No. 8 Squadron RAAF

No. 8 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was first formed in October 1917 and was disbanded in January 1946 after seeing action during the Pacific War.

History
No. 8 Squadron was first formed during World War I, being raised as a flying training squadron of the Australian Flying Corps at Yatesbury, England, during on 25 October 1917. The squadron received its first aircraft in January 1918 and trained replacement pilots for No. 4 Squadron until being disbanded following the conclusion of the war on 30 April 1919. The squadron's first commanding officer was Major G.A.C. Cowper; it was initially designated as No. 33 (Australian) (Training) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.

During World War II, No. 8 Squadron was reformed as a bomber-reconnaissance unit at RAAF Base Fairbairn on 11 September 1939. Due to a shortage of other aircraft the squadron was initially equipped with ex-civilian Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 transport aircraft which were used to conduct patrols off the Australian coast and for transport tasks. The squadron was re-equipped with Lockheed Hudson medium bombers in May 1940 and was deployed to Singapore in August. The squadron first saw action within hours of the outbreak of war in the Pacific in December 1941 when its 12 aircraft attacked Japanese shipping off Malaya. The squadron suffered heavy losses from anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighters in the first days of the Malayan Campaign, during which time it undertook bombing and reconnaissance missions, and as there were no aircraft to replace its losses, the squadron was amalgamated with No. 1 Squadron RAAF later in December.

The amalgamated squadron continued operations throughout the month, before No. 8 Squadron handed its remaining Hudsons to No. 1 Squadron in January 1942 and was evacuated to Palembang in Sumatra where it received replacement Hudsons. The replacements were six aircraft from No. 59 Squadron RAF, as well as their crews, who had been reassigned and sent from the UK between December 1941 and January 1942. With the new force, they undertook further reconnaissance and bombing missions, during which the squadron continued to suffer heavy losses until No. 8 Squadron was disbanded at Batavia on 16 February and its personnel returned to Australia.

No. 8 Squadron was reformed at RAAF Station Fairbairn on 12 March 1943 equipped with DAP Beaufort bombers as a medium and torpedo bomber squadron. The squadron moved to Goodenough Island in August and began flying combat missions against Japanese positions and shipping in the New Britain area. In December, one of the squadron's aircraft sank a 6,834 tonne Japanese ship with torpedoes in Simpson Harbour. Following the isolation of Rabual, the squadron moved to the New Guinea mainland in April 1944 and flew strikes against Japanese positions near Wewak and anti-shipping patrols until the end of the war from bases around Nadzab and Tadji. No. 8 Squadron was disbanded at Tadji in New Guinea on 19 January 1946.

During the war, 79 personnel from the squadron were killed in action or died on active service. Members from the squadron received the following decorations: one Order of the British Empire, 13 Distinguished Flying Crosses and one bar, two Distinguished Flying Medals and seven Mentions in Despatches.

Aircraft operated
The squadron operated the following aircraft:
 * Avro 504 (January 1918 – April 1919);
 * Sopwith Pup (January 1918 – April 1919);
 * Sopwith Camel (January 1918 – April 1919);
 * Sopwith Snipe (?-April 1919);
 * Douglas DC-2 (September 1939 – May 1940);
 * Douglas DC-3 (September 1939 – May 1940);
 * Lockheed Hudson (May 1940 – February 1942);
 * DAP Beaufort (March 1943 – January 1946).