No. 31 Squadron RAAF

No. 31 Squadron RAAF
A group portrait of pilots and observers of No. 31 Squadron in January 1943
Active	1942–46 2010–current
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Base operations and training
Part of	Combat Support Group
Garrison/HQ	RAAF Base Wagga
Motto(s)	Non circum coimus (No Turning Around)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Charles Read

No. 31 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airbase support squadron. It was formed in August 1942 and disbanded in July 1946 after seeing action against the Japanese in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. During the war, it operated the Bristol Beaufighter, which it operated in long-range fighter and ground-attack missions. The squadron was re-raised for its current role in July 2010.

No. 31 Squadron was formed at RAAF Base Wagga on 14 August 1942 and was equipped with Bristol Beaufighter fighter and attack aircraft, the first of which was received on 23 August 1942. Under the command of Squadron Leader Charles Frederick Read, who later went on to serve as Chief of the Air Staff, the squadron undertook a period of training before deploying to Batchelor Airfield, Northern Territory, in October, the aircraft flying via Alice Springs. A period of more intense training followed and familiarisation flights were carried out before moving to its operational base at Coomalie Creek Airfield on 12 November and then began flying combat operations on 17 November, attacking targets in Portuguese Timor.

During its first attack, the squadron lost one Beaufighter after being attacked by Japanese fighter aircraft. The following month, on 2 December, the squadron had was involved in more successful attack, striking a Japanese airfield at Penfoei, where they destroyed 18 aircraft without losing any of their own. Later that month, the squadron shot down its first Japanese aircraft, the honours going to Sergeant Eric Barnett who shot down a single-engined Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" fighter over Fuiloro. From then the squadron flew ground-attack missions against Japanese forces in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), concentrating on airfields and ships. It operated from Coomalie Creek in this role until December 1944 when the squadron moved to Noemfoor to bring them closer to targets in the region. From then until the end of the war the squadron continued in the ground attack role from bases in the NEI, including Morotai and Tarakan.