Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

No. 59 Squadron (RAF)

No. 59 Squadron (RAF) is included on this site because it was one of many RAF units to which individual RAAF personnel (known collectively as "The odd bods") were posted to and in which they served fought and often died.  In fact more Commonwelath personnel served in this way than were posted to national squadrons.  They also suffered grievous losses, particularly those in Bomber Command.

No.59 Squadron began the Second World War as a reconnaissance squadron, but spent most of the war serving as an anti-shipping or anti-submarine squadron, flying the very long range Liberator from the summer of 1942.

At the start of the Second World War No.59 Squadron was equipped with the Bristol Blenheim light bomber.  It moved to France in October 1939, and operated as a strategic reconnaissance unit throughout the phoney war period and during the German offensive in May 1940. The squadron remained in France for longer than many other Blenhiem squadrons, only returning to England on 20 May.

After its return to England the squadron continued to fly reconnaissance missions for five months, before in October that task was taken over by the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. Bombing raids against the German invasion ports began in July 1940, as did anti-submarine patrols.

On 1 April 1941 No.59 became a general reconnaissance squadron, carrying out anti-shipping strikes, first with the Blenheims and then with Lockheed Hudsons. Bombing raids on German occupied ports continued during this period - Boulogne was bombed in June 1941.

Operations were suspended between 18 December 1941 and March 1942 while new crews were training to replace eighteen of the squadron's air crews who left to fly Hudsons out to the Far East.

Hudson missions resumed in March 1942, before in August the squadron converted to the Consolidated Liberator. Two months of anti-submarine patrols began on 24 October, before in December the squadron became one of a small number of RAF squadrons to operate the Flying Fortress. The first Fortress patrol was flown on 23 January 1943, but by March the squadron had converted back to the Liberator, which had the endurance needed for effective anti-submarine patrols. In May 1943 the squadron moved the Northern Ireland, and for the rest of the war it flew long range patrols over the Atlantic.

After the end of the war in Europe No.59 Squadron joined Transport Command, and flew troops out to India from 1 October 1945 until it was disbanded on 15 June 1946.