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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII
No. 458 Squadron
No 458 Squadron was formed at Williamtown, New South Wales on the 8th of July 1941 under the Empire Air Training Scheme. It established itself in Britain in August 1941 at Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire as a medium-bomber unit in No 1 Group. It began operations on the 20th of October 1941 with Wellington Mk.IV in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It developed the reputation of having the highest seviceability in any bomber group. At the end of January 1942 it transferred to the Middle east, ferrying its Wellington Ics to Egypt, however air and ground crew were separated and the aircraft commandeered for operations in Malta by other squadrons. No 458 was not reunited until the 1st of September 1942. Its role, based at Shallufa, was to find and attack enemy shipping in the Meditarrenean with detachments in Egypt, Malta, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Sardinia, Corsica and Italy. The squadron also did conventional bombing in support of the Allied invasion of southern France in August 1944.
Relocating to Gibraltar in January 1945 it escorted Allied convoys in the western Atlantic until the end of the war on the 8th of May 1945, disbanding on the 9th of June 1945.
Airfields No. 458 Squadron flew from:
- RAAF Williamtown NSW on the 8th of July 1941 (formed)
- RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire from the 25th of August 1941 (Group 1. Wellington IV)
- Shallufa, Egypt from the 1st of September 1942 (Coastal Command. Wellington IC, Wellington VII)
- LG91 from March 1943 (Wellington XIII)
- Blida, Algeria from May 1943
- Protville from June 1943
- Bone, Algeria from October 1943 (Wellington XIV)
- Alghero from June 1944
- Foggia, Italy from September 1944
- North Front, Gibralter from the 29th January 1945 (Wellington XIV)
- disbanded the 8th June 1945
List of those who served with No. 458 Squadron during The Second World War
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