3 Squadron RAAF - 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.
ADF Serials This useful website lists almost every aircraft that has ever served with the Australian Defence Forces. To see a list of their many pages referring to 3 Squadron's aircraft, Click Here to search for the string "3 Sqn".

3SQN PRESENT DAY:
Current Photo Database: Air Force Images (Search for example: "F-35".) Current Air Force News An excellent range of free contemporary RAAF publications is available from the Airpower Development Centre.
The Official RAAF Website News, Current Organisation; Bases; Aircraft; History and many other features.
Air Force Association NSW - Website featuring News and Welfare Advice for RAAF Veterans and Families.
RAAF Fighter Squadron Associations Links to all RAAF Fighter Squadron homepages.

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR I:
Australian Film and Sound Archive - An interesting web-page with film-clips of 3 Squadron AFC.
3 Squadron AFC and the Red Baron: Darragh Christie's excellent webpage displays souvenirs collected by 3AFC on the dramatic day in 1918 when the world's top-scoring Fighter Ace was killed. 3 Squadron's original Combat Reports and many photos taken on the day are included. Also the Red Baron's funeral can be viewed online in an annotated silent film. (Groundcrew from 3rd Squadron AFC supplied the firing party, as can be seen from the triangular colour-patches on their shoulders.)
The First World War 1914 - 1918 A clear and interesting overview of World War I by Rene Brouwer.
Australian Flying Corps Cam Riley's magnificent site covering all aspects of the AFC in World War I. His 3AFC page features stories and illustrations of the Squadron's time on the Western Front. Cam's artwork is outstanding. (One 3AFC RE8, "Sylvia", logged more combat hours than any other Allied aircraft on the Front!) There are also rare original WW1 colour photos to add to a very interesting package.
"The RE8 Controversy Revisited" - One of the excellent research 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. Their $30 annual membership fee provides unlimited online access to decades of research embodied in their journal articles. ) Members of the public are also able to freely access their Database of Australian Airmen in the Great War, an invaluable resource for family-history researchers and other WW1 enthusiasts.
Constructing an RE-8 Colour photos of the various skilled processes required to craft this surprisingly intricate machine. - Built for the impressive (in fact world-class!) Omaka WWI Air Museum at Blenheim in New Zealand.
A WWI Flight Simulator for home computers called *'Rise of Flight'* features a detailed map of the Western Front. There is the option to play as the AFC and the RE8 is available, so there may be scope to re-create some 3SQN operations! The basic game is free to play, but only includes one Allied and one German aircraft. Further aircraft and features are available to purchase and download as desired.
The OFFICIAL HISTORY of the Australian Flying Corps in WW1, by Cutlack (published 1923), is available to browse, or as a free download on this page, from the University of Toronto, Canada. (Searchable 29Mb PDF, or various e-reader formats.)

BETWEEN THE WARS:
"The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921-39". Available as a free book download from the ADF's Airpower Development Centre. The fascinating warts-and-all history of the RAAF's chequered development, up to the time of 3SQN's dispatch to Egypt early in WW2 (which seriously drained the resources of the then-tiny Air Force).

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR II:

WW2 Biplane Aces Håkans 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.
“Australians at War Film Archive” Includes extensive transcripts, videos and photos of many 3SQN veterans.
Superb Animation - "The Desert Dogfighter" *(On Youtube: Part 1,* Part 2.) 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 digitised Official History of the Air War against Italy and Germany, by John Herrington, including many stirring 3 Squadron episodes: 1939-43 and 1944-45
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 (but extraordinarily brave) Italian people who assisted Allied escapers and evaders is the Monte San Martino Trust.
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" 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).
239 WING in WORLD WAR II:
Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham - Biography (23Mb E-book, cost $10. Free searchable samples.) He was born in Australia, a successful WW1 Ace and an 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 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 Fighter-Bomber Wing. There is much of interest in the brilliant official website of 450 Squadron Association.
250 Squadron 250 Squadron was another of 3 Squadron's "Wing-mates". 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.

1950s-1970s 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.
“*The RAAF Mirage Story*” Excellent free book available for download, by ex-3SQN pilot Marty Susans.
The RAAF School in Penang Cynthia Matuschka's website will bring back many memories for families from the Butterworth days.
Mick Quinn has several interesting photos of 3 Squadron Mirages and personnel circa 1980.
1986-2017 HORNET ERA:
"3 Squadron - Tip of the Spear" (1.4Mb PDF) 3 Squadron Hornets and several personnel feature in this high-tempo magazine article from AUSTRALIAN AVIATION Magazine (April 2010).
Another interesting 2013 blog by Phil Buckley, focusing on the roles of some younger pilots.
"Air Power into the Next Decade" a very interesting talk to the Royal United Services Institute by Air Commodore Mel Hupfeld, CO of 81 Wing, RAAF [which includes 3SQN], in May 2010.

3 SQUADRON RECOMMENDED LINKS WW1. WW2. Malaysia 50s-70s. Hornet Era 1986-2017. Present Day.

RESEARCHING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY:

3SQN PRESENT DAY:

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR I:

BETWEEN THE WARS:

3 SQUADRON in WORLD WAR II:

239 WING in WORLD WAR II:

1950s-1970s MALAYSIA:

1986-2017 HORNET ERA:

3 SQUADRON RECOMMENDED LINKS
WW1. WW2. Malaysia 50s-70s. Hornet Era 1986-2017. Present Day.