seah, Mike. "84 Wing Detachment, Ganci Air Base, Manas, Kyrgyzstan" (PDF). Department of Defence. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "84WG awarded unit citation". Air Force. Vol. 44, no. 19. 10 October 2002. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Challenger CL 604". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "No. 34 Squadron's aircraft". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Answers to questions on notice from the Department of Defence" (PDF). Budget Supplementary Estimates; October 2008. Department of Defence. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Liebelt, Simone; Johnson, Peter (10 March 2005). "King Air's debut role". Air Force. Vol. 47, no. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Lifting the bar". Air Force. Vol. 47, no. 17. 22 September 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "ADF Units and Establishments". Defence Annual Report 2005–06. Department of Defence. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "No. 285 Squadron's history". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "No. 285 Squadron Boeing 707 Simulator Decommissioning". Department of Defence. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 99
- ^ a b "Restructure of Air Lift Group units". Department of Defence. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Air Lift Group". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "No 33 Squadron". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "No. 86 Wing". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Royal Australian Air Force squadrons celebrate new role". Department of Defence. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Humanitarian support". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ Hamilton, Eamon (3 February 2011). "Flood assist" (PDF). Air Force. Vol. 53, no. 1. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ McPhedran, Air Force, pp. 237–238
- ^ "No. 34 Squadron's history". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^ Pittaway, Nigel (March 2013). "C-130J upgrade – Keeping the Hercules current". Defence Today. Vol. 10, no. 2. pp. 16–17.
- Australian Aviation. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ McPhedran, Air Force, p. 11
- ^ Hamilton, Eamon (28 February 2013). "Keeping up ops" (PDF). Air Force. Vol. 55, no. 3. p. 4. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "RAAF C-27J buy confirmed". Australian Aviation. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ Hamilton, Eamon (30 January 2014). "Spartan's maiden flight". Air Force. Vol. 56, no. 1. p. 3. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ "First RAAF C-27J touches down". Australian Aviation. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ Hamilton, Eamon (8 May 2014). "Symbolic change is perfect timing". Air Force. Vol. 56, no. 8. p. 7. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "20171013raaf8494074_033". Defence Image Library. Department of Defence. Retrieved 18 October 2017.[permanent dead link]
References
- Australian War Memorial (AWM) (1995). Squadrons, Formations & Units of the Royal Australian Air Force and Their Deployment. Canberra: Unpublished monograph held by the AWM Research Centre.
- ISBN 978-1-74175-901-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7322-9025-2.
- OCLC 246580191.
- Odgers, George (1996) [1984]. Air Force Australia. Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: National Book Distributors. ISBN 1-86436-081-X.
- Parnell, N.M.; Lynch, C.A. (1976). Australian Air Force Since 1911. Sydney: A.H. & A.W. Reed. ISBN 0-589-07153-X.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations. Canberra: ISBN 0-644-42792-2.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 4: Maritime and Transport Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42796-5.
- Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond: Royal Australian Air Force. ISBN 0-646-05212-8.