3 Squadron Recommended Links

RESEARCHING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY:
Tips for Researching 3 Squadron Personnel and Operational Records Click the link above to see our recommended sources for online research into 3 Squadron personnel details, photos and stories. Includes instructions for searching the collections of the National Archives of Australia and the Australian War Memorial.
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE:
The Official RAAF Website Current Organisation; Bases; Aircraft; History and many other features.
Fighter Squadrons of the RAAF Links to all RAAF Fighter Squadron homepages.
ADF Serials This useful website lists almost every aircraft that has ever served with the Australian Defence Forces. Search for the string "3 Sqn" (including quote marks) to see their many pages referring to 3 Squadron's aircraft.
3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR I:
Australian Film and Sound Archive - An interesting web-page with film-clips of 3 Squadron AFC.
Who Killed the Red Baron? John Wood's website analyses this famous episode from 3 Squadron's history. 3 Squadron AFC and the Red Baron: Russell Naughton's excellent webpage displays 3 Squadron's original Combat Report and many photos taken on the day of the Red Baron's death. Also the Red Baron's funeral can be viewed online in an annotated silent film. (No.3 Squadron even supplied the firing party, as can be seen from the triangular AFC colour-patches on their shoulders.)
The First World War 1914 - 1918 A clear and interesting overview of World War I by Rene Brouwer.
Australian Battlefields of WW1 France Robert Crane's beautifully-illustrated site, covering Australia's commitment to the Western Front during WW1. 3 Squadron played a crucial role in suppressing German artillery and strongpoints, and introduced air-drops of Army ammunition to support General Monash's war-winning battle plans of 1918.
Australian Flying Corps Cam Riley's magnificent site covering all aspects of the AFC in World War I. His RE-8 page features stories and illustrations of 3 Squadron's faithful mount from the Western Front. (One of which, "Sylvia", logged more combat hours than any other Allied aircraft on the Front!) There are also rare original WW1 colour photos and Cam's outstanding artwork and scholarship.
"The RE8 Controversy Revisited" - One of the excellent articles available online from the Society of WW1 Aero Historians. (Membership of this Sydney-based - but globally interconnected - group is strongly recommended to anyone with a WW1 research interest.)
Constructing an RE-8 Colour photos of the various skilled processes required to craft this surprisingly intricate machine. - Built for the impressive (world-class!) Omaka WWI Air Museum at Blenheim in New Zealand.
3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR II:
Biplane Aces A delightful site on the unusual topic of biplane combat early in WW2. Packed with detail. 3 Squadron's Gauntlet and Gladiator boys get many mentions. Extensive individual articles on Alan Boyd, Gordon Steege, Peter Turnbull, Alan Rawlinson, Ian MacLachlan, John ("Jock") Perrin, Alan Gatward, Blake Pelly, Charles Gaden and Wilfred ("Woof") Arthur. Also exhaustive lists of the missions that the Squadron flew; and aircraft pages on the Gladiator and Gauntlet .
Zeno's Warbird Videos Fascinating contemporary flight-training films are available online for some of the planes flown by 3 Squadron during WW2. These films are in small-screen format, but the size can be magnified by right-clicking once the video is running, and selecting "double" or "full-screen" size. The Kittyhawk II film is in colour, and illustrates an aircraft in typical Desert colours with a Rolls Royce engine, as flown by 3 Squadron from Alamein onwards in late 1942. The Mustang III training film is in B&W, but nicely produced. (They even squeeze in a few corny jokes, such as the scene showing: "Pilots who don't like the P-51" ...they're all Luftwaffe pilots!) The Mustang was flown by 3 Squadron from late 1944.
Australian Military Aviation Art Online gallery of dramatic Aussie aviation artwork, including "Desert Hawks" by Robert Taylor, featuring 3 Squadron's Kittyhawks.
American Aircraft Production The P-40 and P-51 aircraft that 3 Squadron flew for most of World War II were built in the USA. Joe Baugher's site provides copious information about the differences between the various Marks and Production Batches of Tomahawks, Kittyhawks (P-40s) and Mustangs (P-51s).
