No. 77 Wing RAAF
| No. 77 Wing RAAF | |
|---|---|
Beaufighter of No. 31 Squadron, part of No. 77 Wing, landing on Tarakan airstrip, Borneo, 1945
|
|
| Active | 1943–46 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Role | Attack |
| Size | Three flying squadrons |
| Part of | First Tactical Air Force |
| Engagements |
World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Charles Read |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Vengeance; Boston; Beaufighter |
World War II
No. 77 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing of World War II. It formed part of No. 10 Operational Group (later the Australian First Tactical Air Force) at its establishment in November 1943, when it comprised three squadrons equipped with Vultee Vengeance dive bombers. No. 77 Wing commenced operations in early 1944, flying out of Nadzab, Papua New Guinea. Soon afterwards, however, the Vengeance units were withdrawn from combat and replaced with squadrons flying Douglas Bostons, Bristol Beaufighters and Bristol Beauforts. The wing saw action in the assaults on Noemfoor, Tarakan, and North Borneo, by which time it was an all-Beaufighter formation made up of Nos. 22, 30 and 31 Squadrons. It was to have taken part in the Battle of Balikpapan in June 1945, but unsuitable landing grounds meant that the Beaufighter units were withdrawn to Morotai, sitting out the remainder of the war before returning to Australia, where they disbanded, along with the wing headquarters, in 1946.
No. 77 Wing formed the attack component of No. 10 Operational Group (No. 10 OG), which was established on 13 November 1943. The group was to act as a mobile strike force capable of supporting Allied ground and naval units while they advanced against the Japanese in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), as distinct from the RAAF's area commands in Northern Australia, which had a geographically based static defence function. Led by Wing Commander E.G. Fyfe, No. 77 Wing consisted of three flying squadrons operating Vultee Vengeance dive bombers, and various ancillary units. The Vengeances, which had only recently been acquired by Australia, equipped Nos. 21, 23 and 24 Squadrons. They were to be protected on their attack missions by No. 10 OG's fighter component, No. 78 Wing, operating Curtiss Kittyhawks.
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