"WHAT'S NEW?" (June 2013)
WW1 and WW2 Campaign maps have been included on our "Historical Dates" page and our "Research" page now includes the full guide to 3SQN material held by the Australian War Memorial.
A great new story of survival from just after the fall of Tripoli in 1943: "Major Muncheberg's Two Kills".
Another great WW1 story: 3 Squadron and the 'Black Day' of the German Army.
In preparation for Anzac Day 2013, our 3SQN WW2 Roll of Honour has been refreshed with new research.
Our Links page now lists two free books, available for download, “The RAAF Mirage Story”
and "The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921-39".
These are two of the many free RAAF-themed books available from the Airpower Development Centre.
Some attractive colour profiles have been added showing the aircraft from the day that Alan Righetti shot down Günther Mielenz, 30 December 1942.
A new historical essay in our "Stories" section commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the Pivotal Battle of El Alamein.
Our "Dogfighters" entry on 3SQN WW2 ace pilot John Jackson has been expanded to include the controversial story of his death in combat in Papua.
Also our Book review for John Jackson's Diary, relating his exciting operational flying career with 3SQN in 1940/41, has been upgraded;
with new ordering details, a range of searchable samples from the diary, and new photos.
There is an update to the story on the intact 260 Sqn (RAF) Kittyhawk from 1942, found recently in the Egyptian desert.
The remains of its pilot, F/Sgt Dennis Copping of the RAF, have now been located a few kilometres from the crash site.
(These photos are very evocative of the desperate British retreat in mid-1942 and a sad monument to the wastage of war...)
We've had more interesting Contacts from our readers, who've highlighted some fascinating snippets of history,
from WW1 to the modern day, including attractive illustrations.
A great new addition to our "Links" page is the Air Force's F-35 Lightning II project page.
- Will 3 Squadron be the first ones to introduce this advanced aircraft to operational service??? Time will tell, but "History" is on our side! (With 3SQN "firsts" for the RAAF Mustang, Sabre and Hornet.)
"Mirage Fun" - A new selection of Bill Chambers' hilarious cartoons from the days when the Squadron operated Mirages from Butterworth.
Photo coverage of Anzac Day 2012 has been added to our "Events" page.
The distinguished career of former 3 Squadron Engineer Keith Austin has been added to our "Lifetimes" section
and Eric Canning's POW Escape story has had some further biography information added.
Our Family History Research page has had a useful link added to the Imperial War Museum London online collection.
Also our Australian War Memorial Online Search Guide has been updated with instructions on how to list the Medals awarded to 3 Squadron personnel in both World Wars.
Five new additions to our Stories section:
Low-Level Raid on Magrun. Alan Righetti's daredevil story of the day he "copped some flak" in November 1942.
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"Are You Dinky Di?" - A humorous look at what our Australian Citizenship Test is really asking.
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Australia's First Air Combat - A dashing tale from the dawn of aviation, featuring (rather surprisingly) Lawrence Wackett, an important figure in 3 Squadron history for nearly half a century.
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Milne Bay 1942 - The RAAF's "Forgotten Finest Hour"
Many 3 Squadron veterans who returned from the Middle East were then thrown into the desperate fight against Japan.
They contributed greatly to our first, pivotal, land-victory, at remote Milne Bay in Papua.---
"Fighting the U-Boats".
Although 3 Squadron was deployed overseas from 1940 until the end of the war in Europe in 1945, there was another Australian Squadron that was in action for even longer; that being No.10 - the "Maritime" boys, who operated Sunderland flying boats from Britain. Their achievements, plus the exciting (if largely unknown) contributions of the many RAAF airmen who helped keep the Allied sea-lanes open during the Battle of the Atlantic, are described in this article.