"The Office" A beautiful colour photo of the cockpit interior of the Australian War Memorial's historic Kittyhawk. Also see a fantastic 360-degree cockpit view of a modern-day Mustang in the livery of the Tuskegee Airmen (pioneering black aviators who served with distinction in the Italian theatre).
A Fighter Pilot Remembers... 3 Squadron Kittyhawk pilot Tom Russell reminisces about his wartime experiences in this online video, produced by David Venish at Camden RSL in June 2010 and illustrated with historical pictures.
Superb Animation - "The Desert Dogfighter" The action-packed story of Nicky Barr, 3 Squadron's top ace. Certainly you will want to watch this free 19-minute movie more than once. Click the Play " >" button to start.
The Great Escape Rob Davis's interesting site illustrates conditions in the Sagan Prisoner of War (POW) camp in Germany. - Well-remembered by several 3 Squadron POWs who were confined there.
3 Squadron P.O.W. Escapers Reach Switzerland! Amazing stories from Bill Rudd's excellent website of the "home runs" (to Switzerland) of escaped Prisoners of War from 3 Squadron: Robert Sydney("Bobby") Jones, Geoff Chinchen, and Fred Eggleston. Another website which commemorates the sacrifices of the many ordinary Italian people who assisted Allied escapers and evaders is the Monte San Martino Trust.
239 WING in WORLD WAR II:
Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham - Biography (23Mb) Born in Australia, successful WW1 Ace and esteemed leader of the WW2 Desert Air Force, "Mary" Coningham forged the doctrine of Allied Tactical Airpower while directing the victorious operations of the D.A.F., which included 239 (Fighter-Bomber) Wing, containing 3 Squadron. This book provides a fascinating description of the "big picture" of Air Warfare in the African and Early Italian Campaigns. Refreshingly frank about Allied mistakes as well as triumphs.
Shark Squadron The excellent website of 112 Squadron RAF, who flew their spectacular "shark-mouthed" fighters alongside No.3 Squadron in 239 Wing for three eventful years, in Africa, Sicily and Italy. 112 Squadron was led at one stage by the top Australian ace, Clive Caldwell. The "Photos" section is fascinating, including a rare colour shot of "Buzz", the pet monkey of Tiny Cameron from 3 Squadron, and Brian Eaton's specially-painted Mustang IV when he led 239 Wing.
"The Desert Harassers" 450 Squadron was the "other" Australian squadron sharing the travails of 239 Wing. There is much of interest in the brilliant official website of 450 Squadron Association.
"Close to the Sun" - 250 Squadron 250 Squadron was another of 3 Squadron's "Wing-mates". Their Association's official website displays many interesting items. Among many achievements, 250 Sqn. had a spectacular success against an entire squadron of German FW190s in Italy.
260 Squadron RAF (239 Wing) A brief history with illustrations of aircraft. Also, James ("Eddie") Edwards was a 260 Squadron pilot whose reminiscences are preserved in detail by Canadian Veterans Affairs.
A Brief 5 Squadron SAAF History Another "239 Wing"-mate.
POST-WAR MALAYSIA:
Fighter World (Williamtown NSW.) A great place for getting "up close" to the aircraft flown during 3 Squadron's time in Malaysia - the Sabre and Mirage, amongst their many other fascinating exhibits.
Mick Quinn has several interesting photos of 3 Squadron Mirages and personnel circa 1980.
The RAAF School in Penang Cynthia Matuschka's website will bring back many memories for families from the Butterworth days.
3SQN PRESENT DAY:
Defence News Dozens of articles and photo-sets of 3 Squadron interest can be seen by clicking the link above. Some samples pages: Fantastic FA18 air-to-air shots over Melbourne. Squadron Leader Vinny takes the Treasurer for a spin Retirement of Air Commodore David Pietsch (another former Leader of 3 Squadron). Red Flag Alaska 2011, an interesting roundup, including short videos.
"3 Squadron - Tip of the Spear" (1.4Mb PDF) Several current 3 Squadron personnel feature in this fantastic magazine article from AUSTRALIAN AVIATION Magazine (April 2010).
"Air Power into the Next Decade" a very interesting talk to RUSI-NSW , Sydney, in May 2010 by Air Commodore Mel Hupfeld, CO of 81 Wing, RAAF [which includes 3SQN].

3 SQUADRON RECOMMENDED LINKS:

RESEARCHING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY:

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE:

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR I:

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR II:

239 WING in WORLD WAR II:

POST-WAR MALAYSIA:

3SQN PRESENT DAY: